As they turned the corner to head for the corridor, Ellie suddenly grabbed his arm before she ducked into an alcove. She pulled Colton along with her. "What is he doing here?"
"He, who?"
"Jack Forstner. The CEO of the network that owns my show. Well, her soap opera now."
Colton watched as Jack headed out. "Well, he's headed for the same place we were. Maybe we should just hang out here for a few minutes and watch."
They moved out onto the heated pool deck and found an inconspicuous corner that gave them a view of the 500 block of suites. A waiter came over to take their order, and Colton was surprised when Ellie ordered a full meal for both of them. "And I'll have a Pepsi, and he'll have..." She looked at Colton with a question in her tone.
"Pepsi is fine." He caught the glint of humor in her gaze.
"And what suite should I bill this to?" The waiter smiled expectantly, not having a clue that he was being played.
"504, thank you."
When the waiter left, she looked at Colton. "I don't care if you eat a bite. Sometimes it's the little things."
He had to laugh at her. She was amazing, and quite honestly, he wasn't sure how she had made it in the shark infested waters of show business. She was firm and assertive but with such a softness that he just wanted to protect her forever, even though he was well aware that she didn't need the protection.
While they waited for their food, Colton called his mother so that she didn't send in the troops before it was needed. "If I don't call you in an hour, send the boys over."
"What do you think is going on, Cole?"
"I have no idea. I wish I did, but I don't have a clue. Hopefully we get some answers soon."
They nibbled at the food when it arrived, neither of them very hungry after already eating with the family. Colton laughed when Ellie asked for a giant slice of strawberry cheesecake.
"What? There's always room for cheesecake."
He reached over and held her hand. "You're amazing. And when this is over, we're going to have a long talk."
She pulled away and popped a bite of the cheesecake in her mouth. "Oh, and this is great cheesecake. You want a bite?"
Before he could answer, she ducked down in her seat. "There they go."
Jack and Nita walked toward the front lobby, and neither glanced in their direction. The waiter suddenly appeared next to her. "Is everything okay?"
Ellie recovered quickly and beamed at him. "This is amazing. Can I please get a box? I'll be right back to pick it up."
When she pushed her chair back, Colton stood with her. "Where are we going? Follow them? I can have one of the guys do it from above."
"I don't care where they're going. I want to have a look in the suite."
Colton groaned, but he knew better than to argue with her. Besides, it wasn't a half bad idea. "Let's go."
They hurried to the elevation, not wanting to waste time by taking the stairs.
Chapter Twenty-Two: Confronting the Deceit
Ellie Dampier
Ellie groaned as she turned the handle and found it locked. "Why do people in these rich places lock their damned doors?"
Colton laughed at her. "Wouldn't you, if you were staying here?"
She stuck her tongue out at him. "Can you kick the door down?"
"Better than that, I can get the knob to open."
