Oh, if they only knew.
The door to the kitchen banged open behind us, someonescreamed and dropped a platter. “Caroline Valera,” a vaguely familiar voicecalled from the middle of the commotion.
“Go,” I ordered Sayer, pushing his back.
“Valera stop!” that same voice shouted. I realized itwas Mason.
My new FBI friend now wanted to arrest me. Oh, howquickly the fickle of heart fade. And here I thought we were going to bebffs.
Sayer and I turned a corner and took off sprinting. Imanaged to catch a room service cart on the way and tip it over. We burst outof the kitchens into back hallways. The sudden quiet was jarring. We soundedlike a stampede as we raced through carpet-muffled corridors, my franticbreathing amplified to my sensitive ears.
Slowing our pace, we shuffled quickly toward a metaldoor near the emergency exit. Hitting the push bar, we burst into the stairwelland took them two at a time. I had no idea where we were going or why we werefleeing upward, deeper into the labyrinth of the hotel, but I trusted Sayer.And he seemed to know exactly where he wanted to go.
“This way,” Sayer ordered.
We pushed through another door and I realized we wereon one of the top floors. “We need to go back down,” I reminded him. “That’swhere all the exits are.”
“They’ll already have blocked those. They’ll bewaiting for us. Don’t worry, I’ve got a backup plan,” Sayer said quietly,slowing his pace to casual, unconcerned with things like the FBI and gettingcaught. His arm wrapped around me, pulling me to his side. But we kept ourfaces focused on the carpet, out of sight of peeping security cameras. “Do youtrust me, Six?”
“I do,” I told him immediately. That wasn’t even aquestion.
He reached into his pocket, pulling a keycard stillwrapped in the paper packet. At the end of the hallway he found the room itbelonged to, smoothly sliding it in and out of the electronic lock. The doorclicked open and Sayer ushered me inside.
I tripped over nothing when the inside turned out tobe a suite. “What is this?” I asked breathlessly.
The door closed and I heard him fiddling with all thelocks, securing us inside. “A surprise?” he suggested on a quiet laugh equalparts hopeful and nervous. “I had been hoping we’d check off all the d’s firstthough.”
Turning around so I could look at him, I walked backwardinto the luxurious room. “The d’s?”
Half his mouth kicked up in a sweet smile. “You know,drinking, dining, dancing. The plan was to sweep you off your feet and thenpretend to get lost until we ended up here. I’ve been looking forward totonight for weeks.” He let out a frustrated sigh. “I should have known the FBIwould get in the way.”
I smiled at his disappointment, for some reasonfeeling incredibly special that he had put so much thought into this night.“The FBI ruin everything.”
He winked at me. “That they do.” He paused, beforeadding thoughtfully, “They’ll be expecting us to leave though. I’m sure they’llhave the exits blocked and the hotel won’t hand over security footage untilthey can come up with a warrant. We’ll be safe here tonight.”
Forcing my gaze from his, I absorbed the extravagantroom that was ours for the night. The muted fabrics were highlighted withgolden accents so that they matched the cream and gold furniture, and therewere windows on every side. Wide, tall, stretching windows revealed the city atnight and all the glittering light dancing from historic building to shimmerywater to stoic monument.
He’d picked the most beautiful room for us. And afterimagining the evening he had planned, I knew I truly would have been swept offmy feet. I was halfway there now and we’d just outrun the feds.
Pressing my hands to my stomach, I tried not to thinkabout why Sayer would go to all these great lengths. I was nervous now for anentirely different reason. Anticipation buzzed inside of me, a swarm of beeswithout a place to land. My fingers started trembling, so I hid them behind myback, unwilling to share my weakness. I was supposed to be resilient,unflappable, completely cool under pressure. And yet with just the opening of adoor, Sayer had managed to completely turn me inside out.
“What was that down there?” I asked because it waseasier to change the direction of my thoughts than come to terms with what thisroom could mean.
Sayer frowned. “I don’t know.”
“They knew my real name,” I said unnecessarily. “Theyrecognized me.” I held his gaze, opening mine up so he could see all my truth,all the things I wouldn’t hide from him. “How, Sayer?Why me?”
He shook his head. “I don’t know. I’ll make a call.See what I can find out.”
Before he could do that though, I started shaking. Andit wasn’t the quivering of a nervous virgin on the potential night of herdeflowering. No, this was full body quaking from nearly getting caught byfederal agents.
It was the first time I had ever been made. It was thefirst time an FBI agent knew me by name. It was the first time I had ever hadto face the consequences of my lifestyle.
“Hey,” Sayer murmured gently. He rushed to me, pullingme into a tight hug against his body. I wrapped my arms around him, absorbinghis strength and steady nerves. “Hey, Caroline, it’s going to be fine.”
I hugged him harder, crushing my body as close to hisas was humanly possible. “I’ve never talked to them before, Sayer. Other thanthe recon we did before tonight, I have never even seen them. How did they knowme?”
One of his long fingers nudged my chin, lifting myface to look at his. “I believe you. Okay? You’re safe. You’re not in trouble.”
