“Why are you in such a cheery mood?” Terry asked while we waited for the elevator.
“I almost lost my baby brother today. Okay?”
“Yeah, that sucks,” Terry agreed.
The rest of us were quiet.
Once we’d reached the Presidential Suite, even Duke had to admit that the steel doors with keypad security were solid.
Yates pointed to the door. “There is no direct access to this suite. The only way in is to pass through that outer room where the Secret Service sets up. There are two levels of locked, bombproof doors with different combinations.”
Duke nodded. “What if they rappel down from the roof?”
“The glass is bulletproof,” Yates explained.
Peyton
While the guysdiscussed security measures, I wandered the expansive space. It was hard to comprehend that I was in any suite of this hotel, much less the Presidential Suite, fifty floors up with these views.
When I looked back at Zane, I couldn’t believe how lucky I gotten to have met such a man, a man whose mere presence could make me feel safe after all that had happened. The confidence he exuded was contagious.
I left the living room and passed into a bedroom. The view out over the city was mesmerizing. But somewhere out there, my pursuer was plotting to get to me, to attack again. I’d become his obsession.
Since realizing I’d seen the Strangler’s face, I’d been scared of everything and everyone. Especially after what happened to Olivia, I’d been unwilling to make attachments, consigning myself to be forever on the run and alone. Zane’s strength finally gave me the confidence to believe I could beat the monster and help lock him away in the cage he deserved.
I would be strong enough to face the danger. It wouldn’t bring Cassie back, or any of the others, but it had to be done. It was a responsibility I couldn’t shirk.
The size of the bathroom,when I found it, floored me. Why did a hotel room have a bathroom half the size of a basketball court? It had two walk-in showers, each with four spray heads, a sauna, two Jacuzzi tubs, and—yes, I counted—four sinks and two makeup tables. Naturally, all the fixtures were gold-plated.
Yates wandered in. “What do you think?”
“It’s marvelous.” I spun around, my arms wide. “But over the top, don’t you think?”
“I agree, but it’s meant to appeal to a customer with an ego that wouldn’t fit in a smaller space.”
I nodded. “Marketing to sheikhs and sultans?”
“Politicians, CEOs, anyone with the compulsion to have the very best.”
“When they said safe house, I was picturing some basement somewhere, like in the movies. Not…” I gestured. “This is too much.”
“But it’s safe.”
It struck me that it was ridiculous for Lucas to pay for a place like this to protect me instead of some concrete basement bunker.
“Lucas shouldn’t be running up a bill like this. It would make more sense to be at a Motel Six somewhere.”
“It’s cheaper than a Motel Six,” Yates said matter-of-factly. “It’s on the house.”
“I don’t believe that for a minute.”
“Believe it. I’m the owner.”
Amazingly, he seemed neither ashamed to admit that, nor proud.
I’d heard he was rich, but the magnitude of his wealth only now came into focus.
“Lucas said your safety is our top priority, along with catching the… the…”
