“No,” Cujo replied.If only it were so simple.“I’m with Drea Caron, and she was involved in a situation where a woman was abducted from the place she works.Because of where the café is, and where my mom was found, it was handled by a different police station.”
“Where are you now?”
“I am at the hospital.We literally just walked into the room and Drea recognized my mom as that woman.”
“Okay, sit tight, I’m on my way.”
Cujo hung up and clutched his phone between both hands.What would they say to Evelyn?Now all he could do is wait for everyone to arrive.
Drea waited by a large window, her back turned away from him.Whatever drove her need to find the woman was over.Now she had to step back and let him and his family make the decisions.
A middle-aged couple walked by, the woman in tears, the man with his arms wrapped tightly around her shoulders.Fucking hospitals.Nothing good ever happened in them.
Cujo joined Drea.“What did Don say?”he asked.Whether she liked it or not, he was going to tell the police about him, and that Drea knew how to contact him.
“He said he’d be on the first flight in the morning.”There was a long pause.“I was trying to help, Brody.”
He got that, but he didn’t have it in him to be compassionate right now.He made a mental note to inform the hospital to allow only his immediate family access to his mom’s room.“I didn’t want you to call him.”
“I thought it was best.”She grabbed his forearm but he pulled it away.
“Best for who?You?You’re too involved with all this, Drea.It wasn’t your decision to make.It was mine.”
The double doors swung open and Alec walked in with Devon.He didn’t want to deal with this right now.What his mom needed and deserved was his full attention.
Cujo took his key ring out of his pocket and spun the truck key off it.
“Here,” he said, placing it in Drea’s hand.“Drive my truck to work and I’ll get it from you tomorrow.”
“Don’t push me away, Brody.I want to be here for you.”The crack in her voice almost made him reconsider.
“I need to focus on my mom right now.And you have work.Go, please.Tonight isn’t the night for big introductions.”
Drea looked over her shoulder and saw the two men walking toward them.
“Keep your key,” she snapped, and he did his best ignore the hurt radiating for her.“I’ll grab a cab.”
“Drea.It’s not safe, please—”
She turned on her heel and marched straight along the corridor, passing his family with her head down.Almost immediately, he wanted to call her back, but he couldn’t.He had other things he needed to focus on.
So why did the idea of her alone in the dark scare him just as much as finding out the truth of who is mom actually was?
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
The hotel was abuzz.Word in the break room was a huge star had arranged a last-minute check-in.To Drea, it was just another wet bar to set up.Mostly vodka, fresh cranberries, and enough caffeine-loaded diet drinks to keep a girl awake for twenty-four hours straight.
The penthouse had been set up to the guest’s standards, although why someone needed so many pink roses and candles was anyone’s guess.They looked so pretty, but all the different fragrances compounded the headache she’d had since leaving Cujo at the hospital.Damn him.
She gave the counter one last furious wipe to remove any spills from filling the ice bucket.The manager would be up shortly to do a final walkthrough.
Why hadn’t he been able to see she was trying to do the right thing?
Drea shoved the cart into the corridor, directly into the path of another penthouse-level guest, catching him squarely on the hip.
“Oh no.I’m so sorry, sir.I didn’t hurt you, did I?”
“Hold on, Sal,” the guest said into the phone before he looked at Drea.
