Chapter six
Rune - Vancouver - May 8
Iwoke to silence and immediately knew I was alone.
The hotel room was exactly as I'd left it when I nodded off, curtains half-drawn, my bag on the chair, the second bed untouched. Nothing had changed.
No, everything had changed.
I held my hand against my chest, feeling my heartbeat steady and controlled. No panic.
Griffin kissed me last night after the show. We'd said goodnight like professionals, and he'd gone to his room while I went to mine. Separate. Careful. Exactly as it should be.
I woke at 2:00 AM remembering his hands on my face, and how he'd responded when I'd pulled him closer. I finally fell asleep again near dawn.
It can't continue.
Last night was beautiful. That didn't make it sustainable. If we did it again, someone would notice. Consequences would follow: real, traceable damage to the group and the machinery that kept Violet Frequency functioning.
Three years ago, an idol I knew tried to come out on his own terms. Thought honesty would be better than speculation. His group disbanded within six months. Two members haven't worked since.
I stopped that thought. Pushed it down where I kept all the other images of what happened when someone like me stopped being careful.
I sat up. Reached for my phone on the nightstand.
It wasn't where I'd left it.
I'd placed it face-down on the left side of the nightstand, charging cable plugged in. Now it sat face-up on the right side, unplugged, screen dark.
My breath stopped.
I picked it up carefully. No new notifications. Battery at 73%. It had charged for a while before someone unplugged it. I checked the recent activity. Nothing unusual. No calls or messages. No apps opened I didn't open myself.
I didn't move it.
I stood and checked the door. Locked. Security bar engaged. The windows, closed and latches secure. I examined the lock mechanism, looking for signs of forced entry I knew I wouldn't find.
My eyes scanned the room more carefully now. The curtains were half-drawn. I'd left them that way. Had I pulled them from the left or right? I couldn't remember.
My bag sat on the chair. Had it been facing that direction?
Then I saw it. The water glass on the desk. It was full. I'd left it half-empty.
I picked it up carefully. My hands shook. My body understood before my mind did.
I pulled up Griffin's contact and typed:Something happened. I need you.
My thumb hovered over send.
That was what they wanted. Panic. Visible disruption they could use as evidence I was unstable and paranoid.
I deleted the message and set the phone down carefully.
Someone had been here while I slept. Close enough to replace the water I'd drunk from the glass. Close enough to watch me.
My phone buzzed.
Jinwoo:Breakfast. My room. Now.
