Ewen was already heading back to the elevator. “Five minutes.”
Lamont waved his hand, checked just long enough to see the mattress and bathroom door had been magically fixed, and slammed the door to five-twelve shut as he hurried toward the elevator after Ewen.
Chapter Twelve
Ewen’s fox was rumbling a steady rhythm in his chest as they rode the elevator up to the sixth floor. The image of his destroyed room kept flashing through his mind - mattress gutted, clothes shredded, everything he’d left in the room torn apart like it meant nothing.
During his interrogation at the textile factory, the woman had mentioned they’d “gone through his things” at the hotel. Ewen had assumed she meant a quick search, maybe rifling through drawers and checking obvious hiding spots. In his experience, most criminals didn’t have the energy to completely destroy a room.
Another thing I believed was true is now shot to hell.Ewen never expected such complete annihilation.
The elevator dinged quickly enough. They’d only gone up one floor. Lamont stepped out first again, scanning the hallway with the same intensity he’d shown before. Ewen appreciated the protection, even if his pride bristled at needing it.
“We need six-fourteen,” Ewen said quietly.
They walked past more identical doors until Ewen stopped and pulled out his second key card. His hand was steadier this time, as he braced for more devastation.
The lock beeped green.
Ewen pushed the door open and…
The room looked pristine. Completely untouched. Shocked, Ewen scanned the room. His suitcase sat exactly where he’d left it beside the closet. The bed was made with hospital corners tucked tight. His laptop rested on the desk, closed and centered on the polished wood surface.
Ewen’s fox snarled.
At the exact same moment, Lamont growled deep in his throat.
“What’s going on?” Ewen stepped inside the room, closing the door behind him. Every instinct he had was screaming thatsomethingwas wrong. The room looked perfect, which was wrong for a start. Nobody cleaned hotel rooms to that standard unless they were preparing for a photo shoot. And Ewen had hung the “do not disturb” sign on both doors before he’d gone out the evening he’d been taken, so no one should’ve been in there making the bed.
Lamont’s eyes had gone completely black. His hound was riding just beneath the surface, scanning, searching.
“Don’t move.” Lamont’s voice had dropped an octave. “Don’t touch anything.”
Ewen froze.
Lamont moved slowly through the room, checking corners, and sniffing the air. He stopped at the window first, examining the curtain rod. His hand reached up and pulled something small from behind the fabric.
A camera. Tiny, black, no bigger than a button.
Ewen’s stomach dropped.
Lamont crushed it between his fingers without breaking eye contact with Ewen. He moved to the desk next, running his hand along the underside. Another camera. This one had been positioned to capture whoever sat at the desk.
Crushed.
The third camera was mounted inside the smoke detector on the ceiling. Lamont had to stand on the desk chair to reach it.
Crushed.
“They weren’t trying to find your research,” Lamont said grimly. “They were waiting for you to come back and lead them to it.”
Ewen’s blood went cold. “You were captured on those cameras before you disabled them.”
“It doesn’t matter.”
“It does matter.” Ewen’s hands curled into fists. “Now they know about you. They’ll come after you, too.”
“Let them try.” Lamont’s smile was all teeth and hellhound. “I’ve got a few things to say to them about the way they treated you. Honestly, don’t worry about it for now.”
