Had she been as innocent as they’d all assumed?
Could she have been up to something? Where Janice had been too quick to jump to conclusions, was it possible they hadn’t been quick enough? She had claimed to be South Korean, but North Korea was known to have spies in the US. Her mother was dead, her father missing. What if they’d never existed to begin with?
He ran his good hand through his hair. His other arm wasn’t as sore as it had been, and tomorrow he would see the doctor and be cleared to go back to his normal life.
Tomorrow was Monday, but there would be no morning run.Sorry, Thad.
The Uber driver hadn’t been chatty, and Luke had been so busy trying not to think about Faith and to think about the case that he didn’t notice that they’d arrived at the hotel until the Uber driver slammed the car into park and turned around.
“You okay, man?” The driver wasn’t much younger than himself, but his face had a look of innocence that Luke envied.
“Yeah. Sorry. Wasn’t paying attention.” He was now though. Every nerve ending pinged. “Thanks.”I hope you don’t see me get killed in the next thirty seconds.
He did the best impersonation of a dash that his still-aching legs could manage and hit the revolving door with a gasp that was a combination of exhaustion and relief. He didn’t acknowledge the uniformed Raleigh PD officer who fell into step with him andjoined him on the elevator. Luke pressed the button for the fourteenth floor, then settled himself in the corner.
The police officer stood in front of him in a way that would be weird under normal circumstances. As it was, Luke appreciated the man’s bulk as the doors opened on four different floors, with people entering and exiting each time. He was sweating by the time he got off on the fourteenth. The officer remained at the elevator.
“Am I the last one back?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Thank you.”
“Anytime.”
Zane poked his head into the hall and blew out a breath in undisguised relief when he saw Luke. “Any trouble?”
“No.” Luke entered the room, and Zane locked the door behind them. “You?”
“Nothing.” Zane scooped ice from a bucket and filled a glass.
“Where’s Gil?” Luke scanned the room.
“In his room. He’s next door, but there’s no connecting door. Our room connects to Tessa’s like it did at the other place.”
“Is Gil okay?”
“Sore and tired. Said he’d see us in the morning.” Zane held the glass and stared at nothing. “It’s weird. I know David Lee is out there. The waiting for him to attack is driving me bonkers.”
“Seriously.” Tessa spoke from the opposite corner of the room, and there was no humor in her remark.
“Drop it, Tess.” Zane poured half a bottle of water into the small glass and took a long drink. Tessa stalked around them, through the adjoining door, and into her own space.
“You’re going to have to explain that.” Luke slipped off his shoes and scanned the room. It was much larger than where they’d been and had nicer amenities.
Zane poured the rest of the bottle into the glass and swirled it around. “Later.”
“Keeping everything inside isn’t healthy.” Luke eyed his friend. “It’s been a bad week all around, but you’ve taken the worst of it. It’s okay to be—”
“To be what?” Zane slammed the glass on the counter. “Just because my life is a Dumpster fire doesn’t mean I’ve lost my ability to do my job, and it doesn’t mean I’ve turned into someone who can’t distinguish the truth from a lie.”
Luke didn’t have to wonder who that last part had been for. Zane had practically yelled it at the door to Tessa’s room. There was no response.
Zane rolled his head to the left, then the right. “I don’t want to talk about it. Do you need the bathroom? I’m going to take a shower.”
Luke waved him away.
Zane grabbed a small bag and stomped into the bathroom. Moments later the shower came on and seconds after that there was a soft knock on the adjoining door.
