“Can I come with you?”
“Youwantto come?” Rafe asked, surprised.
“Oh, please.” Ahri rolled her eyes. “Do you really think I could grow up with Kayn and not be a gamer?”
Rafe seemed to think about it, his brows pinched. “Bill, I wasn’t planning to bring you along. Can we sneak her out?”
The older man studied her for a second before nodding. “Let me see what I can do.”
“You don’t usually travel with a bodyguard?” she asked.
“Not normally.” Rafe pointed to the left. “That should be your room over there. Why don’t you get settled and check out what they’re offering for room service?” He turned his laptop back toward him.
Ahri knew when she’d been dismissed, so she went to her room. It probably should have irritated her, but she found it oddly comforting instead. It was like she had Kayn there after all since he had the same focus on work.
She glanced around the room, feeling a little lost. Knowing that Bill and Rafe were out there made her feel more secure than she had since Zed’s freaky warning. The worry hadn’t left though. She hated not knowing what was going on, what her future would be.
Ahri checked out the toiletries in the bathroom, glad to see they provided what she’d need. Thinking about that night’s activities, she smiled for the first time since the whole nightmare had started. The idea of losing herself in a good game fight made her feel better. It might distract her from thinking about Zed.
Could he have gotten involved in gambling? If he owed money to a bookie, would she be obligated to pay it back? She didn’t know what Arizona’s gambling laws were. Could someone he owed a gambling debt to legally sue her for payment? Or would it be the creepy kind of Mafia Vinnie and Luigi stereotype villainwho came after her—pay up or I’ll break your leg? That one seemed more likely considering her ransacked apartment.
She and Zed had some savings for a down payment on a house that she could use if she needed to. It made her sick to think of using their hard-earned money to pay for something so useless as a gambling debt. Assuming Zed hadn’t emptied the account.
Worried, she pulled out her phone and checked the balance. He hadn’t touched any of it. None. Her stomach in a knot, Ahri stared at the screen until it went dark on its own. He’d left, and she had no idea where to. As awful as the last year had been with him, she’d cared about him once. She felt helpless, but he’d made it so she couldn’t do anything for him.
Ahri picked up the room service menu. Any other time, it all would have sounded good, but nothing appealed to her. It wasn’t what she was craving. She took it with her to the living room.
“I’ve made arrangements for a new car to be delivered,” Bill was saying. “It’ll be innocuous. I also picked up a hat for Mrs. Meisner since I didn’t notice any in her boxes.”
“Wait. How wouldyouknow what I had in my boxes?” She pressed her fingers against the tight muscles in her jaw. Hadn’t her privacy already been intruded on enough?
“You’re very efficient and wrote the contents on the outside of them,” Bill said. “I didn’t open anything.”
“Oh.” Ahri felt stupid. She needed to stop being so prickly. “Okay.”
Bill shot Rafe an expectant glance, who nodded. Her stomach knotted even worse. They needed to stop doing that.
“Until we know what’s going on,” the security man said, “I’ve counseled your brother to divert your possessions to another state.” He explained his concerns. “It might be nothing.”
“Or it might be something. I guess it doesn’t matter where my things are since I’ll be staying with Kayn for a while.” She really didn’t want to think about it. “Why did you get me a hat?”
“Because you weren’t wearing one when we arrived. Hatsmake people look different. It’s an easy disguise in case someone’s watching for you.” He handed her an Arizona Diamondback cap. “I recommend you put your hair in a ponytail and pull it up inside when we go out.”
“Thank you.” Ahri accepted it, filled with a confusion of emotions. “Sorry I’ve been such a snot today. I appreciate that you two believe me, but, to be honest, it’s kind of freaking me out again, like it makes it more real.”
“Remember, it’s Bill’s job to consider possible threats,” Rafe looked at her sympathetically. “That’s what I pay him the big bucks for.”
“Yeah.” She played with the hat. How serious was it? Serious enough that someone had searched her apartment. She wasn’t normally the kind of person to push off facing hard things, but she was just done tonight. That was when she realized she hadn’t called her brother yet.
“I should probably let Kayn know I won’t be there tonight.”
“He’ll be glad to hear from you, but he already knows we won’t be back until tomorrow.”
“Oh.” She handed the menu binder to Rafe. “You sure you want to order room service, or do you want to stop for fast food on the way to your gaming den?”
“You prefer fast food tothis?” he asked, flipping through it.
“Call it comfort food.” She shrugged. “Don’t you eat fast food anymore, or are you too much of a big shot for it?”
