Page 50 of The Girlfriend’s Secret

‘She’s here?’ I ask, looking around in shock.

‘Don’t worry, she’s not in the bar,’ Joel tells me. ‘She’s upstairs. We’ve got a room in this hotel.’

My brother might just be making conversation, but there’s no way I can go back to chatting now that I know that she is here. That’s because I only want to talk to her now. I just have to figure out a way to get to her.

‘How about another beer?’ I suggest to Joel. ‘But considering your girlfriend is crazy, you can buy them.’

‘Fair enough,’ Joel says with a laugh as he goes to get up.

‘Hey, isn’t this the hotel that has the fancy room keycards?’ I ask him before he can go.

‘Huh?’

‘I read an article about it. How the keycards are gold and they have some cool microchip inside them that lights up when you tap them on the doors. I’m sure this is the place. Is it true?’

‘I don’t think so,’ Joe replies, frowning.

‘Let me see the card,’ I say, gesturing for him to take his room key out of his pocket and, sure enough, he does that.

‘See, it’s not even gold,’ he tells me as he flashes me the card. But in doing so, he also flashes me the number that is written on the paper pouch that the card is in.

414

‘I must be mixed up with somewhere else,’ I say with a shrug. ‘Never mind.’

Joel rolls his eyes then turns to head to the bar.

‘I’m just going to go to the toilet,’ I call after him. ‘Make sure there’s a beer here for when I get back.’

Joel gives me the thumbs up as I stand and head to the toilets. But after checking that my brother isn’t watching me, I take a detour towards a staircase.

Ascending the stairs, I look out for the sign for the fourth floor and when I find it, I then look for the door with the same number on it as the number that was on my brother’s room card.

414

Here it is.

Haven is behind this door.

Now it’s time to say hello.

THIRTY-FIVE

HAVEN

PRESENT

I try to close the door, but Scott reaches out a strong hand and prevents me from doing so.

That only leaves me with one other option.

I start backing away from him.

‘How did you find me?’ I cry. ‘What do you want?’

‘Hello to you too,’ Scott says as he steps into the room before closing the door behind himself.

I wish Joel was here now. I wish he’d never gone out for a walk. Most of all, I wish I hadn’t answered the knock at the door.