“Hello, welcome to the Twin Peaks Hotel. Do you have a reservation?”
The man, tall and thin with a thick mustache and warm hazel eyes, reached into the inside pocket of his suede coat. His bushy eyebrows furrowed when he didn’t find what he was looking for. His hands went to his pockets. His frown deepened.
The wife, short and round with a lovely face and bright red lips, chuckled. “Henry, what are you looking for?”
Still patting down his person, Henry huffed. “I can’t find my wallet.”
Shaking her head, the wife dug into her purse and drew the worn leather out. “This wallet? The one you gave me so you wouldn’t forget it?”
Henry blushed and took the thing from her. “I knew that.” He flipped it open. “I was just seeing if you remembered.”
The woman rolled her eyes affectionately.
Endeared by the pair of them, Juliette chuckled.
A moment later, several pieces of ID and a reservation print out was set on the counter. Juliette followed the steps Celina had given her. She pulled up the online reservation form and found the man’s name and room number. All the while, Celina breathed down her throat, watching her every move like a hawk. But she must not have done anything wrong, because she managed to get through the whole process without getting yelled at.
Mr. and Mrs. Therrien were sent off to find their rooms and Juliette was left alone with the queen of bitching once more.
“Are you sleeping with Harold?”
The question was so out of the blue and so surprising, Juliette wasn’t fast enough to conceal her disgust.
“Oh, ew!” she blurted without thinking.
Realistically, there was nothing wrong with Harold. He was young and attractive in a car sales men sort of way. But Juliette had never found his dimpled smiles and twinkling green eyes overly enticing, not when she had someone like Killian to compare him to. Harold honestly never stood a chance.
“Who then?” Celina pressed on.
“That is hardly any of your business!” Juliette retorted sharply.
“It is my business when you stole my job!” Celina practically shrieked. “Who the hell are you anyway? What makes you qualified to run the front desk? Do you have any idea—?”
“Look,” Juliette cut her off before the woman had an aneurysm. “I don’t know how I got the job, okay? I’ve been applying for four years and I guess I finally got lucky.”
Celina actually snorted like the very idea was ridiculous. “You did not get lucky. I pick who works at the front and who doesn’t and I did not select you.”
Juliette had nothing to say to that so she kept her mouth shut. Not that it mattered. Celina was on one of her rolls again.
“Furthermore, I would most certainly not let you take my place!” Her pretty alabaster complexion went blotchy beneath her flawless makeup and her eyes shone. “I don’t work nights! I have a social life and I won’t sit here in an empty hotel lobby, waiting…” She sniffled and turned away. Juliette felt a pang of guilt and sympathy and started reaching for the other woman in comfort. “I’m too young and hot to be locked up where no one can see me!”
Guilt and sympathy died instantaneously. Juliette dropped her hand and shook her head.
At five, Celina packed her things, cast Juliette a scathing glower and stalked out of the hotel. Juliette was left alone for an hour before Evan arrived for the night shift. She took the time to unwind from the nightmare that had been her first day. Her head was thrumming and her back ached, but it was her feet that made her want to cry. They hurt like a mother and she was pretty certain she had blisters where the straps on her sandals were cutting into her ankle. But Celina wouldn’t let her sit down for longer than a minute before pointing out how lazy she was being.
Only nine more days to go, she told herself as a motivational pep talk. Celina’s training would eventually end and Juliette would finally be free of the woman. She just needed to bide her time and not commit murder before then.
That was easier said than done when tomorrow would be another day.
John and Tyson were waiting for her when Juliette finally left. The two had taken turns all day sitting in the lobby. Seeing them filled her with a whole new surge of guilt.
“I’m sorry,” she told the pair. “You guys must hate being stuck with me.”
“No ma’am,” Tyson said almost immediately.
“It’s our job,” John added.
She didn’t believe either of them. Who wanted to spend their entire day watching the weather channel in a hotel lobby? The very idea bored her to tears.
“Look, if you guys want to take a break, get some coffee…”
“We’re fine,” John said. “Thank you.”
Juliette sighed. “I’m just going home. You don’t have to follow me there.”
“We go where you go.”
Awesome.
Not pressing the matter, she let herself be led to the SUV. Tyson drove while John sat in the back with her. The moment they started driving, Juliette undid the buckles on her shoes and kicked the torture devices off with great relish. She groaned as her feet straightened to their normal flatness. Her toes cracked. Sure enough, there was a blister on the big toe of her left foot and a cut from the strap on her right ankle. Both throbbed.
“Remind me to set those on fire,” she told John, who inclined his head.
“Yes ma’am.”
Juliette grimaced. “It’s Juliette. Ma’am makes me feel all … matrony.”
John bowed his head again. “Yes ma’am.”
With an exasperated sigh, she dropped the subject.
“Roger.” Tyson said unexpectedly from behind the wheel. He lowered the wrist he’d had up by his mouth. “Boss wants to see you,” he said, peering at Juliette through the rearview mirror.
“Me?” Juliette asked. “Why?”
“Don’t know, ma’am,” was all the answer she got as he turned the car around and headed back towards the estate.
Frank met her at the entrance. His enormous frame took up the entire doorway in a hulking, black shape silhouette against the light coming from the foyer. He regarded her with a perfectly blank expression Juliette was beginning to wonder if they taught at some fancy bodyguard school.
“Hello,” she said. “Frank, right?”
The giant inclined his head. “Yes ma’am.”
Oh good, she thought with a tight lipped smile. Another one.
“I’m Juliette,” she said. “It’s nice to meet you.”
Something shifted across the man’s soft, brown eyes. A smile maybe.
“Likewise, ma’am.” He stepped back and gestured her into the foyer. “Mr. McClary has asked me to take you to his room. He’s finishing up some business and will be with you shortly.”
She followed him up the stairs. John and Tyson didn’t follow. They stayed downstairs and she wondered if they would finally relax now that she was in a heavily guarded fortress.
Frank stopped just outside the bedroom. Juliette thanked him before ducking inside. The doors were shut behind her and she simply stood there with no idea what to do next. Did he want her to strip and wait for him on the bed? Was she supposed to get herself wet and ready? In the end, she padded over to the bed and dropped down on it, her exhaustion winning. She pulled the pillow under her head and watched the door for Killian’s arrival.
Chapter 13
It was odd that a life of crime would take up so much after hour negotiation, but as Killian watched the little clock on the right side of his monitor, it seemed like it would never end. The hour kept getting later and the five faces on his screen continued to shout and argue through their webcams about all the necessary precautions they needed to take now that the authorities had upped their force.