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Chapter Fifteen
Pax and Jase paced in front of the window of Pax’s suite two days later, glaring down at the crowd below. “I can’t believe the press release didn’t work.”
“Calm down, man. Give it a little bit. It takes a while.”
“You’ve been saying that for two days!” They had given the press release Monday night, and neither he nor Diamond had left the suite since.
“It’s still the same. They are afraid they are going to miss something. They want to stick around a few days, and find out if you have anything more for them. Besides that, it’s kind of a game. Nobody wants to be the first to leave. They want to wait out the competition.”
“Don’t these people have lives? Jobs? Families?”
“All of the above I’m sure, but this has big story potential and the big stories pay the big bucks. Sorry, man. Might have to wait it out through the weekend.”
“Through the weekend? Are you fucking kidding me? Jase, it’s only Wednesday.”
“What do you expect me to do about it?” his buddy retorted, looking almost as stressed as Pax himself was. “I’ve done nearly everything I can think of short of using the two of you as bait. There is nothing else left to do other than wait it out. I’m sorry.”
“We can’t wait it out—these are our lives—this is my livelihood!” His rant was cut off by the ringing of his cell phone.
“Yes? This is Paxton.” He listened, and his jaw dropped. “You’ve got to be kidding me! This is a joke right? Okay, yes, do that. I’ll be down in a minute. Thank you.”
He hung up the phone, and turned to Jase, who was watching him intently. “This has gone too far. Too far. There’s a bomb threat been called in. They are saying there is an explosive device somewhere on the premises. We have to lock the whole place up, and bring in the bomb dogs. This is fucking unreal. A bomb, Jase? A bomb! Are they trying to kill us now?”
Jase was already on the move. Pax caught up with him near the elevators and they went into ass kicking mode, storming the casino like men on a mission. The front desk was in chaos. Phones were ringing off the hook. People were pounding on the front doors. Patrons were screaming. Just when it couldn’t get any more chaotic, the swat team stormed the place through the back door, bringing a half dozen dogs with them. They blew right past Pax, and took over the situation. They were barking orders at people, herding them into lines, letting the dogs loose to catch the scent. Old ladies were crying, people were fainting, and there was nothing Pax could do. It was without a doubt, one of the scariest moments of his life, and that was saying a lot.
The generally unflappable Jase, who had been Pax’s rock throughout the entire ordeal, was standing behind the front desk, frozen in place as he stared at the events taking place. “What do we do?”
“I don’t know, man. I’ve never had this happen before. I think we just wait, and make ourselves available if they need anything. Maybe try to go calm some guests?”
Although, Jase didn’t look like he could calm himself right now, and Pax felt like he was going to throw up, as he looked out onto the casino floor, he saw a lot of terrified people who were much worse off than he was. They were on vacation. They hadn’t asked for this, and it had nothing to do with them. Now they were virtual hostages in the middle of a bomb threat. Talk about a vacation nightmare. Pax had to do something.
Zoning in on a group of hysterical regulars, he took off across the casino, a man on a mission. At least there was something he could do to feel less helpless.
* * *
Her heart was filled with a mixture of dread and hope when she woke up on Wednesday morning and padded into the sitting room as she did every morning. There were two things on her mind. Coffee and checking out the view of the front of the hotel. Coffee first.
The pot was full and ready to go, even though for the first time since Monday morning, Pax and Jase were nowhere to be found. That was odd in and of itself, but, they did have hotels to run. Inhaling the strong heady scent of the coffee Pax favored, she clutched her cup in her hand, and dialed room service. Bacon, fruit and toast. It might take a while because the only person allowed on the forty-ninth floor these days was Will. Pax was so stringent on this fact, that he had put the young man up in a room for the time being, and offered him a heady bonus to stay at the hotel until the chaos died down.
When that was finished, only then did she make her way over to the window. The blinds were already open which meant Pax had done the same thing before he left. The scene below filled her with anxiety and set her teeth on edge. There wasn’t much change. Paparazzi still stood at attention, cameras and binoculars around their necks, hoping to catch a glimpse of her. The news vans had been gone yesterday, but for some reason were back today. Every single person had their neck craned towards the upper floors, as if they would be able to see her from down there. Ugh. Her stomach rolled and she stepped back from the window, glaring into her nearly empty coffee cup with unease. She was beginning to think she’d never be allowed to leave the suite. Sure, it had only been a few days, but it felt like forever.
A shower was definitely in order. Even if she couldn’t leave the suite, at least she could attempt to feel human today. As she entered the bathroom, the knock on the door alerted her to breakfast. Will was here.
“Just leave it inside the door, Will,” she called out, knowing that Pax had given him a master key.
Shrugging out of the hotel robe, she stepped under the spray, letting it run as hot as it could go. Short and hot was the ticket this morning. It only took a few minutes to wash her hair and body, reveling in the scalding water until the steam was nearly choking her, before stepping out and putting the robe on once more.
Not feeling like bothering with make-up or her hair, she threw her blonde locks into a messy bun, without bothering to dry them first. It was definitely a tank top and yoga pants day, she thought, as she opened the bathroom door, mentally going over her wardrobe that Crystal had brought her.
He was sitting on the bed. It was the closest she had ever been to him, but she knew who he was. His bright red hair and scruffy beard gave him away, as did the camera around his neck. A navy blue Jansport bag sat on the bed beside him. The glint of a metal grip caught the sunlight streaming in through the blinds, and the glaring reflection caught her eye. Her breath caught in her throat as she noted the gun sticking out of the pocket of his black hoodie.
Her eyes welled with tears as her brain raced with possible outcomes of this situation. Where were Pax and Jason anyway? And how had Fitch gotten in? Those questions and so many others were glued to the tip of her tongue, but paralyzing fear kept her from speaking. It didn’t matter Fitch spoke first.
“You look just like her.” His Adam’s apple bobbed as he gulped, taking in the sight of her, and she remembered she was dripping wet in only a short thin robe.
Her mother. With the exception of her blonde hair, she was the spitting image. Was that what this was about? A long rooted obsession with her mother? It made sense. He wouldn’t be the only one.
She opened her mouth to scream, and he was on his feet in an instant. His body pressed against her back, as his hand covered her mouth. His breath was hot against her ear. “Don’t scream. Just listen. Obey.”
