Page 7 of Hope and Country

Time slowed.

My throat worked. An emotion I’d never felt before filled me. Helplessness.

Devon raised her eyes in my direction. I stopped in my tracks. We watched each other for a few seconds. I wished she could read the worry on my face. Before I could do anything else, she offered me an I’m so sorry glance and dropped her eyes as the doors closed.

For a long second, I froze. Unable to move forward.

Every alarm in my head screamed its warning.

Something wasn’t right.

Whoever that man was, dangerous signals emanated from him.

Once I regained control of my body, I raced forward.

In my hurry, I pushed people out of my way and reached the elevator thirty seconds too late.

Like a kid in a department store, I hit the button over and over, cursing the entire time.

I scratched my neck, feeling my throat close.

That man was dead if he thought hustling women was okay. No way would I ever let him get away with that.

The look in Devon’s eyes would haunt me. Fear. Submission. Acceptance.

I dragged a hand over my face. This was bad.

I closed my eyes, trying to remember if there was a band on her ring finger. No. None. The only jewels she wore had been a square ruby ring on her right middle finger, a delicate bracelet on her left wrist, and little heart-shaped gold earrings.

I battered the elevator button with my palm now. Fuck, why was it taking so long?

For a moment, I contemplated the idea of using the stairs to go down forty-one floors. But threw the idea away. No way I’d make it on time even if I hurried.

Out of ideas of how to get to the lobby faster, I dialed Carter. Maybe he hadn’t left yet.

“Hey man. Are you still here?”

“Yeah, halfway across the lobby right now. What’s wrong?” I inhaled through my mouth to calm the blazing bundle of nerves barreling in my stomach.

“You know the woman? Devon? She entered the elevator with some dickhead I don’t know and looked scared as shit. He’s bad news.” I forced a breath out. “Can you keep an eye out for her? I’ll be down as soon as the stupid car reaches the rooftop. Thanks, man.” I hung up before Carter could utter another word.

My hands clenched and unclenched at my sides. I swore under my breath when the elevator doors opened.

I counted backward each floor as it went down to one. At last, the lobby.

Carter met me as soon as I exited the suffocating box, my body tense and my breathing fast and uneven.

“Have you seen her?”

My friend shook his head. “No. She never exited the elevator. I’m sorry. I wish I could do something more.”

I huffed and drooped my shoulders. “Thanks for trying. I’ll stay here a little longer, see if she comes through those doors at some point.”

“Do you want me to stay with you?” Carter asked. “Think the guy’s her husband?”

Something inside me told me he wasn’t. “No. But she was afraid of him. I could tell. She had lost all her spark. As if she knew she was condemned to a death sentence. It’s bad.”

Carter cleared his throat and rubbed the sole of his shoe on the tiled floor. “Do you think she’s like a—an escort? That he could be her pimp or something? Or her handler? We’ve seen all kinds of women crashing our parties, looking for a paid fuck before.” He offered me an apologetic glance.