Page 63 of Devil's Deal

Looking over my shoulder, I met Rocco’s gleeful expression with an evil smile of my own. “By all means.”

Chapter

Seven

CORY

It had been a long day.After sleeping all afternoon yesterday and my meltdown last night, I was ready to get back to normalcy. Although, with the discoloration on my face, I spent most of the day hiding in my office. That was fine. There were plenty of things to do.

Knock. Knock.

“Come in.”

Harlow opened the door and stuck his head in. “Charity and I are back from our shopping spree. You said you wanted to see us?”

“Yes.” I jumped out from behind my desk, grabbing a couple of key cards on my way. “Let’s go.”

Harlow backed up, letting me pass, and I almost ran into Charity, who stood staring at Dante. “Are you okay?” I asked.

Without taking her eyes off him, she asked, “Who is that?”

“Uh, Romeo left us with a little hotel security.”

She side-eyed me. “That’s no security guard.”

Dante turned toward us and saluted me.Applesauce. It was going to be annoying having him hover around all the time. It had felt different and less obtrusive when he was here to help me, but until I had a chance to question Romeo, his presence was irritating the crap out of me now.

“Don’t worry about him. Come with me.” I held my arm out for her to slip hers through mine.

She transferred the couple of bags she was carrying into her other hand, grabbed ahold of my bicep, and smiled up at me. “Okay, whatever you say.”

We started toward the elevator with Harlow trailing us when I heard a whistle. Whipping my head around, Dante pointed toward the entrance of the hotel where Romeo was striding toward me. Charity dropped my arm and backed away just as my Daddy pulled me into a tight hug and dropped a kiss on my lips.

“Hey, quirky boy,” he whispered. “How was your day?”

“It was fine, but it’s better now.” I leaned into his strong chest, soaking up the comfort of his presence for a second. “I’m glad you’re back. I’m taking Charity and Harlow up to show them their rooms on the fourth floor. Now you can come, too.”

“Me, too?” Dante asked as he sidled up next to us.

Romeo shrugged, so frowning, I mumbled, “I suppose.”

Dante snickered as Harlow edged around to the other side of Romeo, the farthest point he could get from Dante and still be with us. What was that about? I’d have to check in with Harlow later. If Dante bothered him for some reason, Romeo would have to show him the door.

The five of us made our way to the elevator where Everest was waiting with a big smile on his face. “Oh well, it’s a party. Am I invited?” He laughed.

Since Everest had been the one I put in charge of deliveries to their rooms, I wanted him to get the chance to see Harlow and Charity’s reactions when they saw their new spaces. “The more the merrier.”

We all stepped into the glass contraption which thankfully was oversized to fit travelers with their many suitcases. When we arrived at our destination, I was the first off, sprinting down the hall.

“What’s your hurry?” Romeo called after me.

“I’m excited. Come on, you slow pokes.” I went to the far end of the building where I’d put Harlow and Charity in rooms across from each other. Standing in the middle of the hall, I asked, “Where should we go first? The right or the left?”

I saw understanding on Harlow’s face, but Charity giggled. “What are you doing, Cory?”

Romeo and Dante exchanged puzzled expressions, but Everest beamed at me. “I think you should show the young lady the room on the right, Mr. Letterman.”

Harlow nodded eagerly. “Me, too.” He lifted both arms to show all the bags he was carrying. “I’d really like to put these down.”

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