Page 8 of Heartless

“Barely,” he muttered.

At least we didn’t have to worry about underage guests having sex on the property. We required everyone to show IDs when they checked in, though once, a girl with a fake one had fooled the receptionist.

One of the girls stood up from the couch and approached me, her nose red and eyes puffy. “Can we go? We want to leave.”

“No!” our guest shouted.

“Of course,” I nodded, ignoring him. “I’ll arrange a car to wait for you at the entrance.”

I took my phone from my pocket and texted the receptionist on duty.

Me: Melany, the two girls at The Sapphire are leaving. Arrange a car for them.

Melany: On it.

Me: Text me when it’s done.

Melany: Of course. Anything else, Mr. Wilson?

Me: No. Thank you, Melany.

Melany: My shift is almost over. I could come over to The Sapphire to help.

Me: Just make sure the girls get in the car. Then you’re free to go.

Melany: Let me know if you change your mind.

I slipped my phone back into my pocket. “The car will be ready soon,” I told the girls, who hurried to the bedroom. Turning to our guest, I kept my tone calm. “Look, I understand you are angry. Someone violated your privacy. Let’s focus on dealing with the problem.”

“I’ll tell you how I’ll deal with it. I’m going to take every dime you have.”

You’ll need it after your wife drags you through a pricey divorce.

His threats meant nothing to me. Working with some of the richest, most famous people in the entertainment industry meant dealing with their strange demands and inflated egos. Entitlement was practically a given. Ryan, however, wasn’t so patient.

“Look, man,” he cut in, unfazed. “The Sapphire has three bedrooms with king-sized beds. No one asked you to cheat on your wife outside in broad daylight. You could’ve had your fun inside, and none of us would be here right now.”

I gave Ryan a grateful nod. “Maybe we should focus on finding out who flew that drone over The Sapphire.”

“Why don’t you go ask your staff, Wilson?” He was trying to get a rise out of me.

“Can we track where that drone came from?” I asked Ryan instead.

“Already on it,” he said with a nod. “We’re reviewing footage from the security cameras to spot any suspicious activity.”

Running a secluded, luxurious retreat for celebrities came with its share of invasions: paparazzi, stalkers, and unwanted intrusions. Occasionally, someone slipped into the lobby or gardens, though we usually caught them before they got too far.

“If I find out it was one of your staff, or even you, who orchestrated this, you’ll regret ever messing with me. You and everyone connected to this place will be broke by the time I’m done with you.” If the asshole had stopped there, I might have ignored it. But he didn’t. “Then I’ll demolish this fucking place and piss all over it.”

In an instant, I was in his face.

“If I were you, I’d stop talking right this second.”

“Parker.” Ryan grabbed my shoulder and turned me around. “Get some air,” he said, giving me a push toward the door. “I’ll handle this.”

I took a step back, fists clenched at my sides. My best friend was right, though. Losing my temper wouldn’t solve anything. I couldn’t shake off the rage pulsing with every heartbeat as I stalked down the path from The Sapphire.

The Gemstone was everything to me. I’d devoted my life to it, and hearing that piece of shit threatening to ruin it was too much for me to ignore.

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