Page 105 of Sapphire Sunset

“The loss there would be for you,” she finally said. “Imean, you’d be ceding your management control over the security department. Andin light of recent events, some GMs would see that as a frighteningproposition.”

“Well, given how badly the last GM abused the department,maybe the change in oversight makes sense in the long term.”

“That’s definitely a compelling argument.”

“It’s something to think about, at least. I was curious,that’s all. Let’s table all of this for now and then come back to it, maybe ina few days.”

“Sure,” Lois said.

Then they said their goodbyes, and Connor hung up and staredat the blank wall for a while, feeling like an idiot.

Did forty-eight hours of passion really justify changing themanagement structure at Sapphire Cove? Was he getting ahead of himself, likethe person who brought a U-Haul on their second date? Or should he immediatelystart working to make sure he was no longer Logan’s boss based solely on thefact that he and Logan had slept together?

There was no corporate office to answer to. No board ofdirectors. Only a bank responsible for ensuring a document his grandfather hadwritten years ago—and amended fairly recently—was enforced and that the hotelremained financially viable. There were lawyers, of course, all of whom wouldprobably shit a brick if they knew Connor and Logan were sleeping together.

But still, would altering the hotel’s chain of command havedamaging consequences down the road? Was it a selfish choice based in fear andhormones?

Logan’s special knock rattled the door.

When Connor opened it, the man’s tense, stony expression sethim back on his feet.

“We’ve got a problem,” Logan said.

“Rodney?”

“No. Missing kid.”

“Oh, no. How old?”

“Three,” Logan answered.

“Oh my God. How long?”

“Parents woke up this morning and he wasn’t in their room.They’ve been lookingthemselvesbecause they were too embarrassed tosay anything because they’re not paying guests.”

Connor gasped.

“Stick with me during this,” Logan said. “We’ve still got YouKnow Who to worry about.”

“Absolutely.” But Connor’s thoughts were full of images ofthree-year-oldswandering alone down beaches and alongcliff’s edges and into dark caves.

His heart was suddenly beating harder than it had in days,and all things considered, that was saying something. The boy’s mother was sopanicked she could barely get words out, and the father was pacing next to themlike a caged tiger. Apparently, in this family, wanderlust was genetic. Theboy’s name was Benji. No developmental disabilities or language difficulties tobe aware of. Just a problem staying put, which they called “the explorer’sbug.” On the three-acre property they’d been evacuated from, he had a tendencyto roam and very little fear of encountering wildlife.

The sheriffs were called. Pictures of the boy—anapple-cheeked redhead—emailed from the mother’s phone were printed out by frontdesk staff and handed out to anyone within range of the lobby. And that was anever more inclusive group, Connor noticed, as guests were drawn by the tenseenergy and sense of alarm radiating from Benji’s already exhausted and traumatizedparents.

Logan took control, drawing Connor and all the security guyson duty into a quick huddle. There was someone there Connor didn’t recognize, alinebacker-big Pacific Islander. Connor realized the man had been one of Logan’sinterviews that morning. Now he’d been sucked into the action of the day, asign he’d been hired or really wanted to be.

“All right, gents. Biggest surface area we have to cover isthe east hill, so Brandon, I want you to get anyone who looks sharp and capableout there. You’ll need to sweep uphill and down, and parts of it are steep, sono one with any movement issues or bad shoes. Also, we’re talking about athree-year-old who’s been uprooted in the middle of a disaster, so if he canfigure out which direction home is, he might be headed that way, and that’seast.”

Brandon nodded. “What kind of search, Logan? Like a gridsearch?”

“Do you know how to do one?”

“No,” Brandon said.

“That’s fine. Try to space everyone out about ten feet fromeach other and have them walk straight downhill and then up again. Now, tons ofpeople are going to want to help who are older, maybe not with the best vision.Keep theminsidein the hotel. But honestly, a little boy who wants toexplore is probably outside, not in. Still, there’s a chance of anything, andwe don’t want anyone to go to waste.

“J.T., I want you back on the cameras pronto. Keoni,organize two groups to walk the entire perimeter on top of the promontory, notthe hill. Leave that to Brandon’s crew. One group starts making the circle inone direction, the other in the other. That way you’ve got different sets of eyesgoing over the same territory. You’re looking under bushes, trees. I also wantyou searching the cliff’s edge but frombehindthe balustrade, got it?The balustrade’s there because not everything on the other side is 100 percentstable. Scott, you’re coming with me and Connor down to the beach.”

---