Page 99 of Space Oddities

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Ian

My alarm is going off.Why is my alarm going off?

Bleary-eyed, I frown at my phone, lit up on the nightstand. One forty-six in the morning.

Did I set it wrong?

It stops and goes off again.

Wait. Shit. That’s not my alarm.

Forcing my aching muscles to move, I manage to snag my phone off the nightstand. My biceps spasm when I lift the phone to my ear, making me regret the extra fifty laps I did in the hotel’s poolaftermy muscles started shaking. “Hello?”

“Ian. It’s Holt. We have a problem.”

Struggling the rest of the way out from under the blankets, I sit up and flip the lamp on, wincing when the light hits my eyes. “What kind of problem?”

“An hour ago the security team lost sight of the girls. For a while they figured they went to the bathroom together or something.”

My stomach clenches. “Let me guess. They didn’t.”

“Correct.”

I rub a hand down my face. “Jesus.”

“I located Rose’s phone.”

I don’t even ask how he did that. “Where is it?”

“Heartbreakers.”

“The strip club?”

“Yeah, I know. Probably Rose’s idea.” Holt sounds as exasperated as I am panicked. “Security is on their way there. I’m sure everything is fine, but you did ask me to update you if anything changed.”

“No, yeah.” I rub my face. “Appreciate it.” We hang up, and I spend a few minutes staring at nothing, contemplating the best- and worst-case scenarios.

Blinking out of my trance, I slap my face, trying to wake up. Mitch said the meeting was at eight. I still have plenty of time to sleep.

But an hour later I’m still wide awake when Holt calls again.

“Tell me you found them drunk and stupid but okay.”

“Well…”

Damn it. “What?” I flip the lamp back on.

“There was a fight between the girls, a few strippers, and a group of drunk guys.”

I pause to take that in. “Is everyone okay?”

“Besides Rose complaining about needing an emergency manicure and Jackie sad that Jules shoved her out of the way so she wouldn’t get injured for the wedding and therefore couldn’t execute defense maneuvers, the girls seem unharmed.”

“Okay, okay.” I nod to myself. “So everything’s fine and they’re on their way home.” My hopeful tone sounds almost pleading.

“Well…”

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