Page 17 of Culmination
His hands are fisted, resting on the bed, while his head’s bowed, his shoulders slumped with what I hope is shame for his insinuation.
“What?” My tone is hard, but I don’t care. I’m too angry to care. “What more could you possibly have to say?”
His head lifts and he frowns when he sees my purse over my shoulder, my hand on the door.
He should know me better than that.
But, now, I’m left wondering if he even knows me at all.
Rafe calls my bluff. Without so much as a response or even one last glance towards me, he strolls into the bathroom, out of sight. He knows I’ll comply. He knows I won’t leave because he’s told me not to.
Well, screw that. Let him be the one to sit in the hotel room alone for hours, ruminating over everything that’s happened, while making call after unanswered freaking call. He leaves me here, hours on end, without so much as an explanation. Not only am I supposed to take it, but I’m also expected to sit idly by while he goes all about town searching for answers.
I’m tired. So freaking tired of all of this. Most of all, I’m damn exhausted from years of letting men tell me what to do, where to go, how to act. Foolish as it may be, I’m doing what I want.
And right now, that’s cooling off from the asshole who just accused me of cheating on him when I’ve done nothing to deserve such an allegation.
As soon as he’s out of sight, I quietly open the door and slip out. After sprinting down the hall, I dash onto the thankfully open elevator. Just as the doors close, I see him rush out of our room.
“Brie! God dammit, wait!” he bellows, but I ignore him and will the elevator to descend quickly.
When I walk out of the bathroom, ready to get down on my knees and apologize profusely for being a complete dick, Brie’s gone. I don’t even care that I’m naked except for the towel wrapped around my waist, but when I go to holster my gun, I give pause.
“Fuck it,” I mutter, and set it down.
Upon crossing the room in three quick strides, I yank the door open and dart into the hall, only to see the elevator doors begin to close—with Brie behind them.
“Brie! God dammit, wait!” I yell, rushing towards her, but I’m too late when I reach the closed doors and catch my half nude reflection in the stainless steel doors.
A throat clears behind me, and when I turn, a housekeeper is watching me with interest. As much as I want to race down the stairs to catch Brie in the lobby, being arrested for public indecency would fuck everything up royally.
The moment I get back to our room, I realize the error of my ways. In my rush to catch up with Brie, I didn’t grab anything. Not clothes, not my phone, and worst of all, no room key. I ball my hands into fists and press them into the wall on either side of the door. Taking a deep breath, I try to calm myself and not punch the drywall and get kicked out of this place.
“Excuse me, sir,” I hear, and I look up and see the petite housekeeper peering at me curiously.
Straightening, I glance down to ensure I’m still adequately covered. Then I grin sheepishly at the young woman. “My wife was in a hurry and forgot her phone,” I explain, pleased to have thought quickly on my feet, but when she raises an eyebrow toward my empty hands, I let my shoulders fall dramatically.
I run a hand through my hair and appear distraught, hoping she’ll take pity on me and let me into the room. It’s not a huge feat. The last time Brie went off on her own, she came back with a bandage. And now that I know Adrian’s in town and has his sights set on her, I’m more eager than ever to always be by her side. I let out a breath and a fake chuckle for good measure.
“She thinks I forgot our anniversary and left before I could explain that everything I had planned was a surprise.” I try to force a smile. “I guess I was too good at keeping it a secret.”
She takes a moment to think it over. Then she smiles at me and pats my arm. “She’ll feel like a fool once she realizes she was upset for nothing. Come, Mr. Matthews. I’ll let you in just this once. Next time,” she says, pausing to take in the sight of me, something strangely familiar in her gaze, “try not to leave the room in just a towel.”
My blood grows cold at her use of my real name. I dart my gaze up and down the hall before narrowing it on her. Her back is to me, and she’s unlocking my door, entering the room, and holding it open for me. Taking a step inside, I’m surprised when she closes the door behind her.
“Who the fuck are you?” I seethe, angry at myself for having put myself in this situation.
Taking the time to study her, I can’t believe I’m such a fool. Even in the housekeeping uniform, she exudes sophistication. Her eyes are a familiar green, and the way she’s made up, her face flawless, with long, brown hair flowing down her back, makes it impossible to determine her age.
She waves my question away. “Who I am is not important. What I’m here to tell you is, however.”
The woman wanders around the room, her gaze falling on the tousled sheets, and turns back towards me with a wry grin on her face when she sees I’ve quickly gotten dressed.
“Pass along your message and get the fuck out,” I hiss, desperate to get this woman out of the room and myself back to Brie. “I don’t have time for this.”
“Gabriella is not safe. Not here, not in Philadelphia. Nowhere. As long as Theo Morningstar lives, she is in danger. As are you.”
My eyes narrow. “I’m aware of that, so unless you have something else to further enlighten me with, I’d like to get dressed. In case you missed that scene out there, I need to find the mother of my child.”
