Page 47 of With a Broken Wing
“Nothing happened, Scott. I’m fine. Please go.” I crossed my arms over my chest, giving him the convincing smile Demetri wouldn’t fall for.
“Fine, but if you need me…” I wouldn’t have called him anyways, and when the door closed behind him, I breathed half a sigh of relief.
“You let Scott McKenzie into our room?” He hovered in front of me.
“What do you mean,ourroom? You have your own room.” The clerk had given me four keys to four rooms. How did he get a key to mine?
His lips nearly touched mine when he spoke. “If you thought after the last week in that damn villa you weren’t going to be sleeping in my bed every night, then you must not have heard me when I told you that you’remine.”
“Demetri, I… he followed. I didn’t… I don’t… I’m sorry.” My voice dropped to a whisper.
He pressed his finger to my lips. “Don’t. I just need to know you’re okay.” I nodded, and he leaned his forehead against mine. “I’m sorry if I hurt you.”
My lip quivered, and a single tear slid down my cheek. “I’m okay,” I said, wrapping my arms around his neck and pressing my mouth to his in a succession of several small kisses. “Just kiss me.”
* * *
Demetri had left with Scott and Erin shortly after we’d checked in. He said something about a luncheon he wasn’t able to miss. When he left, my heart sank, and I remembered the ignored phone call and text message. My fingers shook as I opened the bottle from my purse.
It slipped from my fingers and to the carpeted floor when my phone buzzed again on the table next to me. “Shit,” I cursed, dropping to my knees and collecting the scattered pills. A filter already clouded my mind, and when I picked up my phone, I wasn’t surprised by the name.
FISHER:I don’t like to be ignored. Don’t forget I’ll make your death look like an accident.
ME:You think you’re the first to threaten to kill me? You picked the wrong girl. You don’t know me.
FISHER:I know you better than you think I do.
ME:Bullshit.
The spine I’d suddenly found with the buzz of a couple of pills disappeared with his next message.
FISHER:I know for some reason you’re in love with that man. I’d hate for something to happen to him too.
ME:Please leave him alone.
The thought of something happening to Demetri made my heart pound out of my chest. Would Fisher make it look like a suicide for him too? If he did, would anyone believe it? He knew they would believe it for me, and he knew more than that. He knew I loved Demetri Carlisle before I knew it myself.
The team had wantedto grab a nightcap in the hotel bar after dinner. Or I should say, Andy insisted the team grab a nightcap after we left dinner, and she wasn’t easy for any of us to say no to.
She fidgeted with the wineglass in her hand, spinning it and watching the liquid swirl. There was a soft smile on her lips, but she chewed nervously at the inside of her cheek. Every few minutes, she’d look up at me and let her gaze linger. Then she’d nod to herself and look back down, as if she were reassuring herself I was still there.
From the moment we checked into the hotel, she had seemed nervous and uncomfortable. I had hoped dinner would cheer her up, but all dinner did was frustrate me. Scott glowered at me for most of the meal until he’d had enough whiskey sours to lighten up.
At that point, he’d turned his attention to flirting with not just Andy, but Erin too. Erin had treated Andy like her new best friend the entire time. Throughout dinner, they would lean in and whisper something to the other before both erupted in a fit of giggles, and Scott would insist they share what was so funny.
They didn’t share at any point, and as I took another sip of the bourbon in my hand, I locked eyes with Andy. Her chest heaved, and she took another nervous drink from her glass.
“You’re quiet,” Scott said, leaning over towards her.
Her shoulders stiffened, and I considered grabbing her and taking her upstairs. “I’m just getting tired. Maybe I should call it a night,” she said, tilting her glass and swallowing the last of the wine.
“Do you want me to walk you to your room?” he asked her with an unmistakable side glance at me.
She shook her head. “I’m okay. You should stay and enjoy your drink. But thank you.”
I watched her walk away, and when she turned her head over her shoulder and met my gaze, she let her shoulders relax.
“Seriously, what’s the deal with you two?” Scott turned to me, and I clenched my fist at my side.
