Page 101 of The Love Dare
He pivots, using all his athletic prowess to stop and spin in one fast motion, too quick for his tails to process. By the time the camera guy even realizes he stopped moving, Tyler’s got him by the collar. Two steps and he’s backed up against the wall. Tyler lets every ounce of frustration from these past few weeks leak into his thunderous expression.
“Tell me her room number.”
The camera guy swallows, gaze sliding left then right as a bead of sweat drops down his forehead. “She’s not there.”
Tyler slaps the wall with his palm so hard it stings. “Tell me!”
“Suite 12.”
He drops the guy and runs.
Suite 12. Suite 12.
Almost—
Nina is standing in front of the door with her arms crossed. When he approaches, she casually lifts her hand and offers the room key sandwiched between her middle and pointer fingers. Tyler snatches it and scans the card. As soon as the light turns green, he rips open the door.
“Winnie!”
There’s no response.
“Winnie!”
He runs from room to room. The communal space is empty. Two of the bedrooms are packed with messy piles of clothes, but he recognizes them as belonging to the other women. When he enters the third room, he stumbles to a halt.
It’s empty.
Immaculate and barren.
His heart shudders as Nina steps up behind him. “I told you. She’s gone. She left for the airport two hours ago.”
“What did you do?” he demands.
“What I did is irrelevant.” Nina has the gall to shrug, a sly smile on her lips. “The question, Tyler, is what areyougoing to do?”
“Tear this fucking place apart.”
“That’s certainly one option.” Nina aims her eyes skyward as if begging for patience. “The other option is to go back to your room, pack your things, and meet me in the lobby in one hour.”
“And why the hell would I do that?”
“Because Winnie is booked on a connecting flight back to Dallas which leaves in about”—she pauses to check her watch—“forty minutes, with a five-hour layover in Sacramento. Whereas you, and the rest of my crew, are booked on a nonstopflight, leaving in three hours, which lands in Dallas four hours before hers. Any idea what we could do in those four hours?”
He frowns, brows pulling together, not sure if he believes her. “What about Victoria and Cynthia?”
“I’m pretty sure the shot of them stranded on the beach as you ran off shouting some other woman’s name pretty much finished their storyline, but they’re waiting outside with one of the producers, so if you’d like to film an official breakup scene, by all means?—”
“No,” he blurts before he can stop himself. “God, no.”
“That’s what I thought.” She snorts, then runs a hand over her buzz-cut black hair as she lowers her headset. “Look,” she finally says. “This was never personal, okay? And if I had my way, we’d be on a flight to Kyoto right now to film the rest of the season the way we originally planned. But you and Winnie decided to stop playing the game you signed up for, so I had to come up with a new plan to keep the viewers engaged—and this is it. So we can end the season with you heartbroken and alone—and I can keep your phone hostage for the next seventy-two hours while we’re still under contract—or we can fly to Dallas right now, you can give me the dramatic proposal we both want, and in fifteen hours you’ll be free. The choice is yours.”
“It’s not much of a choice,” he grumbles.
“That’s because I’m good at my job.”
“What job is that? Torturing me?”
“Helping people find love.”
