Page 34 of Be Our Ghost (The Duchess Hotel #2)

Twenty-Four

In the five years since Lila had broken his heart, Knox hadn’t seen her up close.

He’d watched her on TV, but the effect wasn’t the same.

In person, she was dazzling, her beauty eclipsing everyone around her.

Big, blue eyes the color of a tropical ocean, wavy blond locks, pale, delicate features.

It was no wonder she’d captured the hearts of so many viewers.

She addressed him again. “Knox? What are you doing here?”

He reached for his mask, but it was too late. Even with the beard, he was instantly recognizable. And though he wanted to say something, he couldn’t bring himself to speak. Coming face-to-face with Lila had knocked him off his axis.

Charlie nailed her with a ferocious scowl. “Why shouldn’t he be here? The Hidden Forest would never have gotten off the ground if he hadn’t put in so much work. But you let Evan act like he was responsible for all of it.”

Lila reeled, her face crumpling in distress. “Who are you ?”

Charlie jabbed her finger at Lila. “That’s not important. What matters is that I’m here to support Knox. I can’t believe he wasn’t acknowledged.”

Lila blinked. “I…I know. But I don’t think you understand what happened.”

“I understand plenty.” Bright red splotches colored Charlie’s pale cheeks. “Trust me, I know all about it. Consider yourself lucky Knox never exposed Evan’s treachery.”

Knox cleared his throat. Even if Charlie was right, he had to stop her from losing control.

They were out in public, where anyone could start filming them.

It was only due to sheer luck that no one else was in line at his station.

“Charlie, please.” When she refused to look away from Lila, he placed a hand on her shoulder. “This isn’t helping.”

Her voice trembled. “But…Knox, it’s not right what happened.”

Looking into her wide green eyes, he knew she was only speaking out because she cared about him. But she was in danger of screwing up everything. “I know, but this isn’t the time.”

“What the hell’s going on here?”

Fuck . In attempting to talk Charlie down from her outburst, he hadn’t noticed Evan barreling toward them.

Knox braced himself for impact, but all of Evan’s anger was directed toward Charlie.

He leaned over the bar, his face mottled with rage.

“You little bitch. Did I just see you yelling at my wife?”

Charlie backed up. “I…I wasn’t yelling.”

“I don’t know who the fuck you are, but you have no right to talk to Lila Winstead that way. Get out of here before I throw you out myself.”

Even if Knox had hoped to avoid a confrontation, he wasn’t about to let his former writing partner bully the woman he loved. “Don’t speak to her that way.”

At the sight of Knox, Evan’s lips thinned into a sneer. “Knox McIntyre? What the fuck are you doing here? Were you planning on sabotaging the party? You’ve got a lot of nerve.”

“Who are you to talk about nerve?” Charlie demanded. “You went up there and acted like you created The Hidden Forest single-handedly.”

Knox’s face flamed with a fiery heat. He couldn’t imagine a worse scenario. He held up his hands, hoping to placate Evan. “I’m not here to sabotage anything. I wanted to see everyone one last time, and I thought?—”

“What? That people would welcome you back with open arms?” Evan scoffed. “Hardly. You’re even more pathetic than I remembered.”

“ You’re the pathetic one,” Charlie spat out. “Lying to everyone about your accomplishments. How do you even live with yourself?”

Ignoring her, Evan kept his focus on Knox. “I’m giving you five minutes to pack up your shit and get out, or I’m calling security.”

Knox shook his head. “Just let me finish my job. I’m on duty until midnight. Then I’ll leave, and you’ll never see me again.”

“Nope. Five minutes. Or I’ll tell everyone how you snuck in here to ruin our evening.” Evan crossed his arms and stared down Charlie. “That goes for you, too. I want you both out of here, or I’ll have you arrested.”

Arrested? Who the fuck did that asshole think he was?

While a part of Knox wanted to have it out with Evan, he knew when he was beaten. If this incident went viral, the humiliation would be catastrophic. Better to clear out now than be smeared with accusations that he was a vengeful prick intent on tanking the gala.

He grabbed his belongings, already knowing he’d get an earful from Alejandro for bailing early. He gestured to Charlie. “Come on. We’re leaving.”

She glared at Evan. “You’re a horrible human being. I hope this comes back to bite you in the ass.” Then she turned on Lila. “You’re not much better.”

Lila blinked again, as if fighting back tears. “I’m sorry, but you have to go.”

Knox kept his head down and headed for the exit, with Charlie following behind him.

Given how crowded the ballroom was, few people noticed their departure.

After leaving the ballroom, he stood waiting at the hotel’s entrance, shaking with agitation as the valet fetched his truck.

A light rain was falling, and the air was cool and misty.

Turning his face toward the sky, he savored the feel of raindrops on his cheeks.

When his truck pulled up to the entrance, he hustled Charlie toward it and helped her get in.

He went around to the driver’s seat and set his cape and mask in the back.

Without waiting to see if she was buckled in, he sped away from the hotel, intending to put as much distance as he could between himself and the Grand Duke.

For a few minutes, Charlie said nothing.

Was she still mad at Evan? Was she ashamed they’d been tossed out of the gala?

As the rain beat down harder, he flicked on his wipers.

The gloomy weather matched his mood. At least the drive would give them a chance to cool down.

He didn’t want to go to bed feeling this miserable.

When Charlie spoke up, it was clear her fury hadn’t abated. “Evan was such an asshole. First, he takes all the credit for the show, and then he kicks you out. For no good reason! You didn’t do anything wrong.”

“Yeah, it sucks,” he muttered, hoping she’d accept his response and move on. Blowing up about it wouldn’t change anything.

“You seem so calm. Aren’t you furious?”

“Of course I am, but what else can I do? You heard the acclaim he got. All because he twisted the narrative in his favor and people bought into it. It was better to leave now than let him make the situation even worse.” A surge of resentment welled up inside him, so toxic it spilled over, tinging his words with acid.

“And by the way, tonight wouldn’t have ended so badly if you hadn’t lost your temper. ”

“I was angry on your behalf! Because I care about you! I know you feel safer staying out of the spotlight, but it’s time you fought back. You need to write your side of the story. You’re a writer, for God’s sake.”

Like he needed her to tell him that? “Thanks for the reminder, but I’m not about to set myself up for more backlash. Do you honestly think anyone would believe me after all the lies Evan told about me?”

“Some people would. Like Zack and Norah. They were totally on your side. I’ll bet they’re not the only ones who feel that way. Don’t you think it’s time you stopped hiding in the shadows?”

He gripped the steering wheel so tightly his knuckles went white. The pressure built up inside him, like a volcano on the verge of erupting. He released a strangled breath. “That’s enough, Charlie. Just stop.”

Her voice softened. “I’m sorry, but I hate seeing anyone treat you like this. You need to stand up to Evan. That way, you can take back the narrative.”

That did it. She’d pushed him over the edge. He turned on her, his voice thick with anger. “What would you know about standing up for yourself?”

“Wh…what are you talking about?”

As the light turned red, he skidded to a stop, his heart pounding.

The driving rain had made the road slippery and treacherous.

If he didn’t calm down, he’d be putting them both in danger.

But he couldn’t stop himself from lashing out.

“Come on, Charlie. Where do you get off, telling me to take a stand?”

“I was speaking up for you. Why is that so hard to understand?”

“Because you’re asking me to do something that you don’t have the guts to do for yourself.

I know rent in Victoria is expensive, but in exchange for a place to live, you let your mom walk all over you.

You’re so afraid of making a scene that you won’t challenge her.

Isn’t that what happened at Thanksgiving? ”

She twisted her hands together. “I…I already apologized for Thanksgiving.”

“But did you talk to your mom about it afterward like you promised? Did you tell her you wouldn’t put up with it again?” From the way she recoiled, he knew she hadn’t done it.

“I meant to, but…I…” Tears sprang up in her eyes. “This isn’t about me.”

“Isn’t it? Here you are, demanding I fight back, when you won’t even stand up to your mom.” He hated that he’d made her cry. But his hurt and frustration had escalated to a point where he couldn’t back down.

She was crying in earnest, tears streaming down her cheeks. “Take me home. Now. ”

“Whatever you want.” He made a quick U-turn, wincing as his tires skidded on the slick road. She braced herself against the passenger door but didn’t utter a word.

The rest of the drive passed in agonizing silence. He wanted to rewind everything, to take back the horrible accusations he’d made, to apologize to Charlie for hurting her feelings, but he was too angry. Angry at her, at Evan, and at Lila.

But most of all, he was angry at himself.

* * *

Charlie got out of the truck and slammed the door shut.

Knox, being the gentleman he was, insisted on walking her up the stairs to her apartment.

The pouring rain made it hard to see, and she struggled to enter her door’s key code.

When she opened it, she hesitated, wanting to fling herself into his arms and ask for a do-over.

But she resisted the urge and dashed inside, closing the door firmly behind her.

The sound of his footsteps, descending the stairs, confirmed he wouldn’t be trying to win her back tonight. He was done.

She plopped down on the couch and wrapped herself in a fleece blanket. Though she needed to change out of her costume and hang it up, she couldn’t make herself move. The tears kept coming until her entire body was heaving with sobs.

How could Knox have treated her this way? He’d dug in deep, attacking her where it would hurt the most. She should have been furious, but all she could feel was a crushing sense of regret.

Even if his words stung, they were justified.

After Thanksgiving, she’d intended to talk to her mother, to tell her that inviting Randolph to the buffet had been an underhanded trick.

But she’d lost her nerve. And then, after her mother had made yet another snide comment about Knox parking his truck in the driveway, Charlie hadn’t defended her decision to have him sleep over.

Instead, she’d started spending the night at his place to escape judgment.

Charlie Fraser, you’re nothing but a coward.

That wasn’t the worst of it. After promising to support Knox tonight, her ugly confrontation with Lila had attracted Evan’s attention and gotten them kicked out of the gala.

If she hadn’t lost her shit, they could have survived the night without incident. Once they were back at Knox’s place, they could have ranted about Evan together. Called him horrible names, invoked curses upon him, and then tumbled into bed, grateful to have each other.

Instead, she’d ruined everything.