Page 21 of Before and After

But right now, all I saw was darkness.

It matched how I felt inside. A muscle in my jaw flexed. I just kept staring at nothing. I didn’t get nightmares. Instead, I just didn’t sleep.

I didn’t bother going to bed and staring at the ceiling. I didn’t need much sleep, anyway.

Staring at the darkness usually dredged up old memories, old failures. I heard my mother’s sobbing and saw my sisters staring at me like I was a stranger. The memories nipped away at the edges of my consciousness, like predators trying to find a way in.

But not tonight.

Tonight, like many nights since I’d come to Windward, my head was filled with Allie Ford.

My fingers curled. I could picture her long legs, her lean, intriguing body. Her eye roll. Her smile.

Her panic when she thought she’d be late to get her nephew.

I cursed. I wasn’t going there.

Jerking to my feet, I snatched up my key card and phone off the side table and headed for the door.

It was midnight and the corridor was empty. Piper was in the suite next door to mine. She’d be sleeping. She always said she needed a solid seven hours.

Ignoring the elevator, I took the stairs. I did wonder if Allie got to Ollie in time after I’d gotten her out of the elevator. My footsteps were silent as I headed down the stairs.

Pushing through the door at the bottom, I found the lobby empty and quiet. I loved hotels in the dead of night. All hushed and in go-slow mode. There was no one at reception, but I knew someone would be around to deal with any late-night check-ins or emergencies.

Not all hotels were this quiet at nighttime. Some in the big cities never quite turned off.

Crossing the lobby, I absorbed the different vibe the place had when it was empty.

“You’re up and about late.”

I lifted my head. Enzo stood nearby, leaning against the concierge desk. I hadn’t heard or sensed the man, and that disquieted me.

It was clear the guy had training. But I’d been special forces, and no one fucking snuck up on me. Except Enzo.

“I couldn’t sleep. Figured I’d do a walk around.”

Enzo lifted his chin. “It’s a quiet night. That’s the way I like it.”

I cocked my head. “You worked in Las Vegas before here.”

“Yes. It’s never quiet there.”

Our gazes met. I saw the demons in his. It took one to know one.

“Any problems, let me know,” I said.

He gave me a nod. “It was good of you to help Allie out of the elevator earlier.”

I stilled.

“She’s all about that boy. She’s been through enough, then losing her brother. Now, she’s juggling so many balls. I don’t know how she does it.”

I turned. “What’s she been through?” I’d read her background report and nothing had popped.

Enzo shrugged. “Not my story to tell. Her parents… They’re not terrible, but they weren’t great either.”

I frowned. “I heard her talking with her mother on the phone.”