Page 33

KELLAN

U rgency claws at me as I power toward the spa.

I duck into every open doorway, searching for Makayla. She’s nowhere to be found, and I’m running out of options. A staff member notices me before long.

“Excuse me.” A plump older woman steps forward, pink scrubs stamped with the hotel’s logo. A gold-embossed badge above her right breast reads Mary Jo, Attendant. “Can I help you?”

“I’m looking for my girlfriend,” I say. “She’s been down here a while. We’re going to be late, and I want to be sure she’s okay.”

“Can you give me her name? I’ll check with our booking manager,” Mary Jo replies.

“There you are!” A too-familiar voice pipes up behind me. I know it isn’t Makayla, but it still takes a beat to place. Melanie bounces forward and loops her arm through mine. “I was looking all over for you.”

Mary Jo beams. “There she is,” she says, clearly mistaking Melanie’s clinginess for devotion. “You can wait in one of the recovery lounges if you’d like.”

“That sounds fantastic,” Melanie says, tugging me toward an open alcove at the end of the hall. “Your masseuse was wonderful, by the way—I feel completely renewed.”

I yank my arm free, swallowing my disgust—no need to cause a scene. I still need to keep my eye on the ball; since this shrew hunted me down, I might as well find out whether she reached Makayla first.

“Oh, good—I’m parched,” Melanie says as we enter the recovery lounge. She strides toward the water station, but I step in front of her.

“We’re not here to relax,” I say, my voice rough. “Where is Makayla, and what did you say to her?”

“I don’t know where Makayla is,” Melanie answers, yanking her arm away from me and doubling back toward the water with grim determination.

I watch her pour a glass and take a slow swallow. The smile she flashes tells me I’m already too late. Bile rises; urgency curdles to ash on my tongue.

“What did you tell her?” I demand. “What lies?”

“No lies!” Melanie snaps. “I only told her the truth. She didn’t seem too happy to learn that you and your brothers have trouble keeping a woman in your lives.”

“Like I said, lies.”

Melanie sighs, utterly content. “I simply mentioned our little encounter, and she wasn’t pleased,” she says, smirking like a cat with cream. “Like I said—no lies.”

“We both know context is everything. You would do and say anything to make yourself into a victim,” I snap, turning away from her.

There’s nothing more I need to know at this point.

Melanie snickers. “You should’ve known better than to underestimate me.”

“Go fuck yourself,” I mutter, though I’m not sure she heard me.

The damage is done. All I can do now is find Makayla, fill in the gaps, and give her the full picture—because I’m sure Melanie twisted everything, just like she did before we reached a settlement.

Coming out of the spa area, I run into Oscar, who looks about as lost as I feel.

“Did you find Kay?” I ask.

Oscar shakes his head.

Before I can say another word, Melanie catches up, lips curled in a false smile. She’s determined to milk the moment—like an arsonist returning to watch her own flames devour the place.

“Melanie,” Oscar says stiffly.

“You’re blowing this way out of proportion, Kellan,” Melanie says, seamlessly picking up where we left off. “Makayla thought she was special, but she’s not. No big deal—everyone learns that lesson eventually.”

“Makayla is special!” I shout before I can stop myself.

The last thing I want is Melanie sensing how deep my feelings run; she’d only weaponize them. But damn, she drags my reckless side to the surface.

“Aw,” Melanie croons, clasping her hands together to mock me. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know. I guess things have changed a lot. Maybe now you’ll consider paying me what you owe me.”

“How much are we talking?” Oscar asks.

I shake my head and let the silence answer. Oscar knows me better than anyone—he also knows I won’t pay another cent to keep this monster quiet.

“We’re not paying anything, Oscar,” I cut Melanie off before she can whip out a figure.

Alex jogs up, clearly empty-handed. I step aside so he can see Melanie lurking behind me. He skids to a stop, surprise curdling into contempt.

“What the fuck is she doing here?” Alex grumbles.

“She was just leaving,” I say pointedly.

“You guys are no fun.” Melanie saunters up to Oscar and loops her arms around his neck.

She pulls him in, whispers something, then breaks away with a throaty laugh. A finger wag at all three of us, and she strolls back into the spa like she owns it. On anyone else that swagger might be impressive—on Melanie, it’s just more proof of her bottomless entitlement.

“What did she tell you?” I ask Oscar.

“She named a dollar amount,” he says. “Exactly what she wants.”

“No, you don’t get it—she already reached Makayla,” I say. “She wouldn’t tell me what she said, but Makayla knows.”

Oscar blows out a harsh breath. “Shit,” he mutters, lowering his gaze. “She was asking for too much, anyway…”

“And she would’ve kept asking,” Alex says, slowly shaking his head. “Fuck. What do we do now?”

I give them a dark, tired look. “Kay’s nowhere to be found, huh?”

They both shake their heads.

“She was at the spa not long ago; Melanie cornered her here,” I reply.

“Then things really went sideways,” Alex says, pressing his forehead into his palm. “We still need to find Kay, though. Talk to her. Explain. Hell, I’ll show her a copy of the settlement, if that’s what it takes. Screw the non-disclosure agreement...”

“Where else can we search?” I demand, throwing my hands up in frustration.

“There’s got to be somewhere we haven’t checked,” Alex says. “She didn’t just vanish into thin air.”

“We should ask at the front desk,” Oscar says. “If she panicked, she might’ve gone straight to reception to check out of our suite. That’s what I’d do after hearing whatever lie Melanie spun.”

“She’s not picking up either,” Alex adds, frowning. “You’d think she’d at least confront us—give us a chance to explain.”

Oscar gives a helpless shrug. “Depends on how polished Melanie’s lie was. We all know she’s a pro at lying, manipulating—twisting the truth.”

Of all the honest mistakes we’ve made, this is the worst. Bitterness and anger flood me as I search for our next move.

It doesn’t take much to ruin something good.

Melanie spotted an opening and played her hand to the hilt. While we scramble to contain the fallout, retaliation will have to wait. But she will pay—one way or another.

First, we have to find Makayla.