Page 53 of Night and Day

Itightened my grip on Tessa. Shit, she’d almost fallen. Since her chest was plastered against mine, I felt her heart hammering.

“Oh my God,” she whispered.

“Are you okay?”

She nodded, but kept her face pressed to my chest.

My own pulse was racing. If she’d fallen…

I whirled and half carried her to the nearby armchair. I sat her down and saw she was shaking. I knelt in front of her and took her hands.

“You’re okay. You’re safe.” And I’d sure as hell keep her that way.

She bobbed her head. “I know. Thanks to you.”

“Take a deep breath.”

She complied. Then took another one.

I ran my thumbs over her wrists. “You’re all right.”

Meeting my gaze, she nodded. She hooked her pinkie finger with mine. Then she glared at the offending railing. “I can’t believe that was loose. I know the maintenance team checks all the railings regularly.”

“Call Everett. I want an explanation.Now.”

She ran a shaky hand through her hair and then pulled her radio off her belt. “Maintenance, this is Tessa. Everett, are you there?”

I checked the rest of the railing, but it was solid. It was only loose in that one place. I half-listened to Tessa as I crouched and studied where the base of the railing had come loose. My jaw tightened. What I saw didn’t make me happy.

A few minutes later, Everett jogged up the stairs, toolbox in one hand and a frown on his face. He zeroed in on the broken railing. “What the hell happened?”

“That’s what I want to know.” My voice was low and clipped. “The railing gave way and Tessa almost fell.”

“I’m fine,” she said.

“Is this representative of the work you do, Murray?”

The man shot me a hard look before setting the toolbox down and turning to Tessa. “You’re sure you’re okay?” He pressed a hand to her shoulder.

My gaze narrowed. He seemed awfully comfortable touching her.

“I’m really okay. Can you check the railing, Ev?”

The maintenance man crouched and touched the bolts by the floor. “What the hell?”

“Those are scratch marks from some tool, correct?” I asked.

He looked up. “Yes. It looks like someone deliberately loosened the bolts.”

Tessa’s eyes flared wide. “Why? Why would someone do that?”

My shoulders tightened. First, someone tampered with the basement lock, now this. I was feeling very unwanted. My jaw worked. “Clearly someone isn’t happy with the Windward becoming a part of Langston Hotels.”

Tessa stiffened. “You think I had something to do with this?”

I studied her face. There was no way someone as…good and proper as Tessa Ashford would stoop to dirty tricks like this. “You’ve made no secret of the fact that you don’t want me here.”

Her cheeks filled with color. “I don’t want tohurtyou.”