Page 151 of Slumming It

What the fuck?

But then I heard another female voice, this one painfully familiar, call out, "But I have a key!"

I felt the blood drain from my face.Emily.

The first female yelled, "Yeah, well it's expired, so you're in big trouble!"

But already, I was on my way toward the door. I yanked it open and plunged into the hall, not giving two shits when the door closed behind me, locking me out of my own suite.

I rounded the corner just in time to see Emily being manhandled by a beefy security guard while a familiar brunette, Morgan What's-Her-Face, egged him on.

Near the commotion, a silver serving cart was lying on its side with broken dishes scattered over the carpet. Further down, a cleaning cart had also gone belly up, sending small plastic shampoo bottles rolling down the hallway. A few of them were still rolling as bystanders poked their heads out of doorways to stare.

Crowded in the hall itself, I saw several desk clerks, a uniformed waiter, a couple of cleaning people, and a thirty-something guy in a white polo shirt brandishing a golf club. The guy was yelling, "Let her go!"

Morgan snickered. "And who's gonna make him?" Her full lips formed a sneer. "You?"

Already, I'd closed most of the distance. But I was still several paces away when I called out, "Not him.Me."

The scene grew suddenly quiet as they all turned to look. The security guy was still gripping Emily's elbow and showed no signs of letting go.

I stepped forward. "Get your fucking hands off her.Now."

Instantly, he released Emily from his grip. He adjusted his tie and cleared his throat before giving me a nervous smile. "Oh hey…Reese Murdock, right?"

I gave the guy a stone-cold look. "That'sMisterMurdock to you. Now get the fuck out of here." I wasn't yelling, but you'd never know it from the looks on all of their faces, except for the golf-club guy who was looking mostly relieved.

The guy looked to Emily and said, "So I'll see you at breakfast?"

Breakfast?

What the hell?

She gave the guy a warm smile. "Let's hope so. And hey, thanks for the help."

Who was that guy, anyway?

When I glowered in his direction, he glanced quickly around and made a beeline, not for the elevator, but for the much closer stairway, as if seeking a nearer exit.

I glared after him.Good choice, asshole.

One by one, they all melted away – the security guy, the desk clerks, the waiter, the cleaning people, and finally Morgan, who took several steps toward the elevator before turning to call back to Emily, "This isn't over!"

With a scoff, Emily called back, "Oh, likethat'sa surprise." Under her breath, she added, "Twat-waffle."

Already, I was at Emily's side. I resisted the urge to pull her into my arms as I eyed her up and down. She looked alright, but I had to be sure. "Are you okay?"

She nodded. "Yeah. I think so." She blew out a long, shaky breath. "I should probably do more cardio, huh?"

I almost smiled. It was vintage Emily, and I might have loved her for it if I were a different kind of guy – a guy capable of feeling something so ill-advised. Even so, something squeezed at my chest as I considered what might've happened to her if I hadn't been around. "You sure?" I searched her face. "They didn't hurt you, did they?"

"No." But then, a haunted look filled her eyes, and her voice grew softer, almost a whisper, but not quite. "Notthem, anyway."

I frowned. "Someone else? Who?" I felt my fingers flex. "Give me a name."

She made a sound, something between a laugh and a sigh. "Actually, I'm not sure which name to give. But listen…I know you asked to not be disturbed, but I just had to see you."

The squeezing sensation struck again, making my chest constrict as I digested her words. The do-not-disturb was news to me, but correcting her would be a mistake.