Total pages in book: 84
Estimated words: 79413 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 397(@200wpm)___ 318(@250wpm)___ 265(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79413 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 397(@200wpm)___ 318(@250wpm)___ 265(@300wpm)
*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************
TEAGAN
I’m going to pee my pants. Any moment now, I’m going to feel these too-tight black slacks getting warm and wet, and the pungent smell of urine is going to fill the car.
“Are you okay?” my brother whispers from beside me. I can barely hear him over my heart rapidly slamming against my rib cage.
Tilting my head to look into his muddy-brown eyes, I catch the same nervous anxiety I’m feeling reflected back at me. I know Jase didn’t mean to rope me into this. He’s tried everything to keep me away from the mess he created, but the loan shark he borrowed money from didn’t care. They needed an innocent-looking woman without a criminal history for this job, and unfortunately, I fit that bill.
“I’m fine.”
I’m not fine.
Not even close, but I owe him this.
Yes, he fucked up royally. Nevertheless, he is my brother, the only family I have left, and the reason I didn’t end up in foster care when our parents died ten years ago.
“If you would worry about paying back your debt as much as you worry about her, you wouldn’t be in this mess in the first place.” The driver chuckles from the front seat.
Jase runs his hand nervously through his unruly brown hair, and I wish this day would be over already. I hate being in this situation, but seeing Jase like this is the worst part.
“Shut up, Dave,” the guy in the passenger seat warns, “the girl looks like she is about to pass out, and we need her to get in there and do what the boss asks her to do or else...” He glances over his shoulder to scan my face. His dark, slightly unhinged look makes my skin crawl.
“I’ll get it done.” I keep my voice even, trying to convince everyone, including myself, that I can actually do this. “Like you said, he’s not dangerous, right?” He’s a hotel manager, after all. How dangerous can a man with that job be?
“Not to you.” He nods and digs something out of his pocket. “Remember what we told you. All you have to do is pin this to his clothes.”
“Got it.” I nod and hold out my hand. He drops the tiny device in my palm before turning to face the road once more.
“We’ll be out here waiting for you,” Jase assures me, as if him being out here while I’m in there will make me feel better. What’s he going to do from the car?
“Time to go. Grant hates when someone makes him wait.” The driver whispers something under his breath that sounds a whole lot like, “Grant hates everyone and everything.”
Choosing to ignore that comment, I climb out of the car and shove the device in my pocket.
An image of a pudgy, middle-aged man with a mustache rapping his index finger on his Rolex pops into my head. I don’t know why this is how I imagine this hotel manager to look, but I do.
I give Jase a tiny reassuring smile through the window before heading for the lobby of the hotel. I didn’t even know it was a hotel. It kind of just blends in with the rest. There is no sign anywhere, no valet either. From the outside, the building is pristine but gives no indication that it’s a place to rent a room.
Most hotels are on the other side of town, closer to the stadium and harbor. There is really nothing in this street. The only thing close by are a few high-end boutiques and restaurants a few blocks down, which makes this location seem a bit odd.
Dave gave me a little rundown and mentioned this is some kind of hot spot for the upper class. A members-only hotel. Maybe that’s why it’s a bit hidden. To keep the city’s riffraff out?
Wait, maybe it’s for famous people? That thought piques my curiosity, and I shamelessly use the thought of my favorite movie star sitting in the lobby to distract myself from the nervous anxiety swirling in my gut. My mom used to say that everything has a bright side, you just have to find it. Well, I found my bright side. Meeting a celebrity is on my bucket list.
The entrance doors are heavy glass but the kind you can only see through from the inside. As I push them open, I only see my reflection looking back at me. My long brown hair is pulled in a tight ponytail, which means there is no hiding my bewildered expression with a curtain of hair as I step into the lobby.
Whoa. That’s my first thought.
Huh? Is my second.
The lobby itself looks just like you would expect a fancy hotel lobby to look like. A large open space, sleek and shiny, with a ceiling so high, you have to crane your neck painfully. A large modern chandelier is in the center of the space, with multiple smaller ones spread out. The walls are silver, while the floors and columns are covered in intricate black tiles. The reception desk is centered, and two separate seating areas are on either side. All of the furniture is designed in various tones of black, gray, and silver.