Page 27 of Sworn to Defend

“Thank you for your flexibility.” The man’s shoulders sagged with relief.

“There was supposed to be a garment bag waiting for me, but if the room was canceled…well, I have a feeling it’s not here.”

“No, miss. I’m very sorry.”

Hannah offered the man behind the desk a weak smile. Hunter put his arm around her and she pressed in close. There was no better feeling in the world than her trust. As the key cards were being made, Collin was animatedly telling Silver and Iron about the plane ride, getting pizza at the airport, and his desire to open a pizza restaurant with his friends Jacob and Cora.

“Here are your keys. Have a restful evening.” The employee slid a packet across the marble desktop, and he shoved them in his pocket.

“Glad we came down when we did,” Iron said as they moved away from the front desk.

“Wedding planner has been a vile bitch from the start. I should’ve expected her to pull something like this.”

“Well, at least now you’re under a different name,” Iron said, mirroring his earlier thought. “And Silver splurged on the suite. Not that he had a choice. I figured we’d stay in some motel down the street, but you know he always wants to be where the action is.”

“Isn’t that the truth.”

“Anything else from the bride-to-be?” Iron asked as they neared the others.

He dropped his voice an octave. “Nothing yet. Hannah keeps checking her phone. I’ve got a bad feeling. Wish I could say nothing could’ve possibly happened, but we all know how fast things can change.”

“When is the rehearsal dinner?”

“Tomorrow night. We were going to fly in tomorrow and go straight there. Now I’m glad we left early.”

“Anything you need, Branch. We’re here.”

“Appreciate that.”

Silver and Collin were making faces at each other and laughing as they waited for the elevator while Hannah stood looking amused and exhausted. The elevator chimed and the doors slid open. Iron hit the button for the top floor and slid his key card in to gain access.

Silver glanced at Hannah. “How are you doing, darlin’? Can’t be easy for you to come visit your family on such short notice.”

“It’s never easy no matter how much notice I have. If you meet them, you’ll see why.”

“Already got a taste with that stunt the wedding planner just pulled. Not cool. What do you think she was hoping to gain from that? Power play? Just to be a jerk?”

“I think she was hoping I’d tuck my tail between my legs and go home to the family estate. If I was staying there, my parents could keep tabs on me. Wouldn’t be surprised if it was their idea in the first place. I’m sure that’s where my dress is now.”

“Not cool, not cool,” Collin repeated until the elevator stopped. Their group filed out of the elevator and walked down the hall with its elegant, gilded sconces and plush carpet. They reached the door and Silver took out his key card and opened the door. Collin walked through the door first and let out an audible sound of excitement. “We could all live in here. Forever! All of us!”

The room was, in fact, gigantic. You couldn’t really even call it a hotel room. More like a town house. They took off their shoes and wandered through. The first floor was open concept with a kitchen that rivaled a five-star restaurant. An opulent dining area with fresh flowers dripping from every surface preceded a living area that stemmed off to two separate hallways. “There are two rooms downstairs,” Iron commented. “We’ve claimed the rooms on the first floor. You guys can have the ones upstairs.”

Hunter nodded, knowing exactly why they’d called those rooms as their own. If there was trouble, his friends would intercept it before it impacted Hannah and Collin. They walked up the stairs and discovered two more rooms each with their own bathroom.

“What’s on the floor above this?” Hannah asked.

“There’s a private pool.” Silver smiled and turned to Collin. “We can hang out there while your mom and Hunter are doing boring wedding stuff tomorrow.”

“Mom can’t have fun in the pool?” Collin’s face fell.

“You can have fun for both of us and tell me about it. Maybe I’ll even have a chance to go for a quick swim at some point.”

“Is the alligator float here?” Collin asked. At Jacob’s pool there was an alligator and a flamingo float.

“I’m sure with one call to the front desk guy we can get you a float, buddy,” Iron said with a grin. “I might even get one, too.”

Silver’s phone beeped, and when he looked at the screen, his eyes crinkled with a smile so bright, Hunter was nearly knocked back. “We’ll be right downstairs if you guys need anything. Glad you’re here.” Silver started down the stairs.