Page 14 of The Scarab's Game
He was spending too much time with Rav.
Or were there things I didn’t know about Emmett?
More secrets from the man my father muttered about every time he saw him?
I poked my head into the bathroom. It was still a mess. My toiletries bag lay open on the counter, two towels hung over the tub’s edge, and I’d left the mirror light on.
No, I’d turned that off. I was sure of it.
And my lipstick. It wasn’t sitting in the right spot in my bag.
Goosebumps skittered up and down my arms.
Were Emmett’s concerns valid? If housekeeping had been through the room, a few things out of place would make sense. But the towels were still lying there. Fresh ones should have been rolled up on the racks over the tub.
A figure appeared behind me, and I gasped, spinning to face Emmett, who was suddenly standing in the bathroom with me. I hadn’t heard him move. “Holy crap!”
Emmett put a finger to his lips as he hurried to me. He gripped my upper arms and leaned down so we were eye-to-eye. So close. He whispered, “Keep your volume down.”
I pressed a hand against my chest, trying to slow my lungs before I passed out. Instead of speaking, all I could do was nod. What the hell was going on? I was imagining things—that was the only answer.
Emmett drew closer. His lips brushed my ear, and he barely breathed, “Is there anything out of place?”
I nodded again.
“There’s no one in your room or on your balcony. There are no signs of forced entry. You’re safe here with me. Do you understand?”
I did the only thing I seemed capable of—I nodded.
“I want you to go through the rest of your hotel room. Pretend you’re coming back for your laptop exactly like you said you would. Pretend I’m not here. Talk to yourself a little.”
My breaths grew steadier as his cologne washed over me. The familiar scent inspired calm. All on their own, and against my better judgment, my arms slid around his back.
He wrapped one strong arm around my waist. “Rav, Jayce, and Drew are here in town with me. They’re coming down to look at your room.”
The calm vanished as quickly as it had appeared, and I leaned back so I could see him. Was he serious? Why would his team come here? What would they do?
He shook his head, and his free hand found the back of my neck, pulling me close enough to continue whispering in my ear. “I’m not trying to scare you. But I have a feeling someone wasin your room. Someone who shouldn’t have been here. I need to know if anything is missing, and if it is, what is it?”
I would have been excited to be in Emmett’s arms if my heart weren’t trying to leap up my throat and out of my body.
Unfortunately, nothing about this trip to Monte Carlo was going the way I had hoped it would. My great restoration coup had transformed into a gigantic failure—either I had no idea what I was doing, or I was working on a forgery. No matter how close I got to Em, he’d never want me the way I wanted him. And now, if his instincts were right, someone had been in my room.
Why?
I slipped away from Emmett, out of the bathroom, down the hallway. I wouldn’t say anything if I were really coming for my laptop. But he wanted me to talk to myself.
“Let’s see…” I walked to the narrow wooden desk where my laptop and mouse sat. Nothing looked out of place. “Where did I put the…”
Emmett stood soundlessly at the entrance to the room, a soft smile on his lips that almost made me feel like any of this was normal.
I scanned every surface—the bed, the nightstands, the dresser, the tiny balcony overlooking the patio. My laptop bag sat on the desk chair. I’d left it there, but something wasn’t right. Every zipper was open. Sleep had been elusive last night. I’d finally drifted off around two o’clock and slept half an hour later than planned, so I’d rushed through my morning routine.
That rush had included a last-minute panic about where my notebook was. Fortunately, it had been in my laptop bag, exactly where I’d left it, and I’d thrown it into my purse.
My small sketchbook, though? It was still in the laptop bag, spine up.
A shiver ran up my spine.