Protecting the Boss

by Beverly Long

Seth waited until she’d closed the door behind her. “I really don’t want to move out of the hotel. But I get that you’re a little freaked out right now. How about we share my room? You can take my bed and I’ll take the chair. That way, if there is a snake in my room, too, I’ll be handy. And we’ll take your umbrella as our weapon of choice.”

  “But...” Her voice trailed off. She looked at the clock next to the bed. Just after three. “I guess that could work,” she said.

  Seth opened the front door. “We’re going to both bunk in my room tonight. I want confirmation once the snake has been removed. Knock on my door,” he said, “regardless of the time.”

  “Of course, Mr. Pike,” Lana said. “I’m so very sorry this happened. We’ll be back when the night manager returns.”

  “Snake is in your capable hands now,” he said. He closed the door.

  Megan was still on the bed.

  “Need me to carry you?” he asked.

  That got her moving. He barely had time to turn on the lights in his room. Once there, she stood near the dresser. Without her even having to ask, he made a point of checking the closet and under the bed. Then it was a good look into the bathroom. “All clear,” he said.

  “Thank you,” she said.

  “No problem,” he said. He grabbed an extra blanket from the shelf in the closet and walked toward the chair.

  “You should let me take the chair. I’m shorter,” she said. “I’ll fit better.”

  It was true. His neck was going to be killing him in the morning. He sat down and covered himself up. “You can get the light,” he said, and closed his eyes.

  He heard nothing for a long minute. Figured she hadn’t moved. But then the whisper of steps, the rustle of covers being tossed back. She’d taken the opposite side of the bed from where he’d been sleeping.

  He heard the click of the lamp. He did not think that she’d taken off her robe.

  Not that he hadn’t already seen everything.

  And just the thought of that caused his body to heat up and harden. He shifted and the chair creaked.

  “Everything okay?” she asked.

  “Just dandy,” he said. He was going to have to count sheep, ugly, skinny, smelly sheep for a good long time, before he’d be relaxed enough to nod off. “Couldn’t be better.”

  * * *

  When Megan woke up, she realized that Seth was already awake. And dressed, in different clothes than he’d slept in. He’d certainly been quiet about it.

  “Hi,” she said.

  He put down a magazine about Sedona that had been in both their rooms when they’d checked in. “Coffee is made,” he said, gesturing to the small pot on the shelf above the mini fridge.

  “Thank you,” she said. “But I’ll wait. I don’t usually drink it until after I’ve run.” She glanced toward the window and saw that it was just getting light. A look at the bedside clock told her it was just before six, a little later than she usually woke up. But then again, her sleep had been disrupted.

  But oddly enough, she’d had no trouble falling asleep. And she hadn’t dreamed of snakes. “Did they confirm that they’d removed the snake?” she asked. She hadn’t heard anything.

  “Yeah. About twenty minutes after we got settled in here.”

  “What do you think they did with it?”

  “I imagine they took it outside and let it go. It’s probably telling all its snake buddies what a crazy night it had inside the hotel.”

  “I’m determined to put it out of my mind,” she said. “And in that vein, I think I might run outside today,” she said.

  He rubbed his chin. “Like I just said, they probably let the snake go nearby. And there are probably others. This is Arizona.”

  She certainly wouldn’t be crazy about seeing another snake but she didn’t want to give up the opportunity to see Sedona. She’d always heard about the great hiking and running trails in the area. “I know. And I guess this is as good a time as any to apologize for my highly emotional state last night. I think it was waking up out of a sound sleep and seeing the snake in my room. Outdoors, where those things can be expected, I won’t have that kind of reaction. I’m embarrassed about last night,” she admitted.

  He waved it away. “It would have put anybody off their game. And you calmed down pretty fast.”

  “That’s because I was well on my way to having a heart attack and that would have really put a damper on things.”

  He laughed. “True.”

  She got out of his bed. Stood there in her robe, feeling off balance. Maybe she should have taken him up on the coffee. “I...uh...will get dressed in my room.”

  “Want me to check the closet?” he asked, his tone teasing.

  “I think I can handle it,” she said.

  “Okay. Meet you in the hallway in five,” he said.

  She walked back into her room, shutting the connecting door between the two rooms. Then, very carefully, looked around. She knew the snake had been removed and she really wasn’t expecting to see another one but still, it never hurt to be careful. Then she opened her closet door. All clear. She looked into the bathroom. Tub was wonderfully empty.

  She opened her suitcase and pulled out a good running bra, black yoga pants and a pink shirt. She dressed quickly, not wanting him to have to wait on her. She put on socks and slipped her feet into running shoes. Then she checked to make sure she had her phone and her key card to get back into her room.

  She opened her door. He was standing in the hall, one foot resting against the wall. He wore gray sweatpants and a white T-shirt. His running shoes looked as if they’d gotten some use.

  “You don’t have to do this,” she said, feeling as if she had to protest. The idea of running with him was fun but given that she’d taken his bed last night, maybe he’d be happier just getting another hour of sleep.

  “I’m not opposed to a good workout,” he said. “And it’s been years since I’ve been in Sedona. But I still remember a place, near Oak Creek Canyon.”

  When they walked out of the hotel, the morning air was cool, probably around seventy. After the heat of Las Vegas, it felt blessedly cool. They drove for a few miles before Seth pointed. “We can park here,” he said.

  She locked the car and put the fob in her pocket. She stretched, loosening the muscles in her legs. Then they started off slow, but a half mile into it, picked up speed. Seth had no trouble keeping up and she suspected that he was probably holding back some. Which irritated her, and she pushed herself harder.

  The trail led them between big cliffs of red rock and past waterfalls and abundant vegetation. It was stunningly beautiful.

  She was hardly even thinking about snakes.

  Three miles or so into the run, her running shoe hit loose rock. She slipped, lost her footing and knew she was going to fall.

  But Seth’s strong hand grabbed hold of her right biceps and he pulled her into his body, somehow managing to keep them both upright.

  “I’ve got you,” he said. They came to a jarring stop.

  He was hot and sweaty and she was basically plastered against his right side. “Oh,” she said.

  “Oh, indeed,” he murmured. He loosened his grip on her arm but didn’t remove his hand. “Okay?” he asked. “Damn, you’ll probably have a bruise on this side.”

  Her heart was hammering in her chest, and not only from the run and the near fall. She’d been physically aware of him since the first moment that he’d almost slid into her under the awning. And waking up in the same room had only exacerbated the tension coursing through her body.

  She was needy. Aching with it, truly.

  She tilted her head up. He leaned down.

  His mouth was just inches away. So close, she could feel his warm breath.

  He was going to kiss her.

  And then he straightened up and st
epped away. “We should probably finish up,” he said. “I think there’s a mile or so left. Ready?”

  Not really. Her legs felt wobbly. But she wasn’t going to admit that. “Of course,” she said, taking off.

  He ran alongside but didn’t say anything else to her. Once they were back in the car, he remained quiet all the way back to the hotel. When they reached her room, he finally spoke. “How much time do you need to get ready?”

  “Why?”

  “Like I said last night, I’m all about breakfast.”

  Great. Another thirty minutes of staring at each other in silence? She wanted to tell him no thanks but remembered that he’d been a really nice guy the night before. So what if he’d...rejected her this morning?

  Rejected was perhaps too harsh a word.

  He’d hung on to his common sense and she’d lost hers somewhere on the path. She should be happy with him. Not feeling oddly irritated.

  She unlocked her door. “I’ll be ready in forty minutes,” she said.

  “You want to use my shower?” His face colored. “I can use the one in your room,” he added quickly.

  “I assumed that’s what you were offering.” If he didn’t want to kiss her, he certainly didn’t want to shower with her. “I’ll be fine. Snake cooties never hurt anyone.” She closed the door behind her and started taking off her clothes. Then she realized she was just a big talker when she turned on the water in the shower, let it get as hot as it could and let the water run for a good five minutes, washing away any remaining dust from the snake. Then she turned the temperature down to normal and stepped in.

  Thirty-nine minutes later, she opened her door. Again, Seth was standing in the hallway. She caught the whiff of a smile before his face cleared.

  “What?” she demanded, still irritated with him.

  “Nothing,” he said.

  “Tell me,” she demanded.

  “I was just thinking that you’re a really good advertisement for your business. You always look very put together. A complete package. Clothes. Jewelry. Shoes,” he added.

  She loved all of those things. Today she wore a lightweight apricot-and-white flare dress with some beaded necklaces and her favorite strappy brown high-heeled sandals. Her legs were bare, in deference to the hundred-degree heat that was expected today. “Actually, North and More Designs will sell everything that I have on.”

  “I predict that you’re going to be wildly successful,” he said. “But then again, I can barely match my shirts to my pants.”

  He’d done pretty well so far. Today, he wore tan slacks, a blue-and-tan button-down shirt and a blue sports coat.

  He started walking. “I’ll bet you’re looking forward to breakfast.”

  Oddly enough, she was. Fifteen minutes later, she looked up from her bagel and saw Lana and a man she didn’t recognize approaching at a fairly good clip. And her heart started to beat fast, as if it was keeping time with their steps. Seth, like a watchdog attuned to any change, put his fork down.

  “What?” he asked.

  She kept her hands by her plate but discreetly pointed with her index finger. “Company.”

  He turned his head to look, then stood.

  “Good morning,” Lana said. She was businesslike.

  “Morning,” Seth said. He looked at the man.

  “I’m Jase Hall,” the man said. “The manager of our hotel. Lana and Harry, our night manager, filled me in on your incident last night. I was very sorry to hear about it and want you to know that there are no charges for either room for last night.”

  “That wasn’t necessary,” Megan said. She’d thought they might comp her room but letting them both stay for free was very customer friendly.

  “I know that but I want to do it.” He looked at Lana. “Actually, that’s not the only reason I wanted to talk to you. I’ve got something that I’d like to show you.”

  “What is it?” Seth asked.

  “Hotel videotape. I think you’re going to find it very interesting. You’re welcome to come, too, Mr. Pike. Please, finish your breakfast and when you’re ready, my office is just behind the registration desk.”

  Megan watched the two walk away and waited until they were out of earshot before leaning toward Seth. “What do you think this is?”

  He shook his head. “I don’t know but I’ve got a feeling it’s not going to be good.”

  She had the same feeling. She pushed her food away and felt mildly ill as the coffee in her stomach started to churn.

  She waited for Seth to lecture her on the importance of breakfast. He said nothing.

  That didn’t make her feel any better. He was obviously thrown off by the manager’s odd request.

  He finished his food quickly and poured his coffee into a to-go cup. He offered her one and she declined. They walked to the office just as Lana, her purse on her shoulder, walked out the door. She didn’t see them. Seth gave his name to the clerk at the registration desk and the young man waved them back. The manager’s office was small, maybe ten feet by ten feet, so there was barely room for his desk and two office chairs. But Jase Hall didn’t invite them to sit down. Instead, he motioned for them to come behind the desk.

  “I was very concerned to learn that we had a snake in the building. Of course, this is Arizona and we do have snakes, so it’s not an impossibility. But I thought it warranted another look. So I pulled the video from all the entrances and from the hallway outside your room.” He pushed a couple buttons on his computer. “I want you to see this.”

  His screen came to life. Megan saw elevator doors open and someone stepped out, wearing white pants and a white lab coat. They had their head down and a white baseball cap on their head. Either their hair was stuffed up inside or it was very short. It was hard to tell if it was a man or a woman but Megan thought male, once the person started to walk down the hall.

  He was carrying a sack of some kind.

  And it didn’t take her long to figure out what was in the sack. Outside her door, the person knelt down, fiddled with the sack and out came the snake. It had to be nudged a bit with a boot before it slithered under the door of room 402.

  The person didn’t return to the elevator. Instead, he kept walking to the end of the hallway and went through the door marked as stairs.

  “Do you have him exiting the building?” Seth asked.

  The manager pushed some buttons and pulled up a new screen. Again, the face was averted, as if he expected that there were cameras. He opened the door and walked through it to the parking lot.

  The manager pulled up another screen. “Here’s him walking across the hotel parking lot onto the public sidewalk. I lose him once he clears the hotel grounds.”

  She felt sick. She couldn’t even think.

  “What do you have of him coming into the hotel?” Seth asked, still evidently able to think.

  “That’s where it gets odd. We don’t. I have reviewed every piece of footage from last night and I can’t find where he enters the hotel. We know he’s in the hallway at approximately 2:20 a.m.”

  She’d awakened at three. That meant that the snake had been in her room for over a half hour before she’d realized it. She walked around and sat in one of the chairs. She didn’t need to see any more.

  “So I’ve looked at all the entrances, going back to the time that the two of you checked in. There’s nothing.”

  “That can’t be right,” Seth said.

  “I’ve spent the last two hours looking at the tapes. I’m very sure,” the manager said.

  “So he had to be in the hotel before we arrived,” Seth said. “I want a list of all your guests last night.”

  The manager leaned back in his chair. “Mr. Pike, I hope you understand but I’m not handing that information over to you so that you can badger my hotel guests. This appears to be a very targeted attack...�
� He stopped. “Let’s just say, a very bad joke of some kind.”

  He’d pulled back from attack. Probably didn’t want to heighten the tension already palpable in the room.

  Too late.

  Seth appeared to be considering the manager’s words. “Last night, when we checked in, Lana Anderson was at the desk. She also responded to our call, asking for the removal of the snake. You both mentioned an assistant manager. Was there anyone else working at the registration desk or in the office last night?”

  The manager shook his head. “Just Lana and Harry Givens, our night assistant manager.”

  “I’d like to talk to both of them,” Seth said.

  “Why?”

  “By your own words, you indicated it appeared to be a targeted attack. I want to know how somebody would have known that Ms. North was in that room.”

  Now Jase looked as if his shirt collar was too tight. His face was getting red. “If you’re suggesting that the information came from either of them, you’re barking up the wrong tree.”

  “How do you know that?” Seth asked.

  “Because I already asked both of them. It is against our policy to provide any outside caller or any visitor with the room number for any of our guests. We can transfer a call to a room but we will not provide the room number. That’s hotel management 101,” he said dismissively.

  “May I speak with both of them?” Seth repeated, his voice tight.

  “They’ve left for the day,” the manager said. “They were here all night.”

  “I’d like their home numbers,” Seth said. Since he already had Lana’s, he obviously didn’t want the boss to know that.

  “No. We protect our associates’ privacy just as much as we protect our guests.”

  Seth snorted, as if he wasn’t putting much stock into the hotel’s ability to protect the guests’ privacy. “I’d like to have a copy of that video,” he said.

  “No, I’m sorry,” Jase Hall said. “It’s hotel property.”

  Seth turned to her. “We need to report this to the police.”

  He was right. What if the next time they let loose a more venomous snake? “Okay,” she said.