Total pages in book: 110
Estimated words: 111278 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 556(@200wpm)___ 445(@250wpm)___ 371(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 111278 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 556(@200wpm)___ 445(@250wpm)___ 371(@300wpm)
She sat on a chair and Ed took the other one. This room was far nicer than her other one, with more space.
“Who?”
“Liv.”
“Ullu Ka Patta!”
“Um, sorry?” he asked, staring at her worriedly.
She waved her hand. “It means son of an owl.”
“Um. Okay. Are you all right, Gwen?”
“Right now? Or in general? Because I think those are two different things.” She ran her hand over her face.
“Why did she do it? Did she say?”
“Unfortunately, she wouldn’t say much. Just that you know what you did and that you should leave town if you know what’s good for you.” Ed sighed.
“That guy has really got his claws into her.”
“Yes, he has.”
“How’d you find out it was her?”
“I spotted her on the camera feed. She wasn’t even hiding her face. Late last night, I paid Liv and her parents a visit. She came clean.”
That was something, at least. And it made her feel better that it wasn’t a real threat. “How did she know where I was staying?”
Ed grimaced. “It seemed Jenny, who works in reception, told her. They went to school together.”
Okay, that pissed her off.
“I’m about to go have a chat with her and her boss.”
“Good,” she muttered.
“Here’s what I want to talk to you about. Threatening someone is a serious offense. But we both know that Liv is under this guy’s influence. She said that she did this all of her own volition, though and hasn’t seen him since he ran off. We checked her phone and it does seem that way. Unfortunately, she won’t give me anything more than his name. Darius Reynolds. Doesn’t have much of a record. An ex-girlfriend took out a trespassing order on him about a year ago in Seattle. Last known address was in Chicago.”
“What is he doing here then?”
“Well, he’s now working for David Davidson at Delicious. As a dish washer.”
“But he doesn’t live here?” she asked.
“Davidson gave us an address, but it turned out to be fake. Davidson said he’s a very good employee.”
This just seemed weird. “A dish washer? Really?”
“Liv said she met him at a party but won’t tell us much more. Here’s the thing. I can press charges. Which you are totally in your right to insist upon.”
She frowned. Liv was so young. And impressionable.
“Or her parents are asking that we let them take her away. Get her away from his influence. Her dad will take her to Florida, where her grandparents live, and stay with her for as long as it takes to settle her. It’s a risk. She’s eighteen. Legally they can’t make her do anything. But I do think I scared her half to death by telling her what charges she’d be facing.”
Gwen sucked in a breath. “When will they leave?”
“Earliest flight they can get out of here. They’ll drive to Bozeman today. You can be sure she won’t be around.”
“I don’t believe she’s a real threat. However, there should be some consequences. But as you said, I think he’s the real problem. All right, as long as she leaves today, especially as Dominic thinks I shouldn’t leave the hotel room until the threat is gone and I want to go for drinks tonight.”
Ed stood. “All right. I’ll go back to them. I’ll let you know once they’ve gone so you can leave the room. But you still need to be careful in case Darius pops up.”
She shook her head. “He’s probably long gone and I doubt he’s interested in me.”
Ed just gave her a look at the door. “Thanks for this. I owe you.”
After he left, she locked the door and put Dom’s lock back on before grabbing her phone. She immediately sent a text to Dominic, explaining everything. Then she checked her other messages. There was one from Kiesha.
Kiesha:
New bestie! Wishing Well tonight. 8pm. Be there or be boring!
She had to grin.
Gwen:
I’ll be there.
Her phone rang. Dominic.
“Hi,” she said.
“Darling girl, are you all right?”
His voice soothed her ragged edges. “Well, other than getting grumpy at Ed because he woke me up so early, yes, I’m fine.”
“You hadn’t had any coffee first?”
“No. I told him to bring some next time.”
“It was really Liv?” he asked, obviously having read her texts.
“Yep. She was caught on camera. Jenny, in reception told her which room I was staying in.”
“Fucking hell.”
“I know. Ed is talking to hotel management. He’s also been speaking to Liv and her parents. They want to take her to Florida.”
“And you agreed to that? Even though she threatened you?”
“Yeah, I feel sorry for her, Dominic. She’s just a kid, and she likely wasn’t thinking properly. Her threatening me has got to be about him. I’m sure.”
“He could be a problem, darling girl. I still want you to stay in the hotel room.”
“Oh, um, I kind of said I’d go to the Wishing Well tonight with Kiesha.”