She just wanted to get back to Miami. She had no idea what she would do once she got there, but anywhere was better than here.
She wasn’t a fool, though. As badly as she wanted away, Annie asked casino security to escort her to her room and waited for someone to be available. She’d made that mistake once, but even Jerry wasn’t dumb enough to pull a stunt with one of Gabe’s guys with her. The guard saw her safely inside and waited until she’d securely bolted the lock and thanked him through the door.
Once inside, Annie headed straight to her bedroom to pack. If she was quick, she could catch a late-afternoon flight and get out of town before Nate or Jerry could come looking for her. Right now, she couldn’t deal with either of them. Her only hope was that Tessa was smart enough to do the same once she made bail.
Annie grabbed her bag from the closet and swung it up onto the bed. It wasn’t until then that she noticed the tan envelope lying on the comforter. Her name was written on it in Nate’s neat penmanship.
She held the envelope in her hand for a moment before she could work up the nerve to open it. When her nail slipped under the flap, it popped open to reveal the familiar papers stapled to the blue binding of legal documents. Her gaze ran over the first few words of the page, her heart sinking deeper into her chest with each letter.
Decree of Divorce.
She jumped to the bottom of the page, where she found Nate’s signature awaiting her own.
She’d expected to feel happy or at least relieved. This was what she’d wanted. What she’d practically sold her soul for. And yet tears immediately began welling in her eyes at the sight of his scrawled name.
Annie flopped onto the bed and let the papers slip from her fingers to the floor. This was what she’d thought she’d wanted for the past three years, but for once, achieving her goals didn’t give her the adrenaline high she lived for. She felt awful. Her stomach ached with dread, her chest was tight with a pain she hadn’t felt since...since she’d made herself walk away three years ago.
Then, she’d lied to herself and said she didn’t really love him. Convinced herself that marriage was the terrible institution her mother had always ranted against. It had been enough then to propel her fast and far away from the temptation of Nathan Reed.
It took months, but eventually she’d believed it and the pain faded. At least until she lay in her cold, lonely bed and the truth crept in.
But Annie didn’t want to lie anymore. Not to herself and not to Nate. She wanted to be with him. If that meant being married, she would be married. Their relationship was wonderful and special and she didn’t want to throw it away again because of that bastard casino manager or her own irrational fears of commitment.
A knock sounded and she heard Nate call her name. Annie’s heart soared as she raced to the door. This was her chance. She wanted to tell him everything. To confess her every sin and beg him to forgive her.
Flipping the locks as quickly as she could, Annie flung open the door. Nate was nowhere to be found. Instead, Eddie was there with a digital voice recorder in his hand. He hit the stop button with a smile.
She needed to run. To slam the door shut and call security. Her second of hesitation cost her the opportunity. She only had long enough to register the sharp pain to her head and the sudden blackness that followed.
Thirteen
Nate knocked twice without a response before he used his master key to open the door to Annie’s suite. He shouldn’t abuse his powers this way, but he frankly didn’t care anymore. He needed to talk to her. He’d come back downstairs after she was eliminated, but she was nowhere to be found. She hadn’t checked out of the hotel yet, so he’d come here.
He was discouraged to find the room mostly dark except for a light in the bedroom. There were no signs of life in the suite. “Annie?” he called out before approaching the bedroom door, easing it open with his hand. There was no answer.
The room was empty, the bed made. There was no luggage in the closet, no makeup on the bathroom counter. Annie was already gone.
Frustrated, he turned and headed back through the room, pausing only when he saw the tip of something white sticking out from under the bedspread. Kneeling down, Nate pulled out the pack of papers, recognizing them immediately.
It was the same divorce papers he’d signed and left for her. It had broken a part of him to write his name on the line, but he’d done it because it was what she wanted. Perhaps she’d left the papers for him, knowing he’d come here looking for her. Nice parting gift.