“Whether or not that’s true,” says Gabe, “this brother of yours is lucky to have you.” His compliment warms me, and I watch as he takes his cellphone from his pocket. He dials a number and then presses the phone to his ear, blazing eyes still on me. “Ryder, it’s Gabe. Could you come by the Bay Inn? All right, excellent. Thank you.” He ends the call, staring at me with a look that I can’t decipher, but one that only deepens my guilt about this.
Again and again, Gabe’s helping me when I can’t help but think that maybe he shouldn’t be. Hell, he’s calling in the very people that my brother apparently sold out for money, and even they’re helping me. Deciding to stop thinking about what Evan’s done, I move a short distance past the bed and flick on the lights in the bathroom; the sight before me takes a minute to process.
But then I do, and I learn the real meaning of fear.
“Gabe,” I yell.
He’s there not a second later, his hands bracing my arms. “What’s—”
The rest of his question dies off as he moves me away from the doorway to get a better look at what I can’t take my eyes from.
Blood covers the bathroom from floor to ceiling, a large pool of crimson on the sink. Hell, there’s even blood splattered on the mirror. There’s enough to know this blood isn’t from a cut shaving. “Come away, McKenna.” Gabe’s soft, comforting voice slides over me; his arms tenderly wrap around me.
Gabe moves me to the bed, and as my stomach turns, I sit down on the crumpled sheets and drop my head into my hands. I keep my mouth shut, both holding in the screams and desperate not to throw up. Blood. All that blood. I feel Gabe’s hand slide across my back, trying to comfort me.
Once certain I’m not going to vomit, I look at him. He’s worried for me, I see that in his eyes. And right now, so am I. Maybe something he sees, too, because soon, the warmth of his arms is around me as he picks me up off the bed, embracing me in his strength.
For right now, it’s enough to chase the chill away.
“What’s wrong?”
Gabe gives me a final squeeze before stepping back and taking my hand, letting me know he’s there. And it’s what I need. He’s what I need. As he moves to the side, it’s only then I see that Ryder’s entered the hotel room, his intense eyes scanning my face before looking back to Gabe.
“What’s wrong?” he repeats.
Gabe gestures. “Check out the bathroom.”
I’m only too thankful Gabe doesn’t let my hand go, not sure I can handle that now. Logically, I know I need to keep my head on straight, but emotions are clouding everything, a fear so real it shakes me to my core.
Ryder hastily passes us, and silence falls as he clearly surveys the bathroom. When he returns, I appreciate how solid and unemotional he is, the focus in his eyes makes me trust him. “Do you know what happened here?” he asks Gabe.
“No.” Gabe keeps me tucked into his side. “We found it like this.”
Ryder glances around the room, scanning the area before focusing on us again, eyebrows drawn. “From the amount of blood in the bathroom, it’s surprising that nothing looks out of place in here.”
That screams hope to me. “Do you think that means maybe Evan hurt himself?”
“Either that,” Ryder explains gently, “or the attack took place in the bathroom.”
While some people might wish Ryder had held back, I didn’t. I want the truth, no matter how brutal it may be. “But who would hurt Evan and why?”
Ryder gives a knowing look. “Sadly, that is the question, isn’t it?” He pauses then asks, “You said he gambles?” I nod, and he adds, “That might be where to look. Violence leads me to believe that this has to be about money, like you’ve suggested.”
“I agree,” Gabe says.
Ryder and Gabe exchange a heavy look, one that shows a long friendship between them, before Ryder finally asks, “What do you need me to do?”
Gabe considers me a minute, and I read his mind perfectly. With my brother out of the picture Gabe and his friends would no longer have to worry about Evan. Their secrets would be safe, and the tabloids would have lost their contact. The only reason they would even care about what happened to my brother, at this point, is because of me.
When he speaks to Ryder I’m a bit surprised by what he asks him. “Do you have the means to tap into the hotel’s surveillance system to see if there’s any sign of her brother?”
“That won’t be a problem.” Ryder reaches into his pocket, taking out his cellphone. “And I agree, it might give us a lead to whether he left willingly or not.”
In no time, the phone is ringing, and then Alex says, “Whatcha need, boss?”
“I’m at the Bay Inn,” Ryder explains, moving toward the front door. “I need you to get me video on this location for the last week.” He glances from left to right and then straight ahead. “There are a few stores across the street, which gives access to the front door of Evan’s hotel room.”
“What’s his room number?”