“If it’s safe, you bring my boy home,” Lou said. “I know he was a complete asshole to you, but—“
“I’m going to do everything I can,” I assured her. “I will keep you up-to-date,” I added, then hung up to plug in the address to the hotel.
It didn’t take me too much longer to get into the area, to pull into the kind of rundown, oddly located hotel just in front of a strip of mostly-abandoned-looking buildings.
Except for one of them.
Because outside of that one, there were five cars and a black van with blacked out windows.
Which seemed like pretty criminal type shit to me.
Had he been at the hotel because he’d been keeping an eye on the crew who had been stalking him?
If so, why?
And how the hell was I going to get information out of the hotel staff, who were always notoriously tight-lipped?
Flipping down my visor, I scrubbed my eyes, making my mascara and what was left of my eye liner smudge more around my eyes, giving me a raccoon look. Or, and this was what I was going for, like a woman who’d spent her whole night crying.
A crying woman could get a lot of assistance from halfway decent people.
Taking a deep breath, I made sure my gun was concealed, then made my way into the lobby of the hotel, feeling a twinge of disappointment to find a woman behind the desk instead of a man.
Men were easier to play.
Women were inherently suspicious.
As we should be.
But it made it harder to get one over on us.
Taking a deep breath, I decided to change my tack.
A crying woman still worked with women, just in a different way.
It was surprisingly easy to summon tears thanks to all the worry, the sleepless night, and the confusion I’d been feeling about Valen for so long.
“Can I help… are you okay?” the kind, middle-aged lady asked when she looked up from her sudoku to see me standing there with tears running down my face.
“No,” I said, voice catching a bit. Because it was true. I wasn’t. I wouldn’t be. Not until I knew he was okay. “I’ve been to every hotel and seedy motel in the county,” I told her. “I’m looking for my husband,” I added, making sure my left hand was out of sight. “He didn’t come home last night. And I think… I think he is out with one of his… whores again,” I said, reaching up to wipe the tears off my face, hoping I was selling it well enough. “I just… I have to catch him this time. My lawyer said I would never get anything unless I prove he cheated. Not even with the kids,” I added.
“Oh, honey. I… it’s company policy that we can’t give out information about clients.”
“I know. I know. They’ve told me that everywhere. But I know that’s his bike out there,” I said, waving toward the lot where his bike wasn’t, but I saw a light in her eyes that said she knew exactly who I was talking about. “He’s here. And I just need… I just need to snap a picture. I swear I won’t tell anyone that you told me where he was.”
To that, the lady sighed, nodding her head.
“My ex-husband fucked everything that moved,” she said. “Gambled away our house too,” she added. Then she stood, grabbing a key card and putting it down on the desk. “I’m afraid I can’t tell you anything about who may or may not be staying in room 7C,” she said, giving me a small smirk. “I have to go check and make sure the snack dispenser is working,” she added. “It’s been on the fritz,” she told me as she moved out from behind the desk. “Get some justice for you and those babies,” she said before she was gone.
Alone, I snatched the key card and made my way to the elevator.
I didn’t feel guilty about lying.
Not if it meant possibly saving Valen.
7C was located at the back of the building on the second floor above the lobby level.
Taking a deep breath, I put in the key and moved into the room.