Light filtered in and it made me think of the saying,Today is the first day of the rest of your life.Noel and I could start today to build on what we started last night.
I reached for him, but my hand found an empty bed. I opened my eyes and looked around the room.
“Noel?” My answer was silence.
I rose, the usual morning nausea making me rush to the bathroom. For a moment, I was mortified that I’d run in and interrupt his shower or brushing his teeth by getting sick. But the bathroom was empty too.
Where was he?
Once I finished puking and brushing my teeth, I slipped on a plush robe offered by the hotel and made my way to the main area of the suite. Perhaps Noel was there enjoying coffee on the balcony. When I found the suite empty, I sank on the couch. I was sad, but I suppose not surprised.
It was his MO. Open up a little bit and then run.
Would he be back? Would I take him back if he returned? I didn’t want to live my life going back and forth like this. I deserved better. So did our child. My eyes welled with tears. My lips trembled. He did this to me. He turned me into a whimpering idiot. Damn him.
I brushed the tears away and lifted my chin in defiance of my sadness. He wanted me to leave Mexico, and I would. I rose to pack, feeling heavy. All the promise I’d felt upon waking was gone. I’d been an idiot to let hope for a happily ever after take root again. When would I learn?
I pulled my suitcase out when my phone rang. I was surprised to see Archer’s phone number. Maybe Lane was using his phone.
“Hello?”
“Oh thank God. You’re okay?” Archer’s voice sounded strained.
My nerves jumped straight to scared. “Yes. Why?”
“Where are you?” He wasn’t in friend mode. No, this was what he sounded like when he was working.
“I’m in my hotel.”
“In Mexico?”
“Yes.”
“Get a team ready to extract Harper Erickson,” he said to someone in the room with him.
Now I was panicking. What was going on? Where was Noel? “What’s wrong?”
“We got an encoded message from Dax that took us time to decode. It said Bastion is the pirate. He’s coming for Noel. Does that mean anything to you?”
Oh God. I sank down onto the bed. Was Noel in trouble? “No.” I scanned my brain to remember what Noel shared but I didn’t recall the name Bastion. Only Lupe. Did he mention a pirate? I couldn’t remember. But I remembered the man with the eye patch who approached me at lunch.
“Lane said a man spoke to you at lunch. A man she described like a pirate. Did you get his name?” Archer asked.
“No. That was the only time I saw him. Where’s Dax? Wasn’t he down here?” Surely if they found Dax, they’d find Noel.
Archer was quiet for a moment. “I need you to stay there, Harper. Don’t go anywhere. Don’t talk to anyone. Don’t open the door to anyone unless it’s me or Noel.”
“Okay, but what’s going on? Where’s Noel?”
“He said he was going down to get you. Did you see him?”
“Yes. But he must have left. I don’t know when.” Then I thought of Mo. “Where’s Mo?”
“He’s with me and Lane.”
Okay. That was good. “But where are Noel and Dax?” The chaotic sound in the background wasn’t a good sign.
“We’ve been unable to contact Dax. Are you okay in the hotel until we can get to you?”