Then Maisie texted Drew.Meet me outside in fifteen minutes.
When the pink Cadillac pulled up to the curb, Drew took a wary step back, doing a once-over. “Did something happen?”
Yeah, something had happened. Her ex had given her promotion to his new bimbo girlfriend. But Maisie couldn’t bear to tell the cocky Drew that. She didn’t want to see the pity in Drew’s eyes. She would have to deal with the ramificationsof that betrayal soon enough. What she wanted right now was one more night like the one she and Drew had shared.
One more night where anything seemed possible.
“I thought we should have a night on the town in style,” Maisie said. She turned to the driver, who was wearing a charming red wig and giant sunglasses. “Miz Destiny is going to help. We worked it all out on the drive over.”
“That’s right,” the driver said. “You two ready for the best time of your life?”
“Damn right,” Drew hopped into the car. “We need to celebrate.”
“Let’s start with champagne.”
Maisie grabbed the bottle the driver had graciously provided and popped the cork. Unable to find glasses as the champagne started bubbling out of the top, she took a big swig directly from the bottle before handing it to Drew. It tickled as it went down. As soon as Drew had taken a sip herself, Maisie took it back and downed another mouthful, giddiness replacing despair.
“Whoa.” Drew gave her a funny look. “I thought you didn’t drink.”
“I do tonight.” As if to prove her point, Maisie took another giant swallow, chuckling as the bubbles tickled her throat. “Miz Destiny says there’s plenty more where this came from.”
“Well, okay.” Drew shrugged, taking the now mostly empty bottle for another swig. “Let’s make this a night we’ll never forget!”
* * *
A buzz invadedMaisie’s dreams, and it took longer than it should have to realize the source wasn’t a swarm of bees but her phone.
She forced her eyes open, confused as to why the bed she was in felt so off and why her head felt like it had accidentally fallen into a cement mixer.
Easing herself into a sitting position, she took in the heart-shaped mattress with its red satin sheets tangled around her legs. “What the…?”
Though she had no idea where she was or how she’d gotten there, the general disarray of the unfamiliar room made part of the picture clear. Empty liquor bottles. Clothes strewn everywhere. Food platters with enough to feed an army, but Maisie was the only one in the room. No way had she ended up here alone. She had a fuzzy memory of being in a pink Cadillac with Drew. Very fuzzy.
Drew.Where was Drew? None of her clothing was on the floor, and there was no sign of her anywhere in the room.
The buzzing noise broke into Maisie’s thoughts again.It must be Drew calling.Maisie located her phone halfway under the bed, unsure why it had been chucked there or how it had managed to land so out of reach.
“Hello?”
“Where are you?” It wasn’t Drew but Donna.
“Good question.” Maisie looked around for a clue but came up empty.
“What do you mean? Are you okay? You haven’t been trafficked or something, have you?”
“I’m fine.” Despite the state she was in, Maisie couldn’t keep from laughing at her coworker’s paranoia. Having been trafficked was highly doubtful given all the booze and food in the room. Those would be some generous bad guys.
“We’re leaving for the airport soon. Are you still flying home with us?”
“Yes, of course.” Maisie rubbed her forehead, willing the hammering of the mother of all hangovers to subside. “How else would I get back to Milwaukee?”
“I just want to be sure, all things considered.” Maisie wanted to ask what things her coworker meant, but Donna continued. “I can’t tell you how proud I am of you. It took guts to do that.”
“To do what?” Maisie chuckled, regretting it immediately as the sound reverberated inside her skull. “Get obliterated?”
“You weren’t the one getting blown to pieces. Mr. Taite, though—oh boy! That’s an entirely different story, from what I heard.” As Donna laughed, Maisie’s insides went cold.
Mr. Taite? What did her boss, and the uncle of her ex, have to do with anything?