“The hell?” I muttered, but he silenced me with a glare and a quick jerk of his head in the direction of the elevator lobby. I rolled my eyes and followed, carrying my cane but trying my balance without it. The lobby was a recursive crimson purgatory of mirrors; I kept my eyes firmly on the carpet. When the elevator arrived, we took it to the fifth floor, where Teo hung a right, seeming confident of where he was going.
“Who is this guy exactly?” I asked him under my breath, aware of the way voices carry in hallways.
“I’m hoping he’ll be kind enough to tell you himself,” Teo said, stopping in front of a room at the end of the hall. “Now hush.” Despite the DO NOT DISTURB sign, he rapped his knuckles confidently against the door.
7
There was no answer.
“Hey,” I whispered. “What if we find his body in there or something?”
“I think standard procedure is to make a bad pun and put on sunglasses.” Teo knocked again—nothing.
“He’s out,” I said, tamping down my overactive imagination. “We should try back later.”
“Nope. We park right here till he comes back.”
“That could be hours.”
“Have you got a hot date or something?”
“Eventually I have to eat lunch. Or pee. And I don’t see you calmly sitting here until midnight either, Mr. Manic. For all we know he took a day trip to San Diego.”
Teo seemed to chew on this. “All right, you stay here. I’m going to check the restaurant, since he knows me.”
“Aren’t we supposed to stay together? In case one of us goes crazy or something?”
“I promise not to cut myself if you promise not to”—here he eyed me speculatively—“step in front of a train. Deal?”
“Whatever. You’re the boss.”
That seemed to please him; there was a strut in his step as he headed back to the elevator. I leaned against the wall, ignored the dull ache in my lower back, and waited.
And waited.
I got more fidgety with every passing moment. This was my first assignment, a test of sorts, and so far I’d been worse than useless.
I wished I had a phone or a watch or something, so I could know when the wait started getting ridiculous rather than just feeling ridiculous. I was pretty sure it shouldn’t take so long for Teo to find a restaurant, scan it for a familiar face, and come back.
My imagination ran haywire. What if Teo had tried to confront the viscount downstairs and a fight had broken out? What if one or both of them had been hauled off to jail, and I had no ride home? What if—
My thoughts were interrupted by a distant clinking sound. I glanced down the hall and saw a housekeeping cart. An elderly Latina was loading room service dishes onto it. I smiled and lifted a hand in a little wave.
“Yes?” she said. “How can I help you?”
I’d actually only waved to be friendly, but since she offered . . .
“Good morning,” I said with a warm smile. “I don’t suppose you know when the man staying in this room is likely to come back?”
She knew something; I could tell by the way she frowned when she saw where I was pointing. “If he is out, you can leave a message downstairs for him,” she said.
“Right, I know,” I said, feeling like an idiot but hoping she’d assume my blush was attached to a scandalous story. Fancy Los Angeles hotels are full of those stories, though admittedly I didn’t quite look the part.
“Why do you ask about him?” she said in a tone that suggested she was strongly considering notifying security.
“I left my phone in there,” I improvised. “I have an audition in an hour, and I don’t know the address. God, I hope he comes back soon.”
The housekeeper approached me with a skeptical expression, and I could tell when she was able to see my scars. I call it the “what-the-hell” distance. Strangers who approach me always look harder for a split second, then quickly away. The what-the-hell distance seemed to be less than twenty feet now. Interesting.
“I think he is gone all during the day,” she said a bit more kindly. “‘Do Not Disturb’ was on his door every day this week.”
“Damn it!” I sighed in what I hoped was an actressy fashion, leaning on my cane and covering my eyes with my free hand to hide how pleased I was to have turned up a scrap of information. “I’m sorry,” I said tragically. “It’s not your fault. Thank you anyway.” I looked up and gave her my best please don’t call security smile.
The housekeeper looked up and down the hall. “I’ll open it quickly. You can look for your phone. Hurry, please.”
I stood for a moment in stunned disbelief. Jackpot! Teo was going to kill me, but how could I pass up the opportunity? I’d just pop in briefly and make sure the viscount wasn’t rotting in a bathtub in there or something.
“Thanks so much,” I said as she opened the door.