Behind Closed Doors (Behind Closed Doors #1)(64)

His hands settle at my waist. “We could still try to downplay our relationship.”

“If this is someone close to you, and it is, they already know there’s something between us. So I say ‘f*ck them’ poker continues. And the chip I have might be a game changer, literally.”

His cell phone rings. “They’re looking for me. Are you sure?”

“One hundred percent.”

“All right then,” he says, planting a kiss on me. “Let’s get downstairs.”

We exit to the bedroom. “I’m confused about what this event is. A pre-event for the real event?”

“It’s basically press and prerecording for the TV show, which is putting on a charity tournament next weekend. Abel has one of his clients, a quarterback from the area, showing up to help as well.” I check my text messages again while he opens the door for me. “Ella’s silence is driving you crazy,” he notes.

“Isn’t it you? She’s completely MIA,” I say as we enter the hallway. “My calls are still going to her voice mail.”

His brow furrows. “It’s almost ten. I’d think she’d be up by now.”

“Exactly,” I say. “And who turns off their phone to sleep? I’m worried. I told her about this to protect her, not put her in danger.”

“Maybe she forgot to charge her phone before she went to bed. It happens to all of us.”

“Maybe, and she doesn’t strike me as the most cautious person. She’s all about living life free and easy, which I admire, but in this case it could be dangerous.”

“If we don’t reach her by the time this event’s over, I’ll have the PI we’re working with go check on her. We should have just had him get the chip.”

“No,” I say. “He’s working with Daniel.”

We turn the corner to the elevator and he punches the button. “You still think Daniel is guilty in some way?”

“I’m not pointing a finger at Daniel,” I say, thinking of the lessons I learned with my ex. “But the person who betrays you and gets away with it is not the one you expect to betray you.”

“I’d prefer to think there’s a player involved in this, not someone in my inner circle. But at this point, I’m not going to foolishly dismiss any option.”

The elevator doors open, and I inhale, telling myself to just get the hell over this phobia. Jason steps behind me, his hands on my shoulders. “Fantasize about my elevator in Rhode Island,” he says, walking me into the car and pressing the button to the lobby.

“Your parents have a place there too, right?” I ask, trying to focus on him, not the car that is now moving.

“Yes. My place is a few miles down the road, gathering dust. Ideally when I retire I’ll spend some time there.” He brushes some hair from my shoulder to my back. “You okay?”

“I’m great,” I say. “I’m going to beat this thing.”

“My father always says that you can’t hide from your enemy and win. You have to face him to beat him.”

“So lots of elevator rides?”

“That might help.” His eyes light with mischief. “We should go to Rhode Island and test out my theory sooner rather than later.”

I laugh, thinking how easy it is to relax with Jason. The car stops, and a glance at the lighted numbers above the doors tells me we aren’t in the lobby yet. The car opens and several people join us. Jason steps behind me again, his hands on my shoulders, framing them. I check my phone and still find no text.

When we reach the lobby, Jason slides his arm around my shoulders familiarly. “I’ll get the plane on standby,” he says. “If we can’t reach her by the time I’m done, we’ll fly back.” He glances at his watch. “We’ll be about two hours.”

“Thank you. Because if I still haven’t talked to her by then, I’m going to be a wreck.” We turn into a walkway, and I remove my phone. “I’m going to call my neighbor and see if she saw anyone at the house.” I try to dial out, but get a “no signal” message. “Oh, no, I have no service. I’ll miss Ella’s call.”

“It’s spotty in the casino, but usually better once you clear the center of the hotel,” he says. And sure enough, as soon as we reach the doors of the event room, my phone is working.

Daniel is instantly in front of us, his blue suit expensive and perfect, his scowl fierce. “I’m guessing the two of you don’t get the premise of keeping a low profile,” he snaps.

“I wasn’t aware being on a television show was ever low profile,” Jason says, motioning us forward.

Abel joins us, and like everyone but me and Daniel, it seems, he’s in jeans and a charity T-shirt. “Any news?”

“Stephanie’s sister in Texas filed a missing persons report,” Daniel says. “Apparently she hasn’t heard from her in two months.”

“And she’s just missing her now? I smell a fish,” Abel says.

“Adult family doesn’t always stay in touch,” I point out. “My mother was in Paris last I heard. The question needs to be, how unusual is this?”

Daniel narrows his eyes on me. “Weekly,” he says. “I asked the same question, but the sisters did have some kind of falling out.”