Chapter 2 - THE WOMAN WHO WASN'T SUPPOSED TO SURVIVE
By midnight, the Orpheum Crown Hotel had become a crime scene.
Police vehicles surrounded the entrance.
Ambulances lined the street.
Guests wrapped in emergency blankets stood beneath the flashing lights.
Reporters gathered behind barricades.
And Warren Crowe had vanished without leaving a trace.
Avery sat inside a private security office with a paper cup of water she hadn't touched.
Her hands were still shaking.
A detective named Clara Bennett sat across from her.
“Ms. Sloan, I need you to tell me exactly what you heard.”
Avery nodded.
She described the linen storage room.
The voices.
The planned blackout.
The armed waiters.
The threat against Elias.
Detective Bennett took notes.
“Are you certain one of the speakers was Lieutenant Mason Rourke?”
Avery looked at her.
“Yes.”
“Had you met him before?”
“No. But I recognized his voice from television, and I saw him through a gap in the linen racks.”
The detective nodded.
“Thank you.”
Avery leaned forward.
“Is Lucy okay?”
Bennett checked her phone.
“The young banquet assistant?”
“Yes.”
“She's safe. She's being interviewed with the other staff.”
Avery closed her eyes.
Relief nearly made her cry.
At 1:16 a.m., Elias entered the office.
He had changed into a dark sweater.
There was a small cut near his temple.
Avery stood.
“Are you hurt?”
He touched the cut.
“Nothing serious.”
She stared at him.
“You're bleeding.”
“Occupational hazard.”
“That isn't funny.”
Elias looked at her.
Then, unexpectedly, smiled.
“No. I suppose it isn't.”
Detective Bennett rose.
“Mr. Kincaid, we need your statement.”
“You'll have it.”
“And your security team's records.”
“Of course.”
The detective studied him.
“Everything, Mr. Kincaid.”
His smile faded.
“Everything relevant to tonight.”
Bennett didn't look impressed.
“We'll determine relevance.”
Avery glanced between them.
The tension was obvious.
Elias had influence.
But Detective Bennett wasn't interested in being impressed.
After the detective left, Elias looked at Avery.
“Your apartment has been checked.”
She stepped closer.
“Milo?”
“Alive. Angry. Apparently he bit one of my security men.”
Avery covered her mouth.
“Oh, God.”
Elias's eyes softened.
“Gabriel says the cat is unharmed.”
She laughed shakily.
“That's Milo.”
Then her expression changed.
“Can I go home?”
Elias hesitated.
“Not tonight.”
Her shoulders stiffened.
“I'm not going to become your prisoner.”
His expression changed immediately.
“You won't.”
“Then don't tell me where I can go.”
He studied her.
Then nodded.
“Fair.”
Avery blinked.
She hadn't expected agreement.
Elias continued.
“You have every right to make your own decisions. But someone threatened you, and the people responsible are still free.”
She swallowed.
“What are my options?”
“A secure hotel room under a different name. A police-protected location if the department can arrange one. Or somewhere you choose, with security measures you're comfortable accepting.”
Avery looked down.
She was exhausted.
Frightened.
And desperate to see her cat.
“Can Milo come?”
Elias smiled faintly.
“I'll make sure the hotel allows him.”
Avery stared.
“You're serious?”
“Yes.”
She looked at the man who had been the most feared person in the ballroom.
Then whispered, “Thank you.”
Elias nodded.
“You saved my life, Avery.”
May you like
His voice softened.
“Let me help you keep yours.”
