Chapter 13 "I think you bruised a rib or something..."
Rhylee
My eyes glazed over as I stared at the nametag with gold letters reading ‘Maryann’. Maryann was the manager, here at the Four Seasons hotel in East Pasadena. Why this man wanted to pay with only cash, she didn’t know. Why the girl staring at her nametag had a blood stain in the side of her shirt, or why they kept looking over their shoulders. The first girl to try and book us in a room had the most worried look in her eyes when Justin asked if he could pay in cash. “Sir, we need a credit card for security purposes.” Maryann insisted. I rolled my eyes and shifted my weight onto my other let, my eyes wandering around the large extravagant room.
Justin sighed with frustration. He hasn’t slept in hours, he’s been driving in all that time, and all we wanted was to get in the room, order room service, and fall asleep. “Look, I just need a room for one night. I realize you need it in case of damage to property, but I assure you, we’re not going to damage anything or steal anything. We’re just going to eat, fall asleep, and get out at ten o’clock tomorrow.”
“Check out time is nine, not ten.” The first girl finally piped up. Maryann glared at her, forcing her to be quiet again. I once again rolled my eyes and turned around, not wanting to listen to this anymore. Walking slowly, I strolled further into the lobby. If I looked straight up, I could see the hand painted ceiling, glowing with amber lights. The painting was angels flying in the clouds, wearing wispy cloths around their waists; the usual image. This hotel was just like any other, but apparently they were ten times better, since you had to pay ten times more money. Justin insisted on staying here, no matter how many times I said I was fine.
I sighed and plopped down onto one of the velvet couches, folding my legs to my chest. It was chilly in here; probably counteracting the heat outside. Justin was still arguing with the woman at the desk, offering more and more money at the sound of it. I didn’t see why he was pressing this so much; I would just tell her I would take my large amount of money elsewhere.
Trying to ignore their bickering voices, along with everyone else in the hotel, I looked outside. The sun was down; the streets were dark and almost uninhabited. The very few business men checking in for their business trips and a few random people were the only others around. My eyes were locked on a black car, sitting on the sidewalk as I drifted in and out of some kind of trance. I was beyond tired – I hated traveling like this.
The black car’s door opened and out climbed a man wearing a long trench coat. After closing the door, he leaned against the car and slipped his hands into him pockets, crossing one leg over the other. He stared at me, smirking.
My breath caught when realization settled in.
“Rhylee… Rhylee, can you hear me?” Someone tapped my shoulder. I quickly whipped around and saw Justin. He looked irritated, but satisfied at the same time. “She finally caved; come on, let’s get to our room.”
“No, we can’t, we have to leave, there’s – ” I turned and looked back outside. The man was gone, the car was gone; Robert was gone.
“There’s what?” Justin asked, looking in the direction I stared.
“N-nothing I guess… Maybe I’m just tired.” I nodded at my own answer. “Yeah, tired.”
“Probably, we’ve been driving ever since this morning. Come on, let’s get some food in you and then get a pillow under your pretty little head.” He helped me out of the chair; thankfully he couldn’t see me blushing. We made our way past the check in desk, where Maryann scowled, past the stairs and to the elevator. We stepped inside, alone, and pressed one of the top buttons. My eyes glimpsed out the doors as they closed, looking out the windows again. I was losing my mind; nothing was there. With a sigh of relief, my gaze wandered around the room once more.
My throat tightened and I gasped, dropping my duffle bag on the ground.
“What, what’s wrong?” Justin asked.
“He’s here!”
Just as the doors were inches from closing, Justin thrust his hand out; stopping them and making the doors open once again. “Where?” He knew what I was talking about and looked around the room with urgency. I nodded over to the check in desk, where the small girl that used to be helping us spoke to a man in a trench coat. He had silver hair and blue eyes – definitely not Robert. “Rhylee, I think you’re just tired; come on.” Justin stuck his head back into the elevator and let the doors close. Once they did, I was pushed into silence, left to think about the two haunting images I just saw. Robert was there; that was a totally different man. I know what I saw, and it was no trick of the mind. It was too…vivid.
An arm snaked around my shoulders, making me jump. “Calm down, it was nothing.” Justin soothed. I nodded and leaned into his side, enjoying the warmth he provided. A moment passed before the doors opened again, sending us down a long hall with only three or four doors. Justin walked to the very end, sliding a plastic card in the door knob. With a small click we entered the very large penthouse room. “Isn’t this a bit conspicuous?” I asked.
There was a living room; complete with a couch, two end chairs, tables, and a very large flat screen TV mounted on the wall. To our left was a door that led to the large bathroom, while further into the room to our right was the bedroom. Without bothering to look around the room, Justin made his way to the bedroom. I followed, and saw there was only one, very large, bed. “I hope you don’t mind the sleeping arrangements. I could take the couch if you aren’t comfortable?” He offered.
I turned on my heel and dropped my bag, avoiding eye contact as I replied. “No, that’s fine, I don’t care.” My blushing face said otherwise.
“I can order some dinner to be taken up to our room. I think it’s safe to say we won’t be going anywhere for a while; at least not for pleasure.” He continued talking as I walked out of the bedroom, wandering around the rest of the penthouse. Everything was so pristine; as if no one had ever stepped a foot inside. I knew that wasn’t true, but still, I felt special. I’d never been in a hotel like this before… I suspected it was only first of many if I were going to be with Justin.
Just as I was opening the small fridge and looking inside at all the cool snacks, Justin walked in after me. “There aren’t enough towels, I’m going to call them and tell them to bring more. Do you need anything?” He asked, reaching for the silver cordless phone on the desk next to me.
“Uh, no, I’m fine with what’s already here…” I rolled my eyes.
He saw and sat down the phone before dialing. “What was that about?”
“You’re a brat, aren’t you? You don’t settle, do you?”
He shrugged and took a step forward. The close proximity of our chests made my breathing harder to accomplish. He leaned in a little closer, making my breath stop altogether. His piercing green eyes bore into my gold eyes, sending absolute chills up my spine. “What can I say; I always get the best.”
Heat rose to my face, causing him to chuckle. “As I said, I’m going to call the front desk and ask for more towels. What do you want for dinner?” His voice was light again as he stepped back, reaching for the phone.
“Uh…um…b-burger.”
Robert
The frosty blue glare that came from the many screens in front of me laid across the room, being the only light in my hotel room. A small grin spread across my face. I saw her; seeing her was the best feeling. For months now I’ve wanted to tell her how I truly feel about her; hearing her tell me she loves me was the happiest moment of my life. She’d be mine again soon, and I’d tell her every day.
Until then, I have to make sure that filthy kid doesn’t touch her.
Like all hotels doctors from the prison use, this one had cameras in each room. After tapping into the cameras in the penthouse, I turned off the lights and watched every move she made. I watched her roam around, looking at all the things inside the room. I did feel a sharp pang of guilt as I saw she hadn’t changed yet and saw the blood stain on her side. It wouldn’t have happened if she just left him.
“Justin, when is the food going to get here?” Her delicate voice asked. She was sitting on the couch in the living room, flicking through the random channels on the TV.
Justin walked inside, wearing nothing but a towel wrapped around his waist. Ugh, why didn’t he put on some clothes before going in to see her? “It may take a while, Rhy. Why don’t you take a shower while you’re waiting?”
Rhylee was still staring at him as he waited for his reply. Why was she looking at him like that? My fist curled on the desk as I watched them. She finally shook her head and jumped up from the couch, turning off the TV. “Um, yeah, that sounds good.”
She ran from the living room to the bedroom, and so I switched to that screen. She got a large t-shirt from her bag, along with a pair of basketball shorts, before running into the bathroom. My heart began to race as she turned on the water. I was watching her brush through her hair, but then saw something out of the corner of my eye. I looked back at the living room and saw Justin frozen in the middle of the room. What was he up to now?...
“Wait… Oh fuck!” He gripped his towel as he ran across the room and grabbed a chair. He dragged it to the corner, near the camera, and then stood on it. He peered inside the corner and saw the small camera. After seeing the small blue light, which meant it was on, he frowned. “Go to hell, Robert.” He snapped before reaching up and snapping the cord. Blackness.
“God damn it!” I growled. I jumped up from my chair and began pacing the room. How will I know what they’re doing now? Unless they use the phone, and I hear it on the speaker, I won’t know what they’re saying, where they go, if they leave… I won’t know what he’s doing to her. That’s probably why he snapped the cord; he wanted her for himself. I gripped at my hair as I looked at the black screens. The room was pitch black, only a small bit of light that came from outside; the street lamps.
Justin – we trusted him, we helped him in his time of need. I wonder if she knows anything about his past, if he’s told her anything. All those secrets, I doubt she’d want anything to do with him after finding out.
A small grin eventually grew into a much larger grin. She would find out eventually then she would come running back to me. Soon enough – all soon enough.
Rhylee
As soon as my head hit that pillow, I could have fallen asleep. Once Justin laid next to me though, sleep seemed impossible. I couldn’t get the images of him stepping in the living room, wearing his towel, out of my head. Justin may not be the most gorgeous man, but he was very good looking… His body wasn’t bad at all either.
“Is the bed comfortable enough? I can still go to the couch if you want.” He offered for maybe the hundredth time.
I laughed, “No, you’re fine.”
He nodded and put his hands behind his head. “So, all in all, I think we’re doing alright. Got a nice hotel room, a car that works… We’ll have to find another one soon, though.” He added. “But still, I think we’re doing fine. You know, for an inmate and an escapist.”
I chuckled, “Yeah, I suppose so. Those visions of seeing Robert in the lobby were just silly – there’s no way he’s here. We haven’t seen him since that night in the ally. And we left that night; I never saw a car behind us or anything. I guess we lost him for good, huh?”
Justin’s body grew stiff beside me. I looked over and saw his face was stone, staring up at the ceiling. “What?” I asked.
He shook his head, “Nothing, nothing.”
I sat up, “It’s something. And since my life is in danger here, I think I have the right to know.”
Silence followed after that for about five minutes. Justin looked like he was searching for the words in his head, but didn’t know what to say. I waited though, and finally it paid off. He gave a deep sigh, opening his mouth to speak before stopping and eyeing me mischievously. Before I could ask what he was up to now, he quickly reached out and grabbed me by the waist, pulling me down on top of his chest. I laughed and tried to get up, but he held me down. As my eyes looked at him and locked with his, I stopped struggling.
He smiled down at me as I laid my head down on his firm chest. I rose and fell as his chest rose and fell – my hands laid gently on his stomach. “You know…” I sighed after a while. “This doesn’t get you out of the question. What was it?”
He rolled his eyes and pushed me off of him playfully. “You’re so stubborn. It was nothing; I’m just tired is all.” As he stood from the bed and walked off, I knew that wasn’t it.
“Robert really is here, isn’t he?” I asked. My voice choked as the words spilled out. My eyes were already filling with tears. I sat up on my knees and watched Justin’s face for a reaction. I was scared to death; I thought we had already gotten away. I escaped twice from the prison now – I wasn’t trying to go for a third time. I know I wouldn’t make it to the door if I ever entered that place again. After seeing that Robert would stab me, I wondered what the other doctors would do.
Justin sighed, almost frustrated, but nonetheless walked over and pulled me into his arms, holding me to his chest. “I don’t know if he’s here or not, I just have a suspicion. Whether he’s here or not though, he won’t get you, I promise. I’m not leaving your side.”
I blinked away the tears quickly, not wanting to cry on him, and looked up. “Okay,” I nodded. He smiled and hugged me to him again. This time, I wrapped my arms around his waist and hugged, too. The silence was nice as I held him and he held me. Slowly, the thoughts of Robert left my mind. I hugged a bit tighter, breathing in Justin’s clean, musky, scent.
“Ow!” He suddenly let go and jumped back. I opened my eyes and looked around, wondering what happened. I saw Justin leaning against the wall, hugging himself, wincing in pain.
“What happened!” I shrieked, jumping off the bed. Was Robert in the room? Did he stab Justin?”
“You…squeezed me.” He coughed out.
My jaw dropped as I looked over at him. Was he serious? Thanks for scaring me like that! I put my hands on my hips and glared at him. “Ha-ha, you’re such a comedian. Now stand up straight, you jerk.”
“No,” He coughed again. “I’m serious, Rhy. I think you bruised a rib or something.” He slowly straightened up, looking at me oddly. “What’d you do that for?”
“I didn’t mean to! I wasn’t trying to hurt you – I swear I was being gentle.” I think I was at least…
Justin eyed me skeptically before sitting gingerly on the bed. “Whatever, just come here and get some sleep. We have to get up early tomorrow and get out of here. Just don’t hug me.” He teased.
“Oh shut up!”
He once again reached for my waist, pulling me on top of him and right next to him, our bodies pressed together in the middle of the large bed. We soon fell asleep with our arms on each other’s waists.
So if you're confused, that whole 'bone crusher' hug, it's actually gonna tie into the story, so don't go like 'wtf, you're so random' cause I know I am, and I don't need your sass! I'm just kidding, I love your sass! Sass is awesome!
I hope everyone has an amazing Halloween tonight! Bring me some candy, my minions! Or should I call you my 'fat boys', since I'm going to be the Queen of Hearts tonight? (For those who don't understand a word I said, the Queen of Hearts calls Tweedledum and Tweedledee in Alice in Wonderland 2010 'fat boys'. Little piece of information. ...Or was it 2011? I don't know, it's the recent one, not the cartoon one!)
But yes - sass, fat boys, anything else we didn't cover? I don't think so, so again, everyone have a awesome Halloween and have fun! I'd LOVE for you to tell me what your costume is! Just comment below! Even if it has nothing to do with my story, I don't care! It's Halloween baby!
I know this Author's Note is long, but you're going to sit through one more line. I have instant streaming Netflix, and I'm looking for some scary movies to watch tonight. Any suggestions? If so, again, comment, and it doesn't have to have anything to do with my book! Thanks guys!!
-Happy Halloween! MissDagger