Eleanor stood up and walked to the window, looking out over the city. ‘There are things you don’t understand, things I can’t discuss right now.’
‘Then make me understand,’ Lauren pressed, her voice softening. ‘Mum, if there’s something going on, I deserve to know. We all do.’
Eleanor turned back to Lauren, her expression softer but still guarded. ‘I’m protecting this family, Lauren. There are risks and considerations you’re not aware of. I can’t say more than that. Just know that I’m doing what I believe is necessary.’
Lauren stared at her mother, searching for any hint of the truth behind her words but found only the same inscrutable calm. She sighed, knowing she wouldn’t get any more answers today.
‘Fine. But this isn’t over.’
Eleanor nodded. ‘I know. Just be patient.’
Lauren turned and walked out of the room, her mind swirling with unanswered questions and a growing sense of unease.
What was her mother hiding, and why did it feel like whatever it was could change everything?
Chapter Seven
He stalked through the hotel corridors, his jaw clenched tighter with each step, the frustration and anger building inside him like a coiled snake ready to strike. As he turned a corner, he spotted Jack pulling a trolley filled sky-high with suitcases. Without hesitation, he strode forward, his hand shooting out to grab Jack by the collar.
‘Where is she?’ he growled, his face inches from Jack’s.
Jack’s eyes widened in fear, his hands instinctively coming up to try and pry the man’s fingers from his shirt. ‘W-who?’
‘Don’t play dumb with me,’ he snarled, slamming Jack against the wall. ‘Fay. Where is she?’
‘I-I don’t know,’ Jack stammered, his voice shaking. ‘I haven’t seen her lately.’
The man’s eyes narrowed, his grip tightening. ‘You’re lying.’
‘No, I swear!’ Jack pleaded, his face paling. ‘I really don’t know where she is. Let me go, you’re hurting me.’
The man leaned in closer, his breath hot against Jack’s face. ‘Listen to me carefully. If I find out you’re lying, if I discover you know something about Fay’s disappearance and you’re not telling me, I will make your life a living hell. Do you understand?’
Jack nodded frantically, tears welling in his eyes. ‘Y-yes, sir. I understand.’
The man held him there for a moment longer, his gaze boring into Jack’s, before he finally released him. Jack slumped against the wall, his legs threatening to give out beneath him.
‘If you see her, if you hear from her, you come to me immediately. Got it?’
Jack nodded again, unable to find his voice.
The man straightened his jacket, his eyes still filled with barely contained rage. He turned and walked away, leaving Jack trembling in his wake.
His mind raced. He was running out of options. She knew too much. He had to get Fay back under his control.
No matter what it took.
Chapter Eight
As Rain waited for her drink at the bar, the sound of laughter caught her attention. She glanced over to see two young women chatting animatedly at a nearby table.
‘Happy birthday to the best sister in the world!’ one of them declared, raising her glass in a toast.
Rain felt a pang of envy and nostalgia as she watched them. She and Fay used to be that close, once upon a time. Inseparable, taking on the world together with matching grins and linked pinkies. But then Fay had left their sleepy little town to chase her dreams in London and despite her promises to visit, she never did. Slowly but surely, the distance between them grew until it felt like they were strangers living separate lives.
Seeing the sisters, their bond so evident, was a bittersweet reminder of everything Rain had lost.
Feeling a hand on her arm, Rain turned to see Lauren beside her. Their eyes met, and for a moment, Rain was transported back to that afternoon in Lauren’s suite, the taste of her lips, the heat of her skin. But then Lauren looked away, and the spell was broken.
‘What’re you drinking?’ Rain said in an attempt to fill the silence.
Lauren scanned the drinks menu behind the bar. She looked tense, preoccupied.
‘Looks like you could use a double,’ Rain said, trying to coax a smile from her.
It worked. Lauren’s face relaxed, some of the tightness around her eyes easing. ‘You’re not wrong. I’ll have a brandy, neat.’
‘That bad, huh?’
Rain signalled to the bartender, adding another drink to her order as she tried to ignore the growing unease in the pit of her stomach. When their drinks arrived, she raised her bottle in a half-hearted toast to Lauren, before taking a long swig of beer.
‘Why don’t we grab a table?’ Lauren said, her eyes scanning the crowded bar.
‘Lead the way.’
They wove through the crowd to an empty table and sat down. An uncomfortable silence stretched between them, the weight of unspoken words hanging heavily in the air. Rain fidgeted with her bottle, her patience wearing thin as the seconds ticked by.
‘So, are we going to talk about what happened today?’ Rain asked bluntly.
