Chased by a Stranger (Craved Series #3) Read online

  I looked down and saw for the first time how dirty I was. And not just with dust and grease, but blood as well.

  “I’ve been to their room before,” I said. “I could go check what the number is and-”

  “Are you a guest here?”

  “No, I live down the street-”

  “I’m afraid I can’t let you past reception then.”

  “But she’s leaving tomorrow and-”

  “Very sorry, sir.” He looked over my shoulders.

  I followed his eyes and saw that two security guards had appeared out of nowhere.

  “I just wanted to say goodbye.”

  “You said she leaves tomorrow?”

  I nodded.

  “Maybe I can take a message to give to her when she checks out?”

  I clenched my jaw. What the hell would I say? The truth, presumably, but I couldn’t do that in a sentence, and even if I could, a note wasn’t the way I wanted to end our memorable time together.

  And a lie would be unforgivable. Not that I could think of one that would justify not showing up when she was expecting me. Besides, a lie wouldn’t change the fact that I let her down.

  I supposed I could just leave my email address. Maybe she would get in touch?

  But there was no guarantee that I’d ever see or hear from her again.

  I shook my head at the attendant. “That’s okay,” I said. “Thanks for the offer.”

  I turned to look at the security guards and raised a flat hand towards them to let them know I wasn’t a bloody maniac that needed to be dragged out of the hotel.

  Then I stuck my hands in my pockets and walked back out to the street.

  What a fucking disastrous night this had been.

  At least I had all night to plan what I would say in the morning to redeem myself.

  I just hoped she wasn’t taking the whole thing personally.

  Chapter 10: Audrey

  I woke up early but stayed in bed listening to the rain as it pummeled the metal awning over the balcony outside. It reminded me of being home, except this rain was much more ferocious than the typical drizzle I was accustomed to.

  After a while, I got up to open the curtains so I could watch the downpour, too, and as I crawled back into bed, Megan was just waking up. She smiled at me but didn’t say anything so I lay back down and watched the waterfall coming off the awning.

  “That downpour makes the rain in Seattle look like a sneeze,” Megan said finally.

  “I was just thinking that,” I said without turning towards her. “Isn’t it amazing?”

  “To look at, yeah,” she said. “I just hope it’s not like that on the way to the train station.”

  “It won’t be,” I said. “It’ll burn off before then.”

  “How do you know?”

  “I don’t,” I said. “But that’s what’s happened every other day.” I rolled over and faced Megan, fluffing my pillow under my head. “Fancy a final room service?”

  “Definitely.”

  “What would you like?”

  Megan shrugged. “Surprise me. I’m easy.”

  “Funny. That’s what Matteo said.”

  “What?!” she asked, lifting her head. “He better not hav-”

  “I’m joking,” I said. “Way to overreact.”

  She smiled. “I suppose he’d be right to say it. I haven’t put out that much since Freshman year.”

  I rolled my eyes.

  “Do you mind ordering?” she asked. “I was going to grab a quick shower.”

  “Go ahead,” I said, scooching up against the white pillows and stretching my arms over my head.

  Megan sat up.

  I turned towards her and laughed.

  “What?”

  “Nothing.”

  She squinted at me.

  “Your hair is insane.”

  She reached up and felt her frizzy curls.

  “You know Animal from the Muppets?”

  “The one that plays the drums?”

  “Yeah.”

  “That’s what your hair looks like.”

  She raised her hands out to her sides and pretended to play the drums as she shook her head like an excited puppet.

  “Brilliant.”

  She rolled her eyes as she dragged herself out of bed and into the bathroom. The shower came on a second later.

  I reached for the phone and ordered two bowls of yogurt with muesli from room service. I figured that wouldn’t weigh us down too much since we had some bag lugging to look forward to. Plus, it was our last shot at having many of the exotic fruits we never had an opportunity to sample at home.

  Sure, some of them were probably available at Whole Foods, but I wasn’t exactly at a stage in my life where I was ready to invest the little money I had on rose apples and dragon fruit.

  After I ordered, I walked over to the sliding glass door and opened it to the humid morning air.

  As predicted, the rain had eased off and the fat drops on the fan-like leaves around the balcony were already beginning to shrivel to pinheads in the heat. I leaned in the doorway and watched the sunshine breaking through the tall palm trees in the courtyard.

  Now that the rain wasn’t drowning them out, I could hear the birds in the hotel lobby tweeting to each as I watched a small, paranoid lizard running back and forth along the balcony railing, sticking its little tongue out from time to time. Its movements were so fragmented it was like it couldn’t remember if it left something at home and needed to go back for it before heading out for the day.

  And then I saw him walk into the courtyard.

  He was in a hurry as he crossed the garden below, his wet shirt matted to his chest. Following close behind him was a thin Thai woman wearing shorts so short they shouldn’t be legal. Her hair looked wet as well, though it was hard to tell since it was so naturally shiny and dark anyway.

  I watched as Jack stopped and gave her a quick hug. Then he leaned in so close to her I couldn’t tell if he was just saying something or giving her a kiss on the cheek. Without thinking, I raised my hand to my own cheek and remembered how he said goodbye to me the same way that first night.

  “I’m afraid I’m not that smooth,” he’d said. What a load?! He had a Thai girlfriend and everything. Of course he did! And probably more than one! Why wouldn’t he?

  He’d said himself that western girls were a “novelty” out here. How could I be stupid enough to think I was special when I was probably just a statistic?

  A moment later, there was a loud knock on the door behind me. “Audrey?”

  I swallowed and stared at the door.

  He knocked again. “Megan? Audrey? Hello?! Anybody there?”

  Megan opened the bathroom door in her towel and looked at me.

  I raised a finger over my mouth.

  She pursed her lips.

  He knocked again. “Audrey. It’s Jack. I know you probably don’t want to see me right now, but I need to talk to you. I can explain everything.”

  Megan raised her eyebrows.

  I shook my head. I didn’t want to hear any bullshit right now. As far as I was concerned, it was his turn to get blown off. I’d wasted enough of my tears and my feelings on him, and I wasn’t going to let him hijack my last chance for a pleasant morning.

  He pounded on the door a few more times, and then- though I can’t be sure- I think I heard his head fall against it.

  Then silence.

  Megan and I stood like statues for several minutes.

  And just when I was sure the coast was clear, the knocking began quietly again.

  “Room service,” a timid voice said from behind the door.

  I opened the door abruptly, pulled the cart into the room, and said thank you as I closed the door in the waiter’s face.

  “Why didn’t you answer it before?” Megan asked.

  I leaned against the door. “I’m not in the mood to hear a bunch of bullshit excuses.”

  She nodded.

  “I know w
e had a good time, but I’m sick of hearing guys rattle off reasons for treating me like shit.”

  She pulled her fingers through some wet curls.

  “I don’t want to remember him as another lying douchebag. I want to remember him the last time we were together which was actually pleasant.”

  “I understand.”

  “Plus, I just saw him in the courtyard with another woman.”

  “This morning?”

  “Two minutes before he was at the door.”

  “Are you sure he was with her?”

  “Positive.”

  “What a pig.”

  “I know,” I said. “But I don’t know why I’m surprised. It should’ve been obvious from the beginning that he was too good to be true.”

  She nodded.

  “It was just a charade.”

  “Shame,” she said. “It would’ve been nice to have a doctor in the family.”

  “Which reminds me, I better not mention any of this to my Mother.”

  “She’d be heartbroken,” Megan said, reaching in the bathroom for a spare towel to wrap around her head.

  “That’s an understatement. She’d probably be suicidal.”

  “Well, if she asks, you can just say he was a lifeguard or something so she doesn’t take it so hard,” Megan said, squeezing her hair in the hand towel.

  “Or a pimp,” I said.

  “Not a complete lie.”

  “Ouch,” I said, wheeling the breakfast trolley between our beds and removing the silver domes from the tray.

  “Looks good,” Megan said, crawling across the bed on her knees and reaching for her freshly squeezed orange juice.

  “It does,” I said, admiring the colorful bowl of fruit.

  Unfortunately, Jack’s surprise visit ruined my appetite. And as I sat down at the edge of my bed, I wondered how long it was going to take me to get over him.

  I mean, they say you need half the total time of a relationship to get over the other person after a breakup.

  Which meant he would be out of mind almost as quickly as he was out of sight.

  But something told me I was kidding myself.

  Because Jack Quinn had gotten under my skin just like that stubborn coral had the day we met.

  Except in his case, it was going to take a lot more than a pair of tweezers to get rid of him.

  Chapter 11: Jack

  The sense of loss I felt was overwhelming.

  And it wasn’t just that I lost the chance to explain myself to Audrey. I also lost the potential for what might have been with her and the peace of mind I would’ve gained from being able to see her face and know she was okay.

  It killed me that she might think my not showing up was a reflection of my feelings for her. And it was weird how upset I was. Frankly, I was irritated from the moment I knew that I wasn't going to make the date, but I pushed it to the back of my mind so I could look after my Dad and Tip.

  But I was livid now.

  And the rage bubbling up in me was my first clue that this wasn't just some girl I'd hooked up with. Lord knows I let them leave all the time without saying goodbye and didn't bat an eyelid.

  But this time was different.

  This time it felt more like the way I'd felt in previous relationships after a fight- unsettled, like everything was up in the air. And I was anxious to know where all the shit was going to land.

  But it wasn't going to land. There would be no shit to go through. Audrey would touch down in Seattle in the next twenty four hours and she would either think of me or not, and there was nothing I could do about it.

  Though beating the crap out of my Dad offered a strange appeal. Of course, I'd never be able to do half as good a job as he did on his own so I didn't see the point.

  Plus, as much as I wanted to blame him for this, I knew better. I was too old to blame my parents for my own mistakes, and I was the one who fucked up, the one who let the most amazing woman I ever met slip through my fingers.

  Tip knew something was wrong, but I wasn’t giving anything away. Though I trusted her implicitly, I didn't want her to be the one that communicated my hurt to my Dad when the time came.

  And it would come.

  He'd crossed a line that he could never uncross, and as far as I was concerned, it was decision time. Either I could spend the rest of my life trying to keep him out of trouble- which was easier said than done- or I could make a change.

  But if I continued to let my misplaced loyalty to him trump the other relationships I had in my life, then it would be the only one I'd ever have. And someday, I'd look back and realize I sacrificed everything that could've been for a front row seat to my Dad drinking himself to death and pissing his life away.

  And that wasn't something I even wanted to watch.

  It was difficult to even look at him as he laid there hooked up to all the machines while dozens of people fought for his life, a life he had no appreciation for.

  So as soon as Tip came back with some coffee, I told her I had to go take care of some stuff and insisted she call me if she needed anything.

  Then I went outside and called Jin.

  "Jack," he said, his voice cracking as if my name was his first word of the day.

  "You going to muay thai today?" I asked.

  "What day is it?"

  "Friday."

  "Yes," he said. "You want to come?"

  "Yeah," I said. “I do.” I desperately needed to get some energy out and the few times I'd joined him were absolutely exhausting.

  "I'll pick you up on my way."

  "I'm actually at the hospital. Can you swing by here?"

  "The hospital?"

  "Yeah."

  "Are you okay?"

  "I'm fine."

  "Is it your Dad?"

  I let the question hang in the air for a second before answering. "Yeah, he had an accident last night."

  "Is he okay?"

  "He's fine," I said, feeling ashamed that I almost wish he wasn't, that instead of coming away with nothing but a broken leg he was beat up badly enough that he might have to take a long hard look at himself. "Unfortunately, my bike didn't make it out alive so I'm going to need that ride."

  "Shit."

  "I know."

  "I'm so sorry, Jack."

  "Me too, Jin," I said. "But would you mind keeping it on the down low for now? The fewer people that know the better." I looked around. A few nurses were smoking in front of the hospital doors, but no one was remotely interested in my conversation.

  "Of course," Jin said. "I understand."

  "I'm not sure yet how much legal trouble he might be in." I ran my hand through my hair. "Anyway, I'll tell you all about it when you pick me up."

  "Okay," he said. "See you soon."

  I hung up the phone and looked at it.

  If only I’d called my Mom back before all this happened. Unfortunately, she loved a big catch up and the two topics she was most interested in were the state of my Dad's alcoholism and my love life. And it seemed a shame to call her when I had no good news for her on either front.

  But seeing as how the day was already a disaster, I figured I better let her know what was going on.

  She picked up on the second ring.

  "Hello."

  "Hey Mom. Sorry I didn't call you back sooner."

  "Who is this?"

  I rolled my eyes. "It's Jack, your only son."

  "Oh yeah," she said. "I thought I had a son, but he never called me so I thought I imagined the whole thing."

  I knew that inspiring guilt was one of her strong suits, but this time she’d be hard pressed to make me feel any worse than I already did.

  "I said I was sorry, and I'm extra sorry because I can't talk for too long now, but I just wanted to call so you would know what happened."

  "What do you mean so I would know? Are you okay?"

  "I'm fine," I said. "But Dad's been in an accident."

  I could practically hear her shaking her head on the o
ther end of the phone.

  "He's okay. Just some bruises and a broken leg. He's being looked after in the hospital.”

  "How did that happe-"

  "He crashed my motorcycle."