Chapter 47

CHAPTER

FORTY-SEVEN

Everyone sat in silence after the detective left.

What a mess.

Nothing was as it seemed, was it? Maddie mused.

Josh had been cheating on her.

Adrienne and Brody weren't really together.

Fowler might be a spy, and Bree might be in on it.

Maddie was a murderer.

She swallowed hard at that last one.

There was more to her story. Maybe there was more to everyone else's stories as well. She shouldn't jump to conclusions. Yet she should remain cautious considering what was at stake here.

What was at stake might possibly be her life.

Could Fowler really be a spy? Was Bree in on this with him?

If so, she was a great actress. She truly seemed heartbroken over his disappearance.

Maddie scanned the room as everyone remained silent.

She'd been so excited to find these new vacation friends as she'd gleefully called them when they'd first met. It turned out her new friends weren't as perfect as she thought. Nowhere close, for that matter.

She could lump herself in that same category, however. Imperfect.

Finally, Maddie stood. "I'm going back to my suite. It's been a long day . . . for all of us. I, for one, could use some rest to clear my head."

"Fowler's not a corporate spy." Bree words came out fast. "And neither am I. I don't know anything about those emails the detective found. What if they were planted?"

Maddie supposed that was a possibility. But she was too exhausted to form any opinions at the moment.

Besides, if these two were corporate spies . . . then she needed to distance herself from them. Not for the sake of Benchmark. But because those weren't the kind of people she wanted in her life.

"I hope they find him soon," Maddie finally said.

She stepped toward the door, not in the mood to talk anymore. As she walked by, she stole a glance at Brody. There was no need to add her growing feelings for the man to her list of complications.

Just as she stepped out, Adrienne called to her.

Maddie turned to see that her friend had followed her into the hallway and shut the door behind her.

"That was something in there, wasn't it?" Adrienne started, a frown tugging at her lips.

"You can say that again." Maddie ran a hand through her hair, her headache persisting.

Adrienne rubbed a hand across her cheek and then her neck before saying, "I'm sorry to hear about you and Josh breaking up. Is it because of what I told you earlier?"

Maddie shrugged as she considered how to respond. "It was a long time coming."

Adrienne nodded stiffly. "I see."

Maddie's thoughts wandered to what Brody had told her about his relationship with Adrienne. She wasn't sure if she should bring up the subject or not. But since everything was already on the line . . . could things get any more awkward?

She swallowed hard before saying, "I ran into Brody at the beach. He told me the two of you aren't dating."

Adrienne's eyes widened. "What? He told you that?"

"He did."

She let out a long breath. "We have a complicated history. But we love each other. And he certainly led me to believe we were back together when he kissed me."

"He kissed you?" The words slipped out before Maddie could stop them.

"Yeah, you could say that. More than once." Adrienne looked into the distance and quickly shook her head. "I don't know why he told you that . . . unless he likes you or something. When he told you, did he know you and Josh had broken up?"

Maddie's throat squeezed. She shouldn't have brought this up. She was only causing more drama. But it was too late to take her words back.

She nodded instead. "He did."

Adrienne's nostrils flared. "I see the way he looks at you. Ever since that first morning at the beach, I've suspected he's attracted to you. But I never thought he'd be the type to cheat."

"He didn't cheat," Maddie quickly told her. "He didn't do anything, and there's nothing between us. I'm sorry I brought this up. I was just confused."

Adrienne let out a long breath before shaking her head. She rubbed her lips together as if contemplating her next words.

Finally, she said, "The truth is, his sister died in a domestic violence incident a year or so ago. Her death changed him. I gave him some time to get himself together before we reunited. But something about Brody has been different ever since then, almost like he has two personalities or something."

Maddie's throat tightened. She didn't like the sound of that.

Out of everyone she'd met here, Brody had seemed the most trustworthy. But maybe she'd been wrong. Maybe she'd been wrong about so much. Maybe her gut instincts couldn't be trusted after all.

This whole trip had been one big fat mistake.

She composed herself as she realized Adrienne was still in front of her, still waiting for a response. "I hope you and Brody can work things out."

Then, before she felt the need to say anything else, Maddie waved goodbye and hurried down the hall.

Maddie walked briskly back to her room, praying she didn't run into anyone.

She couldn't handle any more hard conversations today. She'd already had enough.

She especially didn't want to run into Josh.

She'd had enough of that man to last for a lifetime.

Reaching her room, she unlocked the door before slipping inside.

Her mission to walk back without running into anyone had been successful.

But her sense of victory only lasted a minute.

Something felt strange in the room, but she wasn't sure what. She couldn't put her finger on it right away. Maddie only knew her lungs tightened.

She reached behind her and gripped the door handle again, ready to flee.

Or was she just being paranoid?

No, she wasn't.

Her TV was on, she realized, though the volume was off. The light from the screen flickered in the room, though she couldn't see the screen itself.

Take a deep breath, Maddie. This might not mean anything.

She knew sometimes TVs in places like this came on with advertisements for the resort and things to do around the area. Maybe that was what had happened—something logical instead of sinister.

For all Maddie knew, she could have left the TV on when she was here last. She'd been so distracted that maybe she hadn't noticed. Watching television hadn't seemed that important after her conversation with Josh.

Her thoughts felt scattered, and she couldn't make sense of them.

Maddie resisted the urge to run. She'd already had too much attention on herself, and she didn't want any more.

She could do this. She'd keep her eyes wide open. At the first sign of trouble she would call for help.

As a precaution, she pulled out her phone and dialed 911. She didn't hit Send. Instead, her thumb lingered over the button. If anything frightened her, she'd make the call.

Slowly, she stepped forward and peered into the bathroom. Into the shower. Behind the door.

No one.

She continued beyond the front entry of the suite and into the living room.

She scanned the couch and the chairs and the tables. There were very few places a person could hide in here if they wanted.

There was no one.

She wanted to let down her guard, to relax some. But she couldn't.

Not yet.

Instead, she walked into her bedroom. Stood in the doorway. Scanned the space.

Again, nothing looked amiss.

No one could be beneath the bed because it was an enclosed wooden box.

That only left the closet.

Her hands shook as she walked toward it. She drew in a deep breath as she reached for the door.

Everything in her wanted to run.

What if someone was hiding inside? What if when she opened the door, this person jumped out?

He might easily knock her down. Maddie might drop the phone before she could call for help.

He could also have a knife or a gun. Some kind of weapon.

She needed to think each of these scenarios through.

Or this could all be nothing.

That was what it most likely was. Nothing .

She closed her eyes and lifted a prayer. Then she grabbed the door handle and jerked it open.

An empty closet stared back—empty other than a few hangers, a complimentary robe, and a safe.

Maddie let out her breath, chiding herself for such a foolish reaction.

No one was in her hotel room.

She was simply being paranoid.

She clicked off her phone screen before she accidentally called 911, and she shoved her cell back into her pocket.

Then she walked into the living area to turn off the TV.

But when she reached it, she finally glanced at the screen.

She hadn't thought that whatever was on it would be significant—advertising, most likely.

But there on the screen was a man with an elongated white mask on and a knife in his hands.

Her pulse quickened.

It was the villain from Scream.

The horror movie played on the screen.

Maddie didn't care what anyone told her.

She knew this movie wasn't playing in her room by coincidence.