He Strikes at the Hotel

Chapter Forty

Zachery's POV

This guy was infuriating. He won't stop talking about something I have no interest in and all I wanted to do was get a drink with Audrey Rose. We don't have much time left before we have to be on high alert, so I thought it would be nice for us to spend a little alone time together first. Then this guy shows up out of the blue, talking to me as if he's known me for years. That's the most irritating part of being a Duke. Everyone seems to know you when they want to and get the chance to exploit it.

I hope Audrey Rose isn't annoyed about this, she's putting so much on the line for me tonight and the one chance we get at being alone before everything begins, I have been stuck facing this guy.

Christ, I've been busting my ass off this whole time I've been in this hotel to spend time with that blasted girl. It's not the easiest thing in the world being constantly followed around by guards who make you unbelievable unapproachable, which is why I have learnt when they go to sleep and their daily schedules. It helps me find time to be alone. Or to see Audrey Rose.

All of the other women who I see are so predictable. They know who I am, who my father is, they like expensive things, always get what they want, and they say what they think I want to hear. It's boring. No amount of beauty can make up for a lacking personality.

That's why when I first heard about Audrey Rose upon my arrival I was instantly intrigued. When I was greeted, I was given a brief description of the workers alongside how the hotel runs on a daily basis. I presume it was to help me throughout my stay, however, the guy who was rambling on was getting a kick out of how pristine his speech was.

As we were walking up to the third floor, he was speaking about the room itself, and the two chambermaids who had prepared it for me. He described Audrey Rose as a beautiful young lady, but she came with a lot of fire, and to not take offence to anything she may or may not say. When I was introduced to her and Nerissa, I instantly saw what he meant.

She was standing there whispering along with Nerissa, not really caring about my arrival by the looks of it, so Nerissa scolded her for not standing up straight. I saw Audrey Rose correct her posture with a long roll of her eyes, which were a deep blue that stood out even from a distance. When I was stood in front of them, she gave me, this smile which latched onto me. I still can't get her smile out of my mind, I never can. The way she ran off back in to the room without anyone else noticing, so effortlessly, then placing herself back in the mix as if nothing had happened... It amused me. I couldn't help but to call her out on it.

She didn't seem interested in speaking to me, which is why I had to come back for more. I had to know more about her. And now here we are.

Finally, someone else appears out of no where and whisks the guy speaking to me away, which he apologised for, giving me a brief nod and farewell. Now I can get back to my evening. I let out a sigh of relief and turned to where I had left Audrey Rose, putting on my biggest, most sincere, apologetic smile.

But when I turned round, the space was empty. There was no one there at all, everyone had returned back to their seats, and I was the last one standing by the fountain. A quick flush of panic hit me harder than I could believe, as I darted my eyes towards our table to see if she had reseated herself instead of stand waiting. I wouldn't blame her.

There was her seat, empty. She wasn't there, and she wasn't anywhere else in the room. She had disappeared. No, this can't be happening. How could I not notice? Why did she not scream?

The questions in my head began to crash like a thunder storm one against the other, while the world around me stopped. I couldn't let anything harm her, but how was I supposed to find her? The laundry room was the logical answer, and considering I was desperate, I had to try.

My heart was throbbing in my chest. Everything that has happened the past few months has been dreadful, yes. I wanted to stop the madness, yes. But I never could have imagined this would happen, or how strong my feelings would be. I didn't mean to fall for her. And I didn't mean for her to disappear.

With this thought lingering, I wanted to run out of the room down to the basement, but I couldn't cause any unwarranted suspicion, otherwise it could create more danger. What if it was more than one person? Is there anyone watching me right now? I didn't care. I could look after myself. I have been brought up with brutes of bodyguards; I know how to defend myself. I needed to defend Audrey Rose.

I walked as casually as I could out of the ballroom, pushing my fear and anxiety far down within me so that it couldn't be seen. I felt the stale remnants of them climbing up my throat, by swallowed it down with force. I needed to be stronger than fear. I needed to find her.

I glanced around at the empty faces around me, all glassy eyed and gaunt. No one looked like a kidnapper, nor a killer. No one even seemed to notice my departure. This was a good sign, but now I had to run.

The journey to the basement seemed twice as far as usual, with that horrible lift being rustier and more difficult to operate than usual, too. How convenient. I thought to myself how I would enter, how I would sneak up and take them by surprise, wedging myself in between anyone and Audrey Rose. I could find something in the workshop by the laundry room that would be a useful weapon, or I could simply distract them so Audrey Rose could make a run for it. I didn't care as long as she was safe.

The ride down in the lift was painfully slow. It was taunting me, juddering and coming to a halt every now and then just to torment me. It knew my haste. The closer I got, the harder my heart was pounding. I didn't know what I was going to find, and I didn't want to think of all the possibilities. As I thought this, the image of what we saw earlier came crashing down in my brain, making me think of all of the split blood, all of the pain that must have been forced upon someone. And now that someone would be Audrey Rose, unless I got there in time.

"This is all my fault. That bloody man!" I cursed myself, kicking the side of the lift as I spoke. It created a loud thud which rattled around the empty space like a hyena's laugh.

I got to the basement and opened the shutters as quickly and quietly as I possibly could. The smell of the air hit me in the face before anything else. It smelt of metal. Blood. My heart sunk down to my stomach as I crept along the long, dark hallway.

Lights were flickering, and the only sound I could hear was badly constructed pipework. Was this a good sign?

I could see from here the door to the laundry room was closed. I hurried myself to get there, completely forgetting to try and find anything to use as a weapon along the way. Too late to worry about that now.

I listened outside the door for a moment before opening it. I didn't know what I wanted to see, but I knew it wasn't what I was granted.

I found the room as it was earlier, covered in blood. The only addition was a chair, that sat right in the middle of the room, with rope which had been severed hanging low don the back of the chair. It was poorly cut, like whoever done it was in a hurry. The fibres of rope that descended from the chair were frayed and still floating around as if they hadn't had the chance to settle on a final position. It couldn't of been long since they were cut.

She was here. He has her.