BREATHE FOR ME

Chapter 27: The Laundry Shoot

Waking up the next morning, I notice that my body carries an unnatural ache. Opening my sore eyes, I can see why. I'm surrounded by numerous empty boxes and the dusty floorboards of the cold utility room. I must have fallen asleep on call with the boys last night. I decide to sit up, stretching the stiffness from my muscles, and move about a little. I need to be on top form tonight when we make our move. All of this will be over before I know it.

I'm going to see Lorrie tonight.

The very thought of that makes me buzz with an uncontainable energy. All stiffness forgotten, I quickly dust myself off and grab my phone. Turning it on and making my way towards the door, I notice that I have a message from Gianni.

Negative on Thea. Sorry Gen.

I stop in my tracks, my empty stomach dropping to my knees. Thea isn't on base which means that we still don't know where she is, and now we only have one day left to find her. We're running out of time and options.

"Gen?"

Snapping out of my daze, I look up to find a fresh-looking Morgan stood in the doorway to the room. She looks worried.

"Hey," I say, giving her a small smile. "I think I fell asleep up here last night."

"I went by your room and you weren't there. Why do you look so pale?" Morgan asks, stepping closer to me. My insides freeze over, going cold and brittle. I can't bring myself to hide the truth from her, she needs to know.

"I must have gotten this text through the night." I say gently, passing the phone over. She takes it silently and studies it for what feels like forever. I see so many emotions pass through her pretty eyes; confusion, anger, doubt, disappointment, hurt, and worry.

"Do you think that they're keeping Thea somewhere else entirely?" she asks, unable to meet my eyes.

"I don't know Morgan." I say, taking her hand and gently leading her towards the stairs. "But we're going to find her okay? Let's not give up yet. Shelley might not have cameras on every floor. She may still be here somewhere, but we're going to have to be quick."

"But Ren told us not to go rogue, remember?" She whispers, matching my pace.

"That was before." I reply, already feeling guilty for what we are about to do. "If we want to find her, then we're going to have to have a sneak around."

"But what if William finds us?" she asks nervously, stopping at the bottom of the stairs.

"Then we tell him that we're looking for Thea, tell him that you're missing her. We don't have to give the plan away. Now, you know this place better than me." I whisper, pushing the door open into my hallway. "So where do we start?"

"You need your meds first." She sighs, leading us down the corridor towards my room. "When Lorenzo finds out, you're the one that's taking his wrath. This wasn't my idea."

"Lorenzo isn't going to find out." I whisper, ignoring the nagging in my stomach that knows that I'm lying.

......

An hour later, Morgan and I have discreetly packed all of our things and are heading towards the west wing of the hotel where the main stairwells are. Given that I've never been this far out into the building before, I'm surprised at how modern everything is. As we get further into the wing, the worn navy carpets turn into glossy new tiles that click quietly under Morgan's heeled boots. The walls become taller and taller, with white velvet curtains. The fish pictures are long forgotten. The AC seems to be on full power over here, washing cold air over my slightly sweaty skin. It's so much easier to breathe.