The Bodyguard (Norcross #4) - Anna Hackett Page 0,44
thickening through the Garden Court.
People were panicking.
“Go!” he roared. He hoped Sofie heard him. His consciousness wavered.
He saw her. She hesitated.
“Now!” She was the target, and now he wouldn’t be able to protect her.
Something rippled over her face, then she spun and ran.
Rome tracked her as she dodged around tables, then she disappeared into the smoke.
The edges of his vision went black, like slime crawling in.
He slumped sideways and hit the tile floor.
Sofie.
She was his last thought as darkness poured in on him.
Sofie kicked off her shoes and sprinted across the smoke-filled restaurant.
Every step away from Rome was painful.
A sob lay trapped in her throat. He’d gone down. He must be hurt.
Her eyes were blurry with tears.
He’d drilled her on the hotel layout. She needed to get back to the lobby and find their other guards—Mike and Dan.
People were screaming and panicking. She got jostled by the crowd and she wasn’t sure where she was. Dammit, she’d left her handbag—and phone—behind on her chair.
She saw a door and slipped through it.
The marble-lined corridor was empty. This wasn’t the way to the lobby. Biting her lip, she hurried along it, looking for another way out. She found a stairwell and opened the door. She heard loud voices echo behind her.
Keep moving. Rome had warned her not to let herself get trapped. She started up the stairs. He said if he was incapacitated or they were separated, she had to run and find the other guards.
She hadn’t realized how hard it would be to leave him behind.
Please be okay, Rome. Please. He meant more to her every day.
She rounded the landing, puffing.
Almost there.
She heard a noise, footsteps.
She froze. She had no idea if the person in the stairwell was friend or foe.
Screw it. She wouldn’t be trapped in a damn stairwell. She shoved open the door and exited on the next floor.
She spotted a sign. This level contained a ballroom and meeting rooms. She thought about the hotel maps Rome had made her memorize. That meant she was one floor above the lobby. The place was empty and silent, and a little creepy.
Right. Find the elevator and get down to the lobby level. Then find her guards, alert security, and call Norcross.
She reached the elevators and pressed the button. Nothing happened.
Dammit. She stabbed the button multiple times. It wasn’t working.
She whirled and tried the first door she found.
It opened, and she stepped into a lovely ballroom. It wasn’t as grand as the Garden Court, but it had an ornate ceiling, and equally pretty—if smaller—chandeliers. The place was filled with empty, round tables.
“Princess.”
The husky whisper echoed in the air around her.
She whirled, heart pounding. She couldn’t see anyone.
“Who’s there?”
“I told you that we were meant to be together,” a man whispered.
Her stalker.
Her stomach dropped to her feet.
Stay calm. She couldn’t see him anywhere. His voice was just a whisper, and didn’t sound familiar.
She heard a muffled thump, then smoke started rising.
She backed up. She gripped the door and tried the handle. It was locked. She yanked on it but it didn’t budge.
The trickle of panic was like acid in her veins.
She was trapped.
Smoke filled the room and she coughed. She edged along the wall. There had to be another door out of here.
“Sweet, sweet Sofia. With hair like a sunset.”
The eerie whisper chilled her blood. She wanted to snap back at him, but she didn’t want to help him pinpoint her location.
She bumped into a chair. Her chest was starting to burn and the smoke was stinging her eyes.
She kept moving.
Her fingers touched another door and her pulse leaped. But when she tried the handle, it was locked as well. She stifled a cry of frustration.
A window, then. She glanced through the smoke and saw faint light. She’d jump if she had to.
“You can’t escape me. I can see you.”
“You’re a coward,” she said. “Come out and face me.”
“We’ll have so much fun. Your neck will feel so good under my fingers.”
“You’re sick.”
“You shouldn’t have let your bodyguard touch you, Sofia. You’re mine.”
She froze, staring at the smoke. “What?”
“I’ve been watching you. I’ve always watched you.”
A nasty taste filled her mouth. He’d been watching her and Rome.
“He can’t have you.” The whisper was furious now.
Sofie dropped to her knees and crawled. There was less smoke down here, and she could breathe a little bit easier. She could see a bit better too.
She crossed the room, dodging chairs and tables.
“I’m going to find you,” her stalker whispered. “You’ll die here, by my hands. It’s