Chapter 3 - The Maid Victor Trusted
Gable arrived twenty minutes later.
He looked furious until Jack closed the penthouse doors behind him.
Then he looked terrified.
Victor placed the key card on the table.
“Explain.”
Gable stared at it.
“I lost that card yesterday.”
Olivia stood near the wall.
“Interesting timing.”
Gable snapped at her.
“This doesn't concern you.”
Victor's gaze moved to him.
“Everything in this room concerns her now.”
Gable went quiet.
Victor leaned against the table.
“You told us the FBI accessed the floor.”
“They did.”
“And you lost your master key card.”
“Yes.”
“When?”
“I don't know.”
Olivia frowned.
“That's strange.”
Gable glared at her.
“What?”
“You check your pockets every ten minutes.”
“I do not.”
“You absolutely do. Wallet, phone, master key, room-service card.”
Victor looked at Olivia.
“You've noticed this?”
“Everybody has.”
Gable turned red.
Olivia continued.
“If he lost the key, he'd know almost immediately.”
Victor looked back at Gable.
“She's right?”
Gable said nothing.
Victor took one slow step toward him.
Olivia intervened.
“Don't.”
Victor stopped.
She looked at Gable.
“Tell the truth before he stops listening to me.”
Gable's eyes moved between them.
Finally, his shoulders dropped.
“A man approached me.”
Victor's expression went cold.
“When?”
“Monday night.”
“What man?”
“I don't know.”
“He offered money?”
Gable nodded.
“How much?”
“Twenty thousand.”
Olivia let out a quiet breath.
“For what?”
“To copy the key card.”
Victor's voice remained controlled.
“And you agreed.”
“I have debts.”
“So you sold access to my room.”
“I didn't know who you were!”
“That was supposed to make the decision easier?”
Gable's face crumpled.
“He said he only wanted access for ten minutes.”
Victor looked toward Jack.
Jack moved forward.
Olivia stepped between them.
“Victor.”
“Move.”
“No.”
Gable stared at her as if she'd lost her mind.
Perhaps she had.
Victor's eyes narrowed.
“He put you in danger.”
“And hurting him won't remove the microphones.”
“I wasn't planning to hurt him.”
Jack coughed.
Olivia glanced at Jack.
“Was that believable to you?”
“No.”
Victor glared at him.
Jack looked at the ceiling.
Olivia turned back to Gable.
“You met the man where?”
“Parking garage.”
“Did you see his car?”
“A black SUV.”
“License plate?”
“No.”
“Face?”
“Baseball cap. Glasses.”
“Voice?”
“American.”
Victor asked, “Anything unusual?”
Gable thought.
“He wore a hotel conference badge.”
Olivia froze.
“What color?”
“Blue.”
Her eyes shifted toward Victor.
“The medical convention.”
Victor frowned.
“What?”
“There's a medical technology conference in the ballroom this week. Hundreds of people have blue badges.”
Gable nodded quickly.
“He could've blended in.”
Olivia turned toward the window.
Then something bothered her.
“Wait.”
Victor noticed immediately.
“What?”
“The conference didn't start until Wednesday.”
Gable stared at her.
Victor straightened.
“You said you met him Monday.”
“Yes.”
Olivia's pulse quickened.
“Badges weren't distributed until Tuesday afternoon.”
Victor understood.
“The man didn't blend into the conference.”
Olivia nodded.
“He knew what the badges would look like before they were issued.”
Victor looked at Gable.
“Who organized the conference?”
Gable hesitated.
“Our corporate events director.”
“Name.”
“Rachel Meyers.”
Olivia went still.
Victor noticed.
“You know her?”
“She fired my friend last month.”
“For what?”
“Accessing a guest floor without permission.”
Gable whispered, “Olivia.”
She ignored him.
“The weird part was my friend swore Rachel gave her the key.”
Victor's expression sharpened.
“Where is Rachel?”
Gable checked his watch.
“Ballroom.”
Victor moved toward the door.
Olivia followed.
“No.”
He turned.
“You're staying here.”
“You wouldn't even know which ballroom.”
“I can ask.”
“And when Rachel sees six terrifying men walking toward her?”
“Five.”
“What?”
“Jack will stay with you.”
Olivia stared at him.
“You're proving my point.”
Victor took another step closer.
“I don't want you near this.”
“You dragged me into it when you requested me for VIP duty.”
“I requested you because I trusted you.”
The words silenced her.
Victor seemed almost surprised he'd said them.
Olivia lowered her voice.
“You've known me for two days.”
“Longer than I've known most honest people.”
For a moment, neither moved.
Then Olivia reached for her housekeeping cart.
Victor frowned.
“What are you doing?”
“Going to the ballroom.”
“No.”
She picked up a stack of towels.
“I work here. Nobody looks twice at housekeeping.”
Victor stared at her.
Then, slowly, he smiled.
“What?”
Olivia asked.
“You're enjoying this.”
“Absolutely not.”
“You are.”
“I have nine rooms left.”
Victor glanced at Jack.
“She is either extremely brave or completely unreasonable.”
Olivia pushed past him.
May you like
“Those aren't mutually exclusive.”
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