Don't Say a Word - Barbara Freethy [158]
Too restless to sit, Kayla got up to take a look out the window. Their luxurious honeymoon suite was on the hotel's twenty-fifth floor and offered a spectacular view of Lake Tahoe and the surrounding Sierra Nevada mountains. She was only four hours from her home in the San Francisco Bay Area, but it felt like a million miles. Her entire life had changed during a simple wedding ceremony that had been witnessed by only two strangers. It was her one regret that neither her family nor Nick's had attended the wedding. But the past was behind her. Tonight was a new beginning.
Turning away from the window, she entered the bedroom. She took off her dress and slipped on a white see-through silk teddy that left nothing to the imagination. Then she drew a brush through her long, wavy brown hair. Gazing at herself in the mirror she could hardly believe her sparkling, glowing image. She looked like a woman in love. And that's exactly what she was.
Kayla sprayed some perfume in the air and walked through it. Debating whether or not she should wait for Nick in bed, she tried out several sexy poses on the satiny duvet. She felt completely ridiculous and chided herself for being nervous. Her wedding night would be perfect no matter how it got started.
As she stood up, the suite seemed too quiet. She wondered what was taking Nick so long. The ice machine was only a short distance from the room, and Nick had left at least fifteen minutes ago. He must have decided to run downstairs and pick up a special dessert or order more champagne. She smiled at the thought. Nick was so romantic. He always knew just how to make her feel loved and cherished.
She walked into the living room and sat down on the couch to wait. She flipped on the television and ran through the channels. The minutes continued to tick by. Glancing at her watch, she realized an hour had passed. An uneasy feeling swept through her body. She got up and paced, but within seconds the room grew too small for her rising agitation. She had the terrible feeling something was wrong.
Returning to the bedroom, she slipped out of her lingerie and dug through her suitcase for a pair of jeans and a T-shirt. All the while she kept hoping to hear Nick's footsteps or his voice.
Nothing. Silence.
She grabbed the key and left the suite, heading to the nearest ice machine. Nick wasn't there. She tried the other end of the hall, the next floor up, the next floor down. Her heart began to race. She checked the room again, then took the elevator down to the lobby, searching the casino, the shops, the restaurants and bars and even the parking lot, where her silver Honda was parked right where they'd left it. She stopped by the phone back in the lobby and called the room again. There was still no answer.
Kayla didn't know she was crying until an older woman stopped her by the elevator and asked her if everything was all right.
"My husband. I can't find my husband," she muttered.
The woman gave her a pitying smile. "Story of my life. He'll come back when he runs out of money, honey. They all do."
"He's not gambling. It's our wedding night. He just went to get ice." Kayla entered the next elevator, leaving the woman and her disbelieving expression behind. She didn't care what that woman thought. Kayla knew Nick wouldn't gamble away their wedding night. He wouldn't do that to her. But when she returned to her room, it was as empty as when she'd left it.
She didn't know what to do. She sat back down to wait.
When the clock struck midnight, and Nick had been gone for almost five hours, Kayla called the front desk and told them her husband was missing. The hotel sent up George Benedict, an older man who worked for hotel security. After discussing her situation, he assured her they would look for Nick, but there was something in his expression that told her they wouldn't look too hard. It was obvious to Kayla that Mr. Benedict thought Nick