The Chase by Amber Riel (story reading txt) 📖

was me of course.

          “You two aren’t together?” the man asked, confused.

          “No,” Louis replied, “we’re not together.  Just kind of here to keep the woman and the child out of danger for a couple of friends.”

          “Oh,” the man replied, kind of nodding as if he had known the situation.  “Got trouble with an ex-boyfriend or husband or something?” he asked me.

          “No,” I replied, unsure how to answer the man’s question.  We were in trouble, yes, but unless one of the lazy jerks I knew from America, I highly doubted that.

          The man nodded.  “Okay.  Do you want the rooms closer together so just in case something happens?”

          “Yes please,” Louis replied.

          “Okay then.  Let me see what I can find here….” The man turned over to face a wall with hooks that had some key chains hanging from them.  It was different than what I was used to seeing but then again as I looked around the room it seemed like the hotel was older and more traditional than the newer ones.  He took two keys from the wall which had been sitting side by side.  He checked them to see the room numbers on them.  He walked back over to us and handed the keys two Louis.  “Rooms A 2 and A 3…. Oh and don’t tell the other guest because I don’t want them to freak out but all of the door nods are the same kind so pretty much all of the keys can unlock any of the doors…. Just in case for some reason the two girls need to go to your room or you need to go into their room for any reason,” the man told Louis.

          Louis and I exchanged worried glances at the sound of that but Louis went ahead and took the keys without any problem.  I could tell by his facial expression that he wished he had chosen that particular hotel.  “How much is that?”

          “Forty-five pounds each.”

          Louis nodded and pulled out his wallet.  Man, he must have been rich because no matter where we went he seemed to have a mess of money with him.  I figured whatever job he didn’t want me to know about was a pretty good job in order for him afford everything.  I watched him count the money and then hand it to the clerk.  The hotel clerk took it and counted as well then handed Louis back some change and wrote down some information then smiled at Louis.

“The rooms are just around the corner to the left.  Hope you enjoy your stay.”

“Yea I’ll enjoy it,” Louis muttered under his breath as if he was regretting the decision.

 

          We walked out of the building and headed for the car and climbed in.  Because Louis wasn’t driving too far, none of us buckled up and I let Lainie sit in my lap.  “We’ve got to be careful tonight,” Louis told me.

          I nodded.

          “If anything happens tonight, I want you and Lainie to come to my room.  I don’t care if a car alarm goes off.  I need to know that you two are safe.  Got it?”

          I nodded again.

          “Now remember we’re going somewhere nice to eat so dress nicely and clean up a little,” Louis told both me and Lainie as he parked the car in front of our rooms.

          “Can I wear my butterfly dress?” Lainie asked Louis, sweetly.

          Louis smiled at the child.  “Did you pack it?”

          Lainie had a small twinkle of excitement in her eye as she smiled at Louis.  “Yea.”

          Louis nodded, keeping his smile.  “Then you can wear it.”

          “Yay.”

          We got out of the car and started heading toward the rooms.  Louis handed me the key for the room me and Lainie were going to stay in.

          “I’ll meet you two at your room when I’m ready.  I would say lock the door but after what that guy said it would be pointless.  I’ll knock three times to let you know that it’s me.”

          “Okay,” I replied as me and Lainie walked into our room as Louis walked away from us.

 

          Lainie sat on the bed as she removed her white sandals she’d been wearing.  I walked over to the sink and looked into the mirror and sighed.  All I really did was change clothes quickly and brushed my hair.  I was a simple girl.  I didn’t care for makeup.  I wasn’t one for dresses and high heels unless it was a specially occasion or something like that otherwise I could care less.  Lainie rushed into the bathroom, holding her small little green and blue dress filled with butterflies.  “Don’t come in,” she told me as if I didn’t know what she was going to do.

          I smiled and shook my head.  “You’re safe, Lainie.”

          Knock.  Knock.  Knock.  Louis already?  Man he was fast.

          I walked over to the door and took a quick peak out of the window just to make sure and I was kind of in shocked by his clothes.  He wasn’t dressed really nice but it was different from what I was used to seeing him wearing.  His hair was combed nicely to the side.  His long black pants looked almost formal and his shirt was nice and buttoned up but short sleeve.  I couldn’t take my eyes off of him.  He was handsome and dreamy.  I almost forgot who he was for a moment.

          “Sam, it’s me…. Open up,” his voice sounded almost frustrated as he spoke through the door.

          I shook my head slightly, breaking me out of the daze.  I walked over to the door and quickly opened it.  “Sorry about that---”

          “Kept me waiting?” he asked.  He raised an eyebrow as he looked me up and down.  I was waiting for him to say some kind of snotty remark like he’s been but he didn’t which kind of surprised me.  “Lainie getting ready?”

          “Yea she’s in the bathroom,” I replied, moving out of the way so Louis could walk in.  Once he was inside, I closed the door.  “You look…. Nice,” I replied, trying not to seem eager or anything.

          “You don’t look so bad yourself,” he replied.

          I was amazed.  I had been waiting for a rude remark or something but he actually gave me a compliment.  “Thank you.  So can you tell me about your wife?”

          “Not a subject I like to talk about.”

          “Why not?”

          “Because I don’t want to talk about it.”  He looked at me with anger in his eyes but also sadness.

          I didn’t know how to respond.  I figured that it was a sensitive subject for him but I wanted to know.  It was something I needed to know if Annie wanted us together so badly then it was important information.

          Lainie had walked into the room.  If she had heard our conversation, she didn’t seem like it had bothered her.  She walked over to a bed and sat down after she had picked up her sandals.  She slid her little feet into the small sandals and looked at Louis.  “I’m ready to go.”

          “Okay.  Come on,” he said as he held out his hand for her.

 

          The restaurant was small but seemed kind of fancy.  It almost seemed to be one of those places where you need to book it for seats but likely for us it wasn’t.  There was a buffet so all Louis really had to pay for was the drinks and for each of us to eat.  I was glad because I didn’t want to try and figure out any odd names again.

          The waiter was cute but seemed to be too young for my taste.  He had to be about seventeen but he was very helpful and brought our drinks to us as soon as possible.  He had short black hair and dark brown eyes.  He wore thin glasses but didn’t seem like a nerd.  He looked to be built but small at the same time.  “I’ll be back if I have to refill any of your drinks or if you need help with anything.”

          “Thank you, Mr. Waiter,” Lainie said, smiling.  She sounded as if she had a little crush on the guy.

          I kind of laughed.

          “No problem.”  The boy smiled at Lainie, not knowing what the child was thinking.  He walked away.

          “You have a crush, Lainie?” I asked.

          She kind of blushed at the question.  It was so adorable.

          “I think he’s kind of too old for you though.  Why don’t you go ahead and get your plate?” I asked her because the buffet was in our view so Louis or I could see her and keep a good eye out just in case one of us had to rush over to her or something.

          “What is it with woman and older men?” Louis asked as he looked at me, raising an eyebrow.

          “Hey if they’re cute then they’re cute…. I have a lot of celeb crush who are older than me.”

          Louis raised an eyebrow.  “Really?  Like who?”

          “Oh…. Johnny Depp…. Robert Downey Jr.…. Charlie Chaplin….”

          “Wow…. You’re going way back into time there aren’t you…. He kind of laughed.”

          “Chaplin was a very attractive man even with that little mustache.  Besides I’m sure you have your share of female celebs who you like.”

          “Of course but none of them are as old as the little tramp himself was.”

          I kind of smiled at his reply, shaking my head.  He was so charming when he wanted to be but most of the time he was a jerk.  “Well, I’m hungry…. I’m going to go join Lainie at the buffet,” I replied as I stood up.  I started walking when I felt my foot hit something and I almost went face forward into the ground but someone’s hand grabbed my arm before my face could hit the floor.

          “Wow,” Louis said as he pulled me closer to himself.  “Just like when we first met.”

          I looked at him confused.  What was he talking about?  We had met a couple of days earlier and I didn’t trip over anything at least I didn’t remember tripping over anything.

          Louis raised an eyebrow as he looked into my eyes.  “You don’t remember?”

          “A couple of days ago?”

          “No…. Annie and Ron’s wedding…. You were the maid of honor and I was the best man…. We were walking down the aisle after them and you tripped because of your high heels but I caught you before you could hit the ground….”

          I opened my mouth at the realization of what he was talking about.  I didn’t even know how I had forgotten about that.  “That was you?”

          “Yea,” he replied, kind of laughing

          The memory played in my mind as I continued to walk to the buffet.  Annie was wearing the most beautiful wedding dress any woman would have died for.  It was long and poufy at the bottom and even though it didn’t touch the ground it hid her shoes.  The sleeves were long white but clear until they hit the shoulder blades.  The dress it’s self was solid white and shined in the beautiful candlelight in the room.  Her blonde hair was down to her shoulders at the time and curled under the white long clear vial which had sat on her head like a tiara.  She looked like Cinderella.  So beautiful, our mother had fixed her makeup and she looked like a princess.

          Ron wore a black and white tux which all of the men did so he didn’t quit stand out as far as the suit went, but he was handsome.  His hair had been brushed off to the right side of his face.  He was the perfect match for my lovely sister.

          As Ron and Annie left with their arms clasped together, they waved to everyone on both sides of the room.  I followed along with