Chapter 14 THE HUNT BEGINS
Xavier woke up slowly, his head pounding like someone hit a sledgehammer to his skull.
He had drunk way too much whiskey last night.
He kept his eyes closed for a moment, trying to remember what happened last night.
He had gone to his hotel room. He had been too drunk to drive home after the business dinner, so he crashed here, Alone.
He'd definitely been alone.
Except....
His eyes snapped open.
The bed was a mess the sheets were tangled. Pillows on the floor and the space beside him was....still warm.
What the hell?
He sat up sharply, immediately regretting it when migraine pain shot through his temples.
And then memories hit him hard like a punch in the face.
A woman, with soft hands. Warm lips that tasted like champagne and lavender, Her body pressed against his, her voice breathless and teasing,
'Relax. It's just a dream. Dreams don't count.'
"Fuck." He threw off the covers, standing too quickly. The room spun.
And he was naked, Completely, naked.
And she was gone.
Xavier dragged a hand through his hair, his jaw clenched so tight.
He had slept with a stranger.
A drunk stranger for that matter.
He, Xavier Quinn, the controlled, disciplined, meticulous Xavier Quinn, had lost control so completely that he had....
"Jesus Christ." He grabbed his pants from the floor, yanking them on with sharp, angry movements. "What the hell is wrong with you Xavier?"
He asked himself with disbelief and slight irritation.
She had seduced him. She climbed into his bed, uninvited, touched him, kissed him, and he....he let it happen.
What made it worse was the fact that he did it with so much excitement.
And he can't even remember if he had cum in her, what if she returns one day with a child.
His eyes widened with horror, God I'm not ready to be a father.
His stomach twisted with a mix of shame, anger, and something else he refused to name.
He scanned the room, looking for any sign of her. Maybe a purse, a phone. Any damn thing.
But there was Nothing.
She had vanished like a ghost.
No....wait.
Something glinted on the floor by the nightstand.
Xavier crouched, picking it up carefully.
It's a bracelet, Silver beads, delicate and Custom-made, by the look of it.
And there was a charm hanging on it, a tiny dandelion charm, and another heart shaped charm which was larger.
He turned it over in his hand, his expression darkening.
Seems like she forgot this while escaping in a hurry.
Good. Because he was going to find her and when he did, she was going to explain exactly what she'd been thinking by barge in into his hotel room and seducing him, yes it's her fault, she practically threw herself on him.
.........
Thirty minutes later, Xavier was dressed, showered, and dangerously calm.
The kind of calm that would suddenly snap harshly if he got annoyed.
His assistant, Jake, arrived within fifteen minutes of his call, with a tablet in hand, his expression professional and neutral.
"Sir." Jake nodded. "You needed something?"
"Who was here last night"
"err, you were...here sir"
"I fuckin know!, I mean who else was here"
"Sir I don't think anyone else came here last night" Jake said carefully, he felt his rage brewing.
Xavier glared at him for a while, "The hotel manager, get him here now."
Jake didn't ask any questions. He immediately made a call, spoke quietly, and within five minutes, the manager appeared.
A middle aged man in an expensive suit, nervousness radiating off him in waves.
"Mr. Quinn." He smiled too widely. "How can I assist you this morning?"
Xavier didn't smile back. "I need the security footage from last night. Third floor. Hallway cameras."
The manager's smile faltered. "I... I'm not sure I can—"
"I won't repeat myself." Xavier's voice dropped into that kind that made people reconsider their life choices. "And you will do it quietly and discreetly. No one else has to know. Understood?"
The manager swallowed. "Of course. Right away, sir."
.........
Twenty agonizing minutes later, Jake returned with a laptop.
The manager had been dismissed, and paid generously for his discretion and his silence.
Xavier sat at the desk, Jake stood
beside him, and pulled up the footage.
"Third floor. Hallway. Time stamp: 12:17 AM."
The video was blurry, the hallway lighting was dim.
But there was a figure stumbling down the corridor.
A slender woman wearing a dark evening gown stopped at his door, Room 307, she fumbled with something, then....walked right in.
Xavier's jaw ticked.
The door wasn't locked, He'd been too drunk to lock it.
"Forward to earlier this morning," he said tightly.
Jaley did, he finally knew why his boss was unusually mad.
6:43 AM. The door opened again.
The same woman, but this time, she'd wrapped her hair in her dress shawl, covering most of her face. She moved quickly, almost running, clutching her purse and heels to her chest.
"Can you enhance it?" Xavier demanded.
Jake tried. Zoomed in. Adjusted contrast.
But the image was still too blurry. The lighting was too poor.
All Xavier could make out was dark red hair and pale skin.
"Damn it." He slammed the laptop shut.
Jake cleared his throat carefully. "Sir... if you like, I can contact hotel staff. Ask if anyone saw—"
"No." Xavier stood abruptly. "Absolutely not. This doesn't leave this room. No one can know about this."
"Understood." Jake hesitated. "May I ask... what exactly happened?"
Xavier shot him a look that could've frozen fire.
Jake wisely shut his mouth.
"I need you to find her," Xavier said, his voice cold and clipped. "Use whatever resources necessary. But discreetly, I don't care how long it takes. I want a name. An address. Everything."
"But based on what information, sir?"
Xavier pulled the bracelet from his pocket and tossed it onto the desk.
Jake picked it up, studying it. "This is... custom work. High end jewelery There can't be many of these."
"Then start there." Xavier turned toward the window, staring out at the city below. "Find out who made it. Who bought it. Track every sale, every order. Someone knows who she is."
"And when we find her?"
Xavier's reflection in the glass was hard and unforgiving.
"When we find her," he said quietly, "she's going to explain why she thought she could walk into my room, seduce me, and then disappear like it meant nothing."
Jake nodded finally understanding the situation, he pocketed the bracelet. "I'll get started immediately."
"Good."
Jake moved toward the door, then paused. "Sir... forgive me for asking, but... are you certain you want to pursue this? If the media finds out—"
"They won't." Xavier's voice was ice. "That's why you must do it discreetly."
"Of course."
Then the door clicked shut.
Xavier stood alone in the empty hotel room, his hands braced against the window frame, staring at the city.
She thought she could run, she thought she could disappear.
But Xavier Quinn doesn't lose.
Not at business, not at negotiations.
And sure as hell not at this.
He would find her.
And when he did?
She'd wish she had not walked into his bed.
...........
Meanwhile Across the City....
Lilian stumbled into her apartment, locked the door behind her, and collapsed onto her couch.
Her phone buzzed.
Dandy: Hey! How was the awards ceremony? Did you win?!
Lilian stared at the message, guilt crushing her chest.
She couldn't tell Dandelion. She couldn't tell anyone.
This secret was going to the grave.
She typed back slowly.
Lilian: I won! It was amazing. Miss you so much.
Dandy: YES! I'm so proud of you! You deserve it!.
Lilian's eyes burned.
If only you know what I just did, she thought miserably.
She glanced down at her wrist.
Her bracelet was....
Gone.
Her stomach dropped.
No. No no no no.
She tore through her clutch. Checked her dress pockets. Retraced her steps mentally.
The bracelet, the custom-made, one of a kind friendship bracelet that matched Dandelion's, was gone.
And she knew exactly where she'd left it.
Room 307.
With a stranger who now had the only piece of evidence connecting her to last night.
Lilian pressed her face into her hands and did something she hadn't done in years.
She prayed.
Lord please let him throw it away. Please let him forget. Please....
But deep down, she knew men like that are powerful, controlled and dangerous, they never forget.
And they knew how to hunt, and she had stupidly just become prey.