chain—having a look at guest numbers and things, and I noticed that they’ve had a quite a few cancellations.”
“So? That’s unusual how?”
“They were all cancellations less than twenty-four hours before the guests were due to arrive.”
Gabriel stilled, staring sightlessly at the fire. He knew crime. These days he was all about the straight and narrow, but over the years he’d developed a kind of sixth sense when it came to suspicious activity. And this had suspicious written all over it.
“How many cancellations are we talking about here?”
“For each hotel not more than two or three, but the chain as a whole? Worldwide? Enough that I noticed. I mean, it could be nothing. Bad hotel reviews maybe or just coincidence.”
“But you don’t think that.”
Eva paused. “No, I don’t.”
“Any ideas about what’s going on?”
“A few. I’ll keep investigating and see what I can come up with. I’m beginning to think that the financials aren’t the only thing sketchy about Tremain Hotels.”
Intriguing. Was Tremain up to something other than just bad management? “Let me know if you find anything then.”
After he’d ended the call, Gabriel stuck his phone back in his pocket, continuing to stare into the fire for a long moment.
If there was something sketchy about Tremain, then Eva and her hacking skills would track it down. But she wasn’t the only one who had resources. He had a valuable source of information all of his own, a source who was, right at that moment, down in the cottage, probably getting ready for bed.
He smiled. Honor St. James might turn out to be even more useful than he’d thought. All he had to do was find the key to unlocking her.
And he would.
He always did.
CHAPTER SIX
Honor stepped away from Gabriel and Lindsay, the hotel manager, glancing down at her phone to see who’d texted her. Another one from Guy checking up on how things were progressing with Gabriel and whether he’d made an investment decision. That was the third one today.
She frowned. She knew he wasn’t happy, but did he really need to keep texting her about it? He wasn’t usually this impatient.
The whole morning had been taken up with giving Gabriel his promised tour of the hotel, with Lindsay along to answer questions about the day-to-day management. It had been, quite frankly, exhausting. Gabriel was a man who missed nothing and had a question about everything, from the kind of wood used in the construction, to the energy efficiency of the solar panels on the roof, to the staffing levels of the hotel during the off-peak season.
He was now, as they stood near the boathouse on the icy lakefront, grilling Lindsay on occupancy levels, and it was a relief not to have his fierce attention focused on her for a few moments.
Her breath frosted in the icy air as she quickly texted Guy back a “ no decision made as yet ” response, then pocketed her phone in her coat, glancing over to where Gabriel and Lindsay stood.
He’d left her alone the night before, staying up in the hotel’s library to “work.” She’d had a room service dinner and then decided on an early night, her heart thumping, all her senses on high alert as she’d undressed for bed. Like he was going to come and batter down her door, throw her on the bed and take her, eat her up like the wolf he was named for.
A totally ridiculous thought and yet she’d lain there in bed, unable to sleep, half terrified, listening to every sound, and the other half of her … wanting him to do exactly that.
No. No, of course she didn’t want him to do that. How stupid to even imagine she would.
And when she’d woken up in the morning, decidedly unravished, she’d been relieved. She’d needed the breathing space and some time to get her head back in order. Time to make sure her armor was firmly in place. Yes, he was a temptation, but now that she knew just how much of one, she’d be on her guard. She wasn’t going to be as weak as
“So? That’s unusual how?”
“They were all cancellations less than twenty-four hours before the guests were due to arrive.”
Gabriel stilled, staring sightlessly at the fire. He knew crime. These days he was all about the straight and narrow, but over the years he’d developed a kind of sixth sense when it came to suspicious activity. And this had suspicious written all over it.
“How many cancellations are we talking about here?”
“For each hotel not more than two or three, but the chain as a whole? Worldwide? Enough that I noticed. I mean, it could be nothing. Bad hotel reviews maybe or just coincidence.”
“But you don’t think that.”
Eva paused. “No, I don’t.”
“Any ideas about what’s going on?”
“A few. I’ll keep investigating and see what I can come up with. I’m beginning to think that the financials aren’t the only thing sketchy about Tremain Hotels.”
Intriguing. Was Tremain up to something other than just bad management? “Let me know if you find anything then.”
After he’d ended the call, Gabriel stuck his phone back in his pocket, continuing to stare into the fire for a long moment.
If there was something sketchy about Tremain, then Eva and her hacking skills would track it down. But she wasn’t the only one who had resources. He had a valuable source of information all of his own, a source who was, right at that moment, down in the cottage, probably getting ready for bed.
He smiled. Honor St. James might turn out to be even more useful than he’d thought. All he had to do was find the key to unlocking her.
And he would.
He always did.
CHAPTER SIX
Honor stepped away from Gabriel and Lindsay, the hotel manager, glancing down at her phone to see who’d texted her. Another one from Guy checking up on how things were progressing with Gabriel and whether he’d made an investment decision. That was the third one today.
She frowned. She knew he wasn’t happy, but did he really need to keep texting her about it? He wasn’t usually this impatient.
The whole morning had been taken up with giving Gabriel his promised tour of the hotel, with Lindsay along to answer questions about the day-to-day management. It had been, quite frankly, exhausting. Gabriel was a man who missed nothing and had a question about everything, from the kind of wood used in the construction, to the energy efficiency of the solar panels on the roof, to the staffing levels of the hotel during the off-peak season.
He was now, as they stood near the boathouse on the icy lakefront, grilling Lindsay on occupancy levels, and it was a relief not to have his fierce attention focused on her for a few moments.
Her breath frosted in the icy air as she quickly texted Guy back a “ no decision made as yet ” response, then pocketed her phone in her coat, glancing over to where Gabriel and Lindsay stood.
He’d left her alone the night before, staying up in the hotel’s library to “work.” She’d had a room service dinner and then decided on an early night, her heart thumping, all her senses on high alert as she’d undressed for bed. Like he was going to come and batter down her door, throw her on the bed and take her, eat her up like the wolf he was named for.
A totally ridiculous thought and yet she’d lain there in bed, unable to sleep, half terrified, listening to every sound, and the other half of her … wanting him to do exactly that.
No. No, of course she didn’t want him to do that. How stupid to even imagine she would.
And when she’d woken up in the morning, decidedly unravished, she’d been relieved. She’d needed the breathing space and some time to get her head back in order. Time to make sure her armor was firmly in place. Yes, he was a temptation, but now that she knew just how much of one, she’d be on her guard. She wasn’t going to be as weak as
Similar Books
