The Billionaire's Island Romance (The Romero Brothers, Book 3.5) by Shadonna Richards
Authors: Shadonna Richards
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Joe.
It was also good that they had installed those self-closing doors, which had
proven to save lives by confining smoke so that the evacuation routes would be
clear.
Before Joe could answer her, the fire alarm
sounded.
“Oh, no!” Tiff exclaimed.
“I’ll call the fire department,” Joe said.
“Good,” Arianna said.
Everyone looked around. “It’s been a while
since we’ve had an alarm,” a member of the board commented as they all got up.
“Okay, guys, you know what to do. Close all
doors, ensure everyone’s okay until the fire department gets here and let’s
gather in the lobby.”
“I’ll make sure the elevators are shut
off,” Joe told Arianna. He held his cell phone to his ear. He was on the phone
with the fire department. Even though they didn’t know the source of the fire
or if there really was one, they were not going to take any chances. While they
got everyone safely out of their rooms, they would investigate to see if
everything was okay.
It was a mad rush. Soon hotel guests came
out of their rooms and everyone gathered in the plush lobby as per the Duponte
Hotel’s clearly posted fire safety and escape plan. Some were dressed in their
robes, others in shorts and t-shirts. The designated fire wardens did a quick
head count while Arianna’s assistant grabbed the master guest list.
Just then, she saw Christian rushing
towards her. “Arianna, are you okay?”
“Yes, thank you. It’s probably nothing.
Maybe a drill or someone pulled the alarm by mistake. We’re investigating.”
“Okay. Anything I can do?” he said, and he
scanned to area for anything obvious.
“Joe called the fire department.”
Just then, her uncle Ned came out of his
suite and into the lobby, looking royally peeved as he eyed Arianna with
disdain.
“Well, he looks cheery this morning,”
Christian commented, his jaw clenched. She could tell Christian saw her uncle’s
expression and wasn’t impressed either.
“Where are your parents?” Uncle Ned demanded
bitterly.
“Oh, no. Probably still up in the room.” Arianna
glanced around quickly, then glanced back down to the
master guest list with her pen.
Before she could stop him, Christian left
her side. “I’m going to get your parents.”
“Okay. Thanks,” she said before realizing
what he was doing.
“Oh, God! Christian! No!”
He rushed up the steps and had arrived on
the second floor in front of the Duponte’s main suite where he knew they were
staying. Christian was fit and athletic and it was almost impossible to catch
up to him. Breathless, Arianna ran after him. “Christian, no. Please!”
He knocked on the door and Mr. Duponte
opened the door to his suite. “Oh, Christian, I’m so glad you’re here. Please
help me convince Mrs. Duponte that we need to evacuate.”
“Sure thing.” Christian burst into the
room.
It was too late. Arianna’s legs were weak
and she almost collapsed at the door.
“Oh, darling,” Mr. Duponte called out to
his wife. “It’s time to go, dear. Christian is here. You remember the guy I was
telling you about. Arianna’s nice boyfriend. He’s come
to help me carry you down the stairs.”
Mr. Duponte then turned to Christian with a
smile of relief, as he pointed to his wife. “Will you please tell her we need
to go now?”
Christian was never more shocked in his
life. He felt his gut being ripped out of his body with a sharp knife. He
looked in horror at the scene before him.
WTF?
Nothing could have prepared him for what he
was seeing with his own eyes. Very few things could ever cause a knife-twisting
reaction like that in him, but this did.
“Christian, I’m sorry you had to see that.”
He heard Arianna’s voice beside him but he was too numb to say anything.
Just then the alarm silenced. And an
announcement over the speaker sounded that it was a false alarm.
He looked at Arianna, his jaw clenched. He
looked at Mr. Duponte and without so much as a word he motioned to walk
It was also good that they had installed those self-closing doors, which had
proven to save lives by confining smoke so that the evacuation routes would be
clear.
Before Joe could answer her, the fire alarm
sounded.
“Oh, no!” Tiff exclaimed.
“I’ll call the fire department,” Joe said.
“Good,” Arianna said.
Everyone looked around. “It’s been a while
since we’ve had an alarm,” a member of the board commented as they all got up.
“Okay, guys, you know what to do. Close all
doors, ensure everyone’s okay until the fire department gets here and let’s
gather in the lobby.”
“I’ll make sure the elevators are shut
off,” Joe told Arianna. He held his cell phone to his ear. He was on the phone
with the fire department. Even though they didn’t know the source of the fire
or if there really was one, they were not going to take any chances. While they
got everyone safely out of their rooms, they would investigate to see if
everything was okay.
It was a mad rush. Soon hotel guests came
out of their rooms and everyone gathered in the plush lobby as per the Duponte
Hotel’s clearly posted fire safety and escape plan. Some were dressed in their
robes, others in shorts and t-shirts. The designated fire wardens did a quick
head count while Arianna’s assistant grabbed the master guest list.
Just then, she saw Christian rushing
towards her. “Arianna, are you okay?”
“Yes, thank you. It’s probably nothing.
Maybe a drill or someone pulled the alarm by mistake. We’re investigating.”
“Okay. Anything I can do?” he said, and he
scanned to area for anything obvious.
“Joe called the fire department.”
Just then, her uncle Ned came out of his
suite and into the lobby, looking royally peeved as he eyed Arianna with
disdain.
“Well, he looks cheery this morning,”
Christian commented, his jaw clenched. She could tell Christian saw her uncle’s
expression and wasn’t impressed either.
“Where are your parents?” Uncle Ned demanded
bitterly.
“Oh, no. Probably still up in the room.” Arianna
glanced around quickly, then glanced back down to the
master guest list with her pen.
Before she could stop him, Christian left
her side. “I’m going to get your parents.”
“Okay. Thanks,” she said before realizing
what he was doing.
“Oh, God! Christian! No!”
He rushed up the steps and had arrived on
the second floor in front of the Duponte’s main suite where he knew they were
staying. Christian was fit and athletic and it was almost impossible to catch
up to him. Breathless, Arianna ran after him. “Christian, no. Please!”
He knocked on the door and Mr. Duponte
opened the door to his suite. “Oh, Christian, I’m so glad you’re here. Please
help me convince Mrs. Duponte that we need to evacuate.”
“Sure thing.” Christian burst into the
room.
It was too late. Arianna’s legs were weak
and she almost collapsed at the door.
“Oh, darling,” Mr. Duponte called out to
his wife. “It’s time to go, dear. Christian is here. You remember the guy I was
telling you about. Arianna’s nice boyfriend. He’s come
to help me carry you down the stairs.”
Mr. Duponte then turned to Christian with a
smile of relief, as he pointed to his wife. “Will you please tell her we need
to go now?”
Christian was never more shocked in his
life. He felt his gut being ripped out of his body with a sharp knife. He
looked in horror at the scene before him.
WTF?
Nothing could have prepared him for what he
was seeing with his own eyes. Very few things could ever cause a knife-twisting
reaction like that in him, but this did.
“Christian, I’m sorry you had to see that.”
He heard Arianna’s voice beside him but he was too numb to say anything.
Just then the alarm silenced. And an
announcement over the speaker sounded that it was a false alarm.
He looked at Arianna, his jaw clenched. He
looked at Mr. Duponte and without so much as a word he motioned to walk
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