Eden

I was ready to end another grueling day and looked forward to putting this afternoon’s excitement behind me.

Would have earlier if Michael hadn’t lingered and if I hadn’t been too cowardly to risk facing off with him again. So, rather than make a run to the employee parking area, I’d made myself scarce until I was certain he was gone.

Even now, I didn’t go directly to my car like I should have. Instead, I made my way to the security office, curiosity I didn’t quite understand taking me there.

As I walked toward the security office, I started to fume again, remembering Michael’s ridiculous request. Not firing those guards had been the right thing to do, especially since he refused to even give me some clue as to why they’d gotten on his bad side. If he couldn’t give me at least some explanation, I wouldn’t screw with those men’s livelihoods because Michael Murphy had gotten up on the wrong side of the bed.

They had worked the late night and early morning shift for years, and there had never been trouble. Whatever Michael’s problem, I knew it was nothing about the quality of their work, but checking in wouldn’t hurt.

I swiped my access card, listened to the magnetic lock click as the door opened, and then went inside. I knocked on the metal door that separated the restricted area from the control room with the bank of cameras where Steve and Bob sat during the night and opened it.

Or rather, tried to open it. Couldn’t because the door was locked.

I frowned, turned the knob again to confirm it was locked.

I reached for my keys, not exactly concerned, but knowing full well this was out of the ordinary. City regulations made it clear that the door was to be unlocked at all times, something Steve and Bob knew.

In the past, the staff hadn’t always followed those rules, but when the Murphys had taken over, they’d insisted that every regulation be followed to the letter. Most staff that was still around had gotten with the program, but I knew old habits were sometimes hard to break.

Thankfully I kept my keys handy, even after I’d clocked out. I unlocked the door, pushed it open, and frowned in confusion at the empty room that greeted me.

The bank of screens on the wall showed scenes from the hotel, a steady image of the lobby and elevators along with a screen that rotated between the floors. The three chairs were empty.

During the week, there were only two guards, with a third working the weekend shift when the lounge was busiest.

Tonight, though, there was no one.

A locked door could be overlooked, but this…

I swore under my breath and then walked to the control panel and reviewed the last several hours of recordings as quickly as I could.

When I was certain there was nothing of concern, I grabbed my walkie-talkie.

Gerald was gone for the evening, so I radioed the night manager and let him know where I was.

Then I sat, stewing.

Michael would never let me forget this. I could picture him now, see the self-satisfied smirk on his perfect face, the equally self-satisfied glint in his eyes, both because he’d gotten his way and because I didn’t have a leg to stand on.

I wasn’t sure which would make him happier, but I had no doubt he’d be overjoyed.

I’d gone to bat for those men, and now I’d never live it down.

Which was bad enough but not something I would ordinarily take to heart in usual circumstances.

These were not usual circumstances.

Because after I handled this, I’d have no choice but to tell Michael.

Again I imagined how he would react, could practically see the smug smile he’d give me before his expression dropped back into its standard chilly reserve.

I was so not looking forward to that, but Steve and Bob gave me three long hours in the camera room to think about it. By the time they arrived, I was ready to boil over.

“Hey!” Steve, the guard who had worked at the hotel for over a decade, called as he entered the room.

One look at me, and this momentary exuberance faded. I’d never thought of myself as an intimidating person, and I doubted the last few hours had changed that, but between my unmistakable level of pissed off and Steve’s awareness that he had been caught, whatever friendliness that had existed between us was gone.

“Eden, I—”

I held up my hand and shook my head. “Bob’s coming, right?” I asked, not even attempting to hide my displeasure.

“He’ll be here in half an hour,” Steve answered.

“Then sit. We’ll wait for him to arrive.”

I took the chair I had only just vacated, certain that at any moment my temple would start to throb.

There would have been no explanation they could have given for not being here, but this was even worse than I had thought.

It wasn’t unheard of, especially for those on the night shift, to slip away for an hour or two and overlap a couple of jobs. But this kind of blatant activity that disregarded the safety of our guests, to make no mention of making me look like a fool, could not be tolerated.

“Why’s the door open, Steve?”

Bob went quiet when he entered and saw me sitting there. Neither he nor Steve had their customary lunchboxes and thermoses, which told me they had clocked in and then left.

“Where are you working?” I asked, looking from one of them to the other.

“Eden, it’s not—”

As I had done with Steve, I shook my head at Bob’s protest. “All I want to hear are your answers to my questions,” I said firmly.

Steve lowered his eyes, his face flushing with what I hoped was embarrassment. “Nowhere steady, and not always,” he whispered. “This is just a little side thing.”

“So you don’t do this all the time is what you’re telling me?” I asked.

He nodded emphatically and smiled. “Exactly. Sometimes there’s just a little overlap. But it’s nothing.”

“Nothing?” I said, my voice rising. “You consider the safety of our guests and the people who work here, people who care about you, nothing?”

I was almost shaking with anger, but I fought to keep my cool.

“You know nothing happens here. Not since…”

“Not since what?” I snapped, my temper getting away from me momentarily.

“You know who owns this hotel,” Bob said as I turned to look at him. “Nothing is going to happen here, so is it so bad that we wanted to make a few extra dollars?”

I knew exactly what Bob was alluding to, and knew he had a point. Even I took some comfort in the fact that the Murphys’ reputation gave us some measure of protection. Guests were seldom as rude as they had been before and there’d been no violence since they had taken over. Still, I was furious.

“And what if something had? What if that fire a few months ago had been real? What if a guest had gotten out of hand with Gerald or Trudy in housekeeping?” I asked, knowing that Trudy in particular, given her advanced age, would strike a chord.

They both had the decency to look embarrassed, but I was beyond the point of caring.

“I guess you know you won’t be getting your two weeks,” I said.

“Yeah, but we can finish the shift,” Steve said, looking hopeful, probably thinking that if I gave on this, he’d be able to convince me to change my mind altogether.

Their shift was almost over, but I chose not to point that out. “That won’t be necessary. I’ll get the termination papers started and see that you get your checks for whatever pay is owed to you,” I said.

Steve’s eyes flashed, first with surprise, then with anger.

When I finally saw resignation, I stood, smoothed my skirt, and walked toward the door. When I reached it, I saw that the morning crew, who I had called to come in early, was waiting outside.

“Gentlemen,” I said, nodding at them as I walked past.

I saw the curiosity on their faces, but didn’t address their unspoken questions. We’d make an announcement tomorrow, but for now, I wanted to finish this business and finally go home.

During the grim ride down to the executive suite, I tried to keep my mind clear and focused, while Steve and Bob looked at me, eyes just this short of pleading.

Even if they tried, those pleas would have fallen on deaf ears. There was nothing to do now but finish this. Dismissal was my least favorite part of the job, but I knew the process well and had their termination papers prepared in half an hour.

I wrote a quick email to Gerald and left shortly thereafter, my gut twisting as I resigned myself to informing Michael.