“Becca, you have a phone call.” Sandy was huffing, as though she’d run from the reception into the still room. “You can take it in the office,” she said, pointing to the small cupboard-like room that was supposed to be the still room office, but was barely used. “I’ve transferred it there.”
“Do you know who it is?” Becca frowned. She wasn’t expecting a call. If it was her family, they’d use her cell.
“Mr. Carter.” Sandy smiled. “Daniel.”
Oh. Becca felt her breath catch in her throat. It had been strange coming into work and Daniel not being here. She’d heard somebody say he was out on business, and she tried to feel happy about that, because it meant she wouldn’t have to see him.
But instead she’d felt a little empty.
Becca winked. “You know, next time you could use the PA.”
Sandy wrinkled her nose. “I hate it. If I wanted to hear my voice echoing out of the speakers, I’d have become a rockstar like your brother.”
She bit down a smile at the image of Sandy rocking it until she dropped on a stage. “I’ll go answer it now.”
Sandy rushed back to reception. She hated leaving it unmanned. Not quite as much as she hated the PA system – hence the fifty yard dash.
Becca walked across to the office, her brain working overtime as she tried to discern why Daniel was calling. Closing the door softly, she walked the two steps it took to reach the desk and picked up the phone, pressing the button that was flashing. “Becca Hartson speaking.”
Lifting a sheaf of paper out of the way, she sat on the corner of the desk. A cloud of dust lifted into the air.
“Becca, it’s Daniel. I need a favor from you.”
Well that was unexpected. “What can I do?”
“Are you in the middle of anything you can’t leave right now?” He sounded strange. Almost urgent.
“Um, nothing I can’t ask Garrett to manage. Why?” She noticed an old calendar hanging on the wall from 2016. This room really needed to be cleaned.
“Listen carefully. I need you to go to my office and open my refrigerator. You’ll find a black insulated box in there. Then I want you to get in your car and bring it to me. I’m in Charleston, at the Ambassador Hotel. When you get here, leave the car with the valet and take the elevator to the penthouse. I’ll meet you there.”
Becca blinked, wondering if she’d
heard him right. “You want me to drive to Charleston?”
“The one in West Virginia, yes.”
“I wasn’t thinking you were in South Carolina. It’s going to take me a couple of hours to get there.”
“It’s okay. I can wait.” His voice was low. Thick.
“What’s in the black box?”
“Nothing you need to know about. Please don’t open it. I need it to stay sealed.” He cleared his throat. “And don’t let my mother know you’re coming. She’ll worry.”
Becca ran the tip of her finger along her lip. “So let me get this straight, you want me to sneak into your office without your mom seeing, take a box out of your refrigerator that I’m not allowed to open or see the contents of, then bring it to Charleston where I’ll take it to the penthouse.” She shook her head. “Either this is some kind of prank or I’m in the middle of a heist movie.”
“It’s not a joke. It’s important. I need that box as soon as possible.” His voice softened, became edged with honey. “I’d be really grateful if you can do this. I wouldn’t ask if I didn’t need it.”
Becca exhaled heavily. It was going to take two hours to get to Charleston, then at least another two or three to get home in rush hour traffic. Okay, so she had nothing planned this evening apart from tackling a Mexican Chocolate Fudge Pie she’d found a recipe for. But still.
“You’ll owe me.”
“I’m perfectly aware of that.”
She smiled at the tartness of his response. “All right then. I’ll see you in a couple of hours.”
Everything about the Ambassador Hotel screamed luxury. From the gleaming marble tiled floor and dark oak walls of the reception, to the sleek metallic lines of the elevator, with gold leaf patterns on the doors that slid silently to welcome her inside. The concierge had intercepted her as soon as she walked through the hotel doors, and upon ascertaining her name, escorted her to the private penthouse elevator at the back of the expansive, triple story reception. He slid his card slickly through the reader then let her step inside.