Chapter 3
My mother cried when she saw the bruises on my face.
She tried to hide it.
She turned toward the hospital window.
Pressed a tissue against her eyes.
Then smiled when I looked at her.
But I knew.
I had spent my entire childhood watching her pretend things were fine.
When our electricity was disconnected, she called it a temporary problem.
When she skipped dinner, she said she wasn't hungry.
When my father died, she told my little brother that Daddy had gone somewhere peaceful.
She always tried to protect us from pain.
Now I was twenty-eight, and she was still doing it.
"Mom, I'm okay."
She shook her head.
"No, baby."
Her voice broke.
"You're hurt."
I reached for her hand.
She sat beside me.
For several seconds, neither of us spoke.
Then she whispered,
"Did that woman really push you?"
I nodded.
Mom closed her eyes.
"Over luggage?"
"That's what I thought."
She looked at me.
"What do you mean?"
I took a slow breath.
Then told her about the security footage.
Daniel Price.
The staff keycard.
The restricted office.
The access log showing my employee number.
By the time I finished, she looked terrified.
"Nia, you need a lawyer."
I stared at her.
"A lawyer?"
"Yes."
"Mom, I can't afford one."
She squeezed my hand.
"You can't afford not to have one."
I wanted to argue.
But she was right.
If someone was trying to frame me for something involving hotel financial records, my job might be the least of my problems.
I could be accused of theft.
Fraud.
Something even worse.
That evening, Evelyn Bennett called me personally.
I almost didn't answer.
I was lying in bed at home with an ice pack against my forehead.
My younger brother, Caleb, had just arrived from college.
He was twenty-one and studying engineering.
When he saw my face, he'd gone completely silent.
Then he hugged me so tightly I had to ask him to be careful.
Now he sat beside me while I answered Evelyn's call.
"Nia?"
"Yes, ma'am."
"How are you feeling?"
I swallowed.
"Better."
She paused.
"Arthur told me the doctors diagnosed a concussion."
I nodded, forgetting she couldn't see me.
"Yes."
"Then you need to rest."
I looked at the unpaid bills on my bedside table.
"Ms. Bennett, I can't miss too much work."
Her voice softened.
"Nia, you'll be placed on paid medical leave while you recover."
I froze.
"What?"
"Your job is secure while we investigate."
Tears filled my eyes.
"I don't understand."
"You were assaulted while performing your duties. We're not going to punish you for being injured."
I covered my mouth.
Nobody had ever spoken to me like that at work.
Usually, when an employee got sick, we worried about losing hours.
When someone had a family emergency, supervisors asked whether another worker could cover the shift.
But Evelyn sounded genuinely concerned.
"Thank you," I whispered.
She continued.
"I've also arranged for independent legal counsel to be available at the company's expense regarding your employee rights and the investigation. You may choose your own attorney instead."
I sat upright.
"Why?"
"Because your employee identification appears in records connected to a security incident, and I want you to have independent advice."
My chest tightened.
"Do you think I did something wrong?"
"No."
She answered immediately.
"But I don't want you relying on my personal opinion. I want the facts established properly."
I felt relief wash through me.
Then she added,
"There's something I need to ask."
I swallowed.
"Okay."
"Has Daniel Price ever treated you unfairly?"
The question caught me off guard.
I looked toward Caleb.
He was watching me carefully.
I thought about the last four years.
Daniel had never physically hurt me.
But he'd made comments.
He criticized my appearance.
Changed my schedule without warning.
Threatened to write me up when wealthy guests complained.
And once, after I reported missing tips, he told me I should be grateful to have a job.
I told Evelyn.
She listened silently.
When I finished, she asked,
"Did you ever report him?"
I lowered my eyes.
"No."
"Why not?"
I laughed bitterly.
"Because he was the person we were supposed to report things to."
Evelyn went quiet.
Then she said,
"That ends now."
I didn't know what to say.
She continued.
"An independent investigator will review the department. Employees will have a confidential reporting channel outside hotel management."
My throat tightened.
"Thank you."
"Rest, Nia. We will speak again soon."
After the call ended, Caleb looked at me.
"That woman sounds serious."
I nodded.
"She is."
He leaned back.
"Good."
Then his expression changed.
"Nia, there's something I didn't tell you."
My stomach tightened.
"What?"
He looked uncomfortable.
"Remember when I came to your hotel last month?"
I nodded.
Caleb had visited Oakmont to bring me lunch during a long shift.
I'd introduced him to several coworkers.
"Yeah."
He swallowed.
"That supervisor was watching me."
I frowned.
"Daniel?"
He nodded.
"He asked me what college I attended."
I stared at him.
"Why?"
"I thought he was being friendly."
Caleb looked down.
"Then he asked whether I had student loans."
My stomach tightened.
"What did you say?"
"I told him I had a scholarship."
I leaned forward.
"What else?"
"He asked whether our mother still lived at the same address."
I froze.
"Caleb."
"I know."
His face filled with regret.
"At the time, I didn't think anything of it."
I covered my mouth.
Daniel had been asking questions about my family.
Not just me.
My brother.
Our mother.
Our finances.
And suddenly I remembered something else.
Three weeks earlier, Daniel had asked whether I still paid my mother's medical bills.
He said he was updating employee assistance records.
I answered honestly.
Why wouldn't I?
He was my supervisor.
I thought he was trying to help.
Now I wondered what he'd done with that information.
The next morning, my attorney called.
Her name was Rachel Monroe.
She had worked on employment and civil rights cases for more than fifteen years.
She sounded direct and calm.
"Nia, I've reviewed the initial incident report."
I sat upright.
"Okay."
"There's a discrepancy."
My stomach tightened.
"What discrepancy?"
"The first written statement filed by Daniel Price describes you as the aggressor."
I stopped breathing.
"What?"
Rachel continued.
"He claims you became hostile toward Ms. Whitmore, threatened her, and caused the luggage cart to move."
I stared at the wall.
"That's a lie."
"I understand."
"He wasn't even there when she pushed me."
"Exactly. That's important."
My hands shook.
Rachel continued.
"The statement was submitted before security formally reviewed the footage."
I frowned.
"How could he know what happened?"
"That's one of the questions investigators will ask."
I closed my eyes.
Daniel hadn't just disappeared.
He had prepared a story.
A story designed to make me look dangerous.
Unstable.
Guilty.
Rachel took a breath.
"Nia, there's another issue."
My stomach dropped.
"What?"
"The hotel has discovered that your employee profile was copied to an external device."
I sat completely still.
"What does that mean?"
"Someone accessed personal information from your personnel file."
I swallowed.
"What information?"
"Your address, identification records, emergency contacts, and payroll details."
My heart began pounding.
My mother.
My brother.
Our home.
Everything.
Rachel's voice remained steady.
"We're working to determine exactly what was taken and whether it was misused."
I pressed a hand against my chest.
"Why would someone do this?"
She hesitated.
"We don't know yet."
Then she said something that made my blood run cold.
"The device was connected from Daniel Price's office."
I stared at the phone.
A man who controlled my schedule had apparently been collecting information about my family.
And now he was connected to an incident involving a wealthy guest, a restricted office, and missing financial records.
I looked toward my bedroom door.
Caleb was standing there.
His face was pale.
"What's wrong?" he whispered.
I couldn't answer.
Because my phone had just received a message from an unknown number.
It contained a photograph of my mother's house.
Taken from across the street.
Beneath it were six words.
TELL EVELYN BENNETT TO STOP DIGGING.
I stared at the screen.
May you like
Then another message arrived.
OR YOUR FAMILY WILL PAY FIRST.
