Chapter 2

One Bed

The hotel was the kind of mid-tier place that tried too hard to look expensive and failed in all the small ways that mattered.

Glass lobby, aggressive air conditioning, a reception desk that smelled like synthetic citrus and ambition. The woman behind the counter smiled the professional smile of someone who had already dealt with too many difficult guests before noon. Jordan handled the check-in like he handled everything loud enough to claim the space, charming enough that she laughed at something he said that wasn’t actually funny. I stood three feet behind him with my bag and watched the transaction with the same detached irritation...