The voices were pulling her out of sleep.
“That is enough for tonight,” Ethan said.
“My daughter needs to rest.”
Daniel immediately took the key card from Patricia and programmed it himself.
“Suite 904 is ready,” he said.
“I’ll escort you upstairs.”
“No.” Ethan nodded toward Lupita.
“She can show us.”
Lupita looked surprised.
Daniel understood the message.
“Of course.”
Ethan took the key, but before leaving, he looked at Patricia and Karla.
“Do not delete anything from the system,” he said.
“Do not change the reservation notes.
Do not contact other employees to coordinate an explanation.
Mr.
Mercer will preserve the relevant records and begin a formal review.”
Patricia gripped the edge of the desk.
“Mr.
Vance, please.
I made a mistake.”
Ethan met her eyes.
“You made several decisions.
The review will determine whether they were mistakes.”
Lupita guided him toward the elevator with the backpack over one shoulder.
Daniel followed long enough to press the button and hold the doors.
As they stepped inside, Ethan heard Karla begin speaking rapidly behind them.
He did not listen.
The elevator doors closed.
For the first time since entering the hotel, there was silence.
Lupita glanced at the roses.
“Are they for someone special?” she asked softly.
“My wife,” Ethan said.
“She died three years ago tomorrow.”
Lupita lowered her eyes.
“I’m sorry.”
“Lily and I buy roses every year.
She chooses the vase.”
Lupita looked at the sleeping girl and seemed to understand why Ethan had refused to turn the lobby into a battlefield.
“She has had a long day,” she said.
“We both have.”
When the elevator opened on the ninth floor, Lupita led them down a quiet corridor.
She unlocked Suite 904, switched on a single lamp, and lowered the lights so Lily would not wake completely.
The suite was spacious, with tall windows overlooking downtown Chicago.
None of that mattered to Ethan in that moment.
He cared only about the bedroom door and the clean bed beyond it.
He carried Lily inside and gently removed her shoes.
She opened her eyes just enough to recognize him.
“Where’s Bunny?” she asked.
Ethan pulled the stuffed rabbit from the backpack and tucked it beneath her arm.
“Right here.”
“And Mommy’s roses?”
“Right here too.”
Lily smiled faintly and fell asleep again.
When Ethan returned to the sitting room, Lupita had found a clear glass vase in a cabinet.
She filled it with water and placed it beside the bouquet.
