The Note on the Nightstand
1229 Words
Naomi’s breath caught in her throat.
Her eyes remained fixed on the note.
You should have said no to the marriage.
Her hands trembled.
She had searched the room before unpacking.
The note hadn’t been there.
Someone had entered while she was downstairs.
She backed away from the nightstand.
Her pulse thundered inside her ears.
Without taking her eyes off the note, she reached for her phone.
Her fingers shook so badly that she almost dropped it.
She dialed Jaxon’s number.
He answered on the first ring.
“Naomi?”
His voice instantly became alert.
“What’s wrong?”
“Someone…”
She struggled to breathe.
“Someone was in my room.”
“I’ll be there.”
The call ended.
Less than twenty seconds later, her bedroom door burst open.
Jaxon rushed inside, followed by Arthur and four armed security guards.
Jaxon’s eyes immediately found her.
“Are you hurt?”
She shook her head.
“No.”
He crossed the room in seconds.
“Did anyone touch you?”
“No.”
“What happened?”
Without speaking, Naomi pointed toward the nightstand.
Arthur carefully picked up the note using a handkerchief.
Jaxon read it.
His jaw tightened.
“When was this left here?”
“I don’t know.”
“It wasn’t here before.”
Arthur frowned.
“Every entrance to this wing has been guarded.”
“Then how did someone get inside?”
No one answered.
Jaxon looked at the security guards.
“Seal this room.”
“No one touches anything.”
One of the guards nodded.
“Yes, sir.”
Arthur carefully placed the note inside an evidence bag.
“I’ll send this to the forensic lab.”
Jaxon looked around the bedroom.
His eyes stopped on the open balcony doors.
“They were closed earlier.”
Naomi turned.
“They were.”
Everyone stepped onto the balcony.
Arthur pointed toward the stone railing.
“There.”
A faint muddy footprint marked the white marble.
Jaxon crouched beside it.
“The shooter.”
Arthur nodded.
“He came back.”
Naomi wrapped her arms around herself.
“He was here.”
“While I was in this room.”
Jaxon stood.
“You’re not staying here tonight.”
She looked at him.
“Where am I supposed to sleep?”
“My room.”
Arthur looked up in surprise.
Jaxon didn’t seem to notice.
Naomi blinked.
“What?”
“My room has only one entrance.”
“It’ll be easier to protect.”
She hesitated.
“I don’t think that’s appropriate.”
“I don’t care.”
His voice was firm.
“I almost lost you tonight.”
“I’m not taking another chance.”
Naomi searched his face.
For the first time, she saw fear.
Not for himself.
For her.
She quietly nodded.
“Okay.”
Thirty minutes later, Arthur finished inspecting the room.
“There are no fingerprints.”
“No DNA.”
“The intruder knew exactly what he was doing.”
Rachel arrived shortly afterward.
She examined the footprint.
“This is the same shoe print we found near the terrace.”
Jaxon folded his arms.
“So it’s the same person.”
Rachel nodded.
“Looks that way.”
She glanced at Naomi.
“Did you notice anything unusual before finding the note?”
Naomi frowned.
“I…”
She paused.
“There was a smell.”
“What kind?”
She closed her eyes, trying to remember.
“Cologne.”
Jaxon looked at her.
“What did it smell like?”
“It was…”
She searched for the words.
“Wood.”
“And something spicy.”
Arthur’s eyes widened.
“I’ve smelled that before.”
Everyone looked at him.
“Where?”
Arthur thought for a moment.
“At the restaurant.”
Naomi’s heart skipped.
“The fake waiter?”
Arthur nodded slowly.
“He walked past me.”
“I remember thinking his cologne was unusually expensive.”
Rachel quickly wrote it down.
“It isn’t much.”
“But it’s something.”
Jaxon looked toward the window.
“We’re getting closer.”
Rachel wasn’t convinced.
“Or he’s letting us think that.”
The room fell silent.
She had a point.
Whoever this person was…
He wanted them frightened.
He wanted them guessing.
Arthur checked his watch.
“It’s almost midnight.”
Rachel closed her notebook.
“I’ll station officers outside this floor.”
Jaxon nodded.
“Thank you.”
As everyone left, Naomi stood awkwardly near the bedroom door.
“So…”
She looked at Jaxon.
“I’m really sleeping in your room?”
“You are.”
He picked up her overnight bag.
“Come on.”
His bedroom was elegant but surprisingly simple.
Dark wooden furniture.
A king sized bed.
A fireplace.
Bookshelves filled one wall.
There were no flashy decorations.
No trophies.
No framed magazine covers.
It felt…
Normal.
“You can take the bed,” he said.
Naomi stared at him.
“What about you?”
“I’ll sleep on the couch.”
She looked toward the leather sofa.
It wasn’t nearly long enough.
“You’ll wake up with back pain.”
“I’ve slept in worse places.”
She smiled.
“I doubt that.”
He laughed quietly.
“You’d be surprised.”
She looked at the enormous bed.
“It’s big enough for both of us.”
The words slipped out before she could stop them.
Silence.
Naomi’s cheeks turned crimson.
“I mean…”
“We could…”
She covered her face.
“Oh my goodness.”
Jaxon couldn’t help smiling.
“I know what you meant.”
“You do?”
“Yes.”
She lowered her hands.
“I wasn’t suggesting…”
“I know.”
He walked toward the bed.
“We’re adults.”
“We can survive one night.”
Naomi slowly nodded.
“Right.”
He picked up two extra pillows and carefully placed them between the two sides of the mattress.
“There.”
She laughed.
“A pillow wall?”
He shrugged.
“It keeps the peace.”
She smiled.
“You’ve done this before?”
His eyebrows rose.
“No.”
“You seem experienced.”
“I play football.”
“Not fake marriage.”
She laughed again.
The tension slowly faded.
For the first time since the nightmare began…
They both relaxed.
The lights were switched off.
The room fell into darkness.
Naomi lay on one side of the bed.
Jaxon lay on the other.
The pillows between them felt like an invisible border.
Neither of them slept.
After several minutes, Naomi spoke softly.
“Are you awake?”
“Yes.”
“I’m sorry.”
“For what?”
“For bringing all this trouble into your life.”
He turned toward her.
Even in the darkness, she could feel his eyes on her.
“You didn’t.”
“I signed the contract.”
“And I asked you to.”
Silence settled again.
Then Jaxon quietly said,
“I’ve been alone for a long time.”
Naomi listened.
“I forgot what it felt like to have someone in the next room.”
Her heart softened.
Before she could answer…
A faint click echoed from outside the bedroom.
Both of them sat upright instantly.
The bedroom door handle…
Was slowly turning.
- Writer
