by Layla Frost
What felt like a million and ten years later, I pulled into the packed parking garage. Round and round I went up, searching for a spot. When I was near the top, I saw David pacing in an empty spot, a cigarette hanging from his lips as he touched his phone.
When he looked up and saw me, his shoulders dropped and he moved out of the way.
I parked and threw open the door, hurrying around the car. “Where is she? Is she okay?”
“I’m not sure. She’s having some testing done. She’s been feeling off, and I guess she fell while grocery shopping.”
“Why’d they—” I stopped abruptly, not wanting to make a difficult situation worse.
“Call me?” he finished, his smile sad. Dropping his smoke, he stepped on it.
I’d never seen him smoke before.
Or look so tired.
I didn’t care, though. Mom was all that mattered.
“Yeah, that.”
“I’m still her emergency and medical contact,” he explained.
Not really caring about the specifics, I nodded and started for the elevator, just wanting to get to her.
He grabbed my arm, stopping me. “Wait.”
The hair on the back of my neck prickled, the queasy feeling in my stomach intensifying. My first instinct was to snatch my arm out of his grip, followed closely by the urge to run.
I felt like an oversensitive idiot when he released me and pointed to my car. “You might need your ID. Plus, Abbey has your sister and if you remember,” he held up his cell, shaking it, “my phone isn’t cooperating.”
“Good idea.” Opening the passenger door, I leaned in to grab my stuff that had fallen during the drive. My coat slid up as I felt around the floor for my phone.
My back spasmed. Like the tattoo, but times a trillion, a burning pain radiated. My muscles clenched and cramped like I was one big charley horse. Already nauseous, my stomach threatened to revolt.
And then there was darkness.
Chapter Twenty
Assweasels and Twisted Codes
Kase
“Shake a leg, baby, Daddy wants a steak!” I called out when I got home, kicking the door closed behind me. “Harlow?” When there was still no response, I walked into the dining room. “If this is about the Daddy thing, I won’t say it again.”
Setting the wrapped present on the table, I went into the kitchen, finding it empty.
“The fuck?” I muttered as I headed for the stairs. Taking them two at a time, I threw open our door. I pulled my phone from my pocket, dialing as I checked the rest of the rooms. I knew it was pointless, though.
Where the fuck could she be? She’s been looking at the menu all week, planning what she’s gonna eat. No way is she ducking out for no reason.
Her phone was ringing, but no voicemail connected. Ending the call, I tried Helena.
“Hello?” she answered, already on edge.
Clenching my fist, I worked at calming my shit. “Hey Helena, it’s Kase.”
“I know. Is everything okay?”
“Yeah, just checking in on you and Hadley.”
Her voice went more alarmed. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” I forced a chuckle. “You’re just like your daughter. The one that’s taking forever to get ready for dinner. Her phone is acting up and she wanted to let you know. But since we’ve got dinner reservations,” I raised my voice a little on the last part, like I was teasing Harlow, “I said I’d do it.”
“Oh.” Relief flooded the one word, making me feel like a fuckin’ dick for not thinking before I called. “Things are good here. Abbey is coming over and we’re all watching Frozen. Again. For the millionth time.” She lowered her voice to a pleading whisper. “Take me with you guys to dinner. I won’t even eat. If I have to watch this movie again, I’m gonna pop open all the wine I have, and let it go down my throat until I’m too drunk to care about rock trolls and building snowmen.”
If anything was gonna get a real laugh out of me, that shit was it. Unfortunately, nothing was gonna get a laugh out of me until I found Harlow and fucked the daylights out of her for scaring me. And then I was gonna keep fucking her until she couldn’t move, let alone disappear.
“Feel for you, Helena, but I still have no clue what you’re talking about.” Walking out the side door to the garage, I saw Harlow’s ride was gone. Nothing else looked out of place. “I better go tell her to speed it up before we miss dinner. Call my phone if you need her.”
“Enjoy the night out. Give her my love.”
Disconnecting, I almost dialed Pipe. I might be thick headed, but even I learned from my mistakes sometimes. Instead, I called Jake.
“Where are you?” I asked as soon as he answered.
“Home.” I heard Piper’s giggle and hushed whisper followed by Jake’s low growl, leaving no doubt what they were doing, about to do, or had just done.
Knowing them, it was likely all three.
Opening the garage door, I walk down the driveway slowly, looking for anything out of place. “You’re gonna need to bust out your nonexistent acting abilities and pretend we’re just talking shop unless you wanna freak your wife out.”
“Yeah, what’s up?” he asked, his voice neutral.
“What’s wrong?” Piper asked immediately, nowhere close to being fooled. “Don’t hold up your finger at me, dude.”
“Have you or Pipe seen Harlow?”
“No. Weren’t you just talkin’ about that part instead of doin’ the Viper framework?”
I rubbed the back of my neck, the pit in my gut growing. “Yeah, I talked to her and everything was cool. We were supposed to have dinner but she’s gone and not answering her phone or texts. I’ll check with Rhys.”
“I’ll be right there.”
“Nah, that’s—”
“Call him. If all’s chill, I’ll just turn around.” Not giving me time to respond, Jake hung up.
I dialed Rhys’ cell first, unsurprised when he didn’t answer. Trying Rye, I got a bouncer. “Is Rhys around?”
“He’s behind the bar and there’s a show starting soon. All calls wait ‘til after.”
“Is Harlow, the bartender, there?”
“Man, I’m new on the job, I can’t keep track of bitches names. She the sexy blond, the slutty blond, or the hot as fuck red—”
I pulled my cell away and growled, holding back all the shit I wanted to say. “Just give Rhys the phone and tell him it’s Kase. He’ll be fine if you do, but he’ll be fuckin’ pissed as shit if you don’t just give him the motherfuckin’ goddamned phone!”
There was a commotion before the phone cut out. My stomach dropped, sure the asshole had hung up until I heard Rhys’ voice.
“Take a message,” he said, yelling to be heard over the band warming up.
“Tried. It’s some dude named Kase who’s flipping the fuck out.”
Both voices were muffled before Rhys spoke into the phone. “What’s wrong?”
“Any chance you stole my woman for the night?”
“No, she’s got it off. She’s been talking about that fuckin’ steakhouse all week.”
I dropped my head back as the sliver of hope I’d been holding onto vanished in a cloud of fuck you. “Fuckin’ shit. She’s not here.”
“Did she think you were meeting at the restaurant?”
“Nah, she’d just called to tell me about being unpacked.” At the reminder, I made my way back to the garage. All of the collapsed moving boxes were in a neat pile, tucked to the side out of the way.
“Man, I’m not trying to get you all worked up, but is there a chance she freaked? I know shits been cool for a while, but maybe with the move and unpacking…” He let his words trail off, but I knew what he was saying.
And, yeah, the thought had crossed my mind.
Harlow was a runner. Even happy, she’d spent a long time fighting us.
But she was done with that. I knew it down to the marrow in my bones, she was in this like I was.
&nbs
p; ‘Til the end.
If she was scared, she’d have talked to me.
“Did she call or text?” Rhys asked when I didn’t respond.
“No, nothing.”
Maybe she did, but her shitty phone fucked up again.
At that thought, I started for the house as Jake pulled in.
“I’ve gotta go, Jake’s here,” I muttered distractedly. “I’ll be in touch.”
“Wait!” Rhys shouted as I was about to hang up. “I didn’t wanna say anything, but it came up on her background shit when she did new hire paperwork. I know she was working for Lars before. Did you try him?”
“Not yet.”
“He can help; he’s got deeper connection than any of us.”
Fuck.
“Yeah, I will.”
“Give me the word, I clear this place out.”
“Thanks, man.” Disconnecting, I turned to Jake as he made his way into the garage.
“Nothin’?” he asked.
“Not a thing.” I tried her phone again. After ringing a few times, the voicemail connected. “Hey, it’s me. Where are you? Just… Call.”
“Any shit go down recently that seems suspicious now?” Like a boxer about to KO someone in the first round, Jake was aggressive and on edge.
This is bringing back memories of Piper and Z. The gradual progression of his stalking, the mind games and manipulation, it’s making it fresh again.
Rubbing the back of my neck, I closed my eyes for a second. “Nothing weird has happened. She’s on break from school and the station. She chills here, works at Rye, that kinda shit. No one’s hassled her or Rhys would’ve said something.” Unwilling to sit around twiddling my thumbs, I looked at him. “Don’t fuckin’ judge me for what I’m about to do.”
I headed inside, Jake following behind me. Opening Harlow’s laptop on the table, I went to her cell carrier’s site. Her autosaved info did the rest, logging me in.
“You think now’s the time to pay her bill?” he joked, trying to lighten the mood. It wasn’t his usual style of response, and almost reminded me of…
Me.
Meanwhile, for the second time in a week, I was about to track my woman, which meant I was acting like him.
With a few clicks, I activated her GPS and waited while it located her phone.
“Where’s your wife?” I kept my eyes on the computer as if the answer was gonna appear and then disappear just as fast.
“Voodoo VIP room with Ray. Plus, a mountain of security keepin’ everyone out and them in.”
Getting them to stay put was probably the bigger challenge. “Smart.”
The map zoomed in on screen, a red circle marking her likely location.
“Her mom?” Jake asked, seeing the hospital and the surrounding blocks.
I shook my head, racking my brain to figure it out. “No, I called her before you. She’s home, totally fine. Stupid piece of shit phone, probably fuckin’ shit up.”
“What about her car?”
I’m a fuckin’ dumbass.
“You’re a fuckin’ genius,” I said, already logging into the car navigation site. Punching in the info, I fought the urge to throw something. It didn’t take long before another red circle popped up on the map, giving us a smaller radius.
The hospital was still the centralized destination.
“If her mom’s okay, why else would she be there?” Jake asked.
“No clue.” Closing the computer, I headed for the front door. “Only one way to find out, and you’re driving so I can dial.”
The drive took forever even with Jake expertly weaving his Camaro through traffic. In between trying Harlow’s cell, I banged on the dashboard like it would magically make everyone get the fuck out of the way.
When he finally pulled into the main parking garage, we looked around for her car, straining to see in the dark. We were almost to the top, about to call it quits and check a different lot, when I saw it.
The headlights shining on blue paint that gradually turned green the closer we got.
“There.” I opened the door and stepped out before the car stopped completely.
Grabbing my keys from my pocket, I hit the unlock button and tried calling her again.
The fact her phone was lighting up the floor on the passenger side was a pretty big fuckin’ indicator she wasn’t gonna answer.
Ending the call, I used the light on my phone to check the interior. Some shit from her purse had spilled, but that happened all the time.
Nothing else looked out of place.
“Fuck,” I growled. Slamming my hands onto the roof of the car, I dropped my head before repeating my curse, louder and angrier.
“We’ll figure it out,” Jake said, suddenly the voice of fuckin’ reason. “Eli is hangin’ at your place in case she shows. Xavier and Key will meet us at the condo.”
“I’ve gotta call Lars.”
“Good idea.”
“He finds out Harlow is missing, he’ll bring in Nox.”
“Fuck.”
That about sums it up.
*******
Harlow
Holy shit, I’m hung over. How much did I drink?
I floated in the mental space between awake and asleep, my thoughts slow and hazy. My body ached, a dull pain preventing me from falling back to sleep.
Did I get wasted and exercise? Thought I learned last time that vodka and Pilates do not mix.
Everyone knows Pilates is a white wine kinda workout.
I was about to doze off when a car horn beeped. Dragging me further from my rest, the sound of traffic was clear.
And loud.
The bed bounced, the pain in my body intensifying. My muscles felt like they were strangling my bones, cramped and pulled too tight. I needed to stretch, but I couldn’t.
Because I wasn’t alone, and I wasn’t in bed.
A musty, rough carpet scratched my cheek. Cracking my eyes open, I saw I was on the floor in the backseat of a car. My neck was at an awkward angle, my tingling legs bent even worse. I fought the urge to tug my dress back into place, instead clinging to the hope the darkness provided some much wanted modesty. My blue boy shorts probably covered more than my bathing suit bottoms, but they were still panties.
The car rolled to a stop and I held my breath. Bright lights illuminated the interior from behind, reflecting off the shiny chrome edging of something small on the floor by my shoulder.
Memories of a sullen, pale David in the hospital garage rushed back to me.
He tased me!
Or is it a stun gun?
What’s the difference between the two?
Before I could get a better look, the driver cursed and I closed my eyes, praying they hadn’t seen I was awake. I was pretty sure it was David, but I wasn’t about to lift my head and ask.
Something was dropped over me, covering my head and blocking out the already limited light. Barely shifting, the cold plastic crinkled loudly. A strong mildew smell and moist feel had me close to being sick.
That literal motherfucker just put a nasty tarp on me. First he zapped me, and now this.
I knew I hated him for a reason.
Inching my hand up, the rough carpet texture on my fingertips had me tense and ready to scream. I clenched my jaw and pushed through until I wrapped my hand around the stun gun.
Once I had it, I wasn’t sure what to do. I couldn’t just hold it, but I also wasn’t big on the idea of accidentally touching myself with it. Carefully, I pressed it against the back of the seat, but nothing happened.
My dress was too tight to hide it under or in between my breasts. And there was no way in hell I was pulling a smuggler’s secret and shoving it up… anywhere.
It just wasn’t happening.
Even if I was willing to risk sparking up my love tunnel, the stinky ass tarp offered some coverage, but definitely not that much.
With no other options, I wedged whatever the flippin’ thing was down my coat sleeve, positioning it b
etween my bicep and ribs. I’d have to keep my arms tight to my body, but I didn’t see it being an issue.
Once I had it set, there was only one thing left to do.
Freak the fuck out.
*******
Kase
“We can give old dudes boners, but we can’t make a phone with a battery that lasts longer than five fuckin’ minutes?” I growled, plugging my cell in before it totally died.
Setting it face up on the counter, I paced around Jake’s small kitchen.
“I think that’s two different science fields,” Xavier pointed out.
Giving him the finger, I fought the urge to check my messages again. The sinking feeling in my gut became a bottomless fuckin’ pit when Jake walked in from his room. “What?” I barked out, my voice so rough it sounded like it’d been pushed through shards of glass.
He raised his phone. “That was Lars. He’s getting answers.”
“What the fuck does that mean?”
“It means we chill,” Key said, his hand on my shoulder making me realize I’d already been heading for the door. “We drive off blind into the night, we might end up further from her.”
I stopped in my tracks, frustration and fear tightening my chest.
Only time I’d ever felt so fuckin’ useless was when I’d had to sit back and watch Willa hit rock bottom before grabbing a needle and digging deeper.
“What about that detective you know?” I suggested, needing to do something.
“Was gonna put a call in to her,” Jake said, “but Lars said no police right now. Without all the procedures and limitations, his ways will be a fuck of a lot faster.”
Raising my chin, I tried to think of another idea but came up empty.
A ringing broke the silence.
Touching the screen, Jake answered his phone. “Yeah?” His eyes cut to me. “Yeah, he’ll want that, but will you?” He nodded, trying to keep his face neutral, but his clenched jaw was his tell.
“And?” I asked as soon as he hung up.
“Lars called Nox in.”
I knew what that meant.
Shit was about to get bloody.
“And?” I repeated, not dwelling on the man’s twisted code.