Tryst
Page 18
Bentley
Placing the note on the table, I scribble his name across the page, and head out the door. I don’t even remember if I locked up behind me in my rush. As I speed down the road I see Dante pull into my drive. Before heading out of town, I make a large cash withdrawal. I want to make sure I have enough cash to leave as little paper trail as possible. The rest I transfer into a secret account I think will be more difficult to trace. Tears stream down my face as I pass the airport, knowing Tristan will be landing in a few hours, and I will likely never see him again.
Tristan
I think I am out of my seat the moment the plane lands. I have so many little things to do before going home to see Bentley. The first being the jewelers, I need to get there before they close. Weeks ago, I went searching for the perfect ring, something that screamed Bentley. When I saw it, it was like a beacon on a lighthouse calling me forth. It is perfect, a white gold band with a square diamond in something called an asscher cut. It gives the illusion of something deeper. All around it is a halo of other small diamonds, and intricate designs and swirls are cut into the gold setting. I knew the moment I saw it, that it was meant for my girl. I would have taken it that day, but after doing a bit of probing, I knew it needed to be resized. My other task was double checking the details I had arranged with Cage and Lith, having flown her in to be a part of this.
As I step out of the jewelers my heart is crashing against my chest, threatening to come out. I’ve never been so nervous in all my life, knowing this evening I’ll be asking the girl who stole my heart if she’ll agree to be mine forever.
A sinking feeling overcomes me, and I try to brush it off as jitters. What if she says no? What if she’s not as in love with me as I am her? A million what if’s run through my mind as I pull into my driveway. I wanted to make the night really magical so I secured one of the piers at the beach, knowing it’s her favorite place in the world. As I stand here, calming my nerves before I pick her up, Lith and Cage are decorating it with tea lights and rose petals. With it being a full moon, the light shining off of the water will make it even more romantic. I can only hope she says yes.
I’m staring out the window waiting for Bentley to get home. Her car hasn’t been in the drive since I got home early this evening, and we’re supposed to leave any minute now. Walking back to my bedroom, I go to shut off the T.V. I still had playing when a new bulletin pulls me out of my thoughts.
The need to puke is overwhelming as I see Darla Celeste’s face across the screen. My ears are buzzing as I vaguely catch the reporter’s words, “Police have no new leads…woman jumps bail… wanted in connection to abduction… woman hired undercover officer to kill daughter…” As the words repeat once again, my heart feels like its being ripped from my chest.
I don’t even remember how I got here as I pound on Bentley’s door begging for someone to answer, but knowing no one is there. I try the knob finding the door unlocked as the panic sets in. Taking the stairs two at a time I go straight for her bedroom and find it in disarray. Her things are strewn everywhere. Her closet is half empty, as is her dresser. A few things are missing that I know she’d never leave without. The pain washes over me as I slink back down her steps and slump onto her couch.
I’m tearing my fucking hair out, cursing to the wind and anyone else who might hear it when I see the letter on the table in front of me. The pain swells in my chest as I read and reread the words over again. She’s gone. I can’t fucking breathe. It’s like I’m suffocating as I place the calls to the people I’ve come to trust.
Dante said he caught her pulling out, but by the time he got back to his car she was gone. He couldn’t even tell me what direction she had gone in. I try her cell phone but the operator message came through alerting me it has been disconnected. My baby is in the wind and I have no clue where to start looking. All I know is I have to find her. I’ll never be whole again until I do.