Chapter Twenty
Aaron opened the door to his apartment and called out. “Hello, Jenny! I’m back. Sorry it took so long.”
He dropped his keys into the basket on the hall table, continuing the one-sided conversation. “The meeting went well, so I get to start on the new floor tomorrow, as planned.”
He went to the living room and didn’t see anyone.
Where is she?
Moving quietly through the apartment, he walked down the hall into the guestroom and was surprised to find it empty as well. He then went to see if she was in the master bedroom.
Not here either. What gives?
His anxiety climbing up a notch, he knocked on the closed bathroom door. Even after recent events, he didn’t want to assume the worst, yet.
“Jenny! Are you in the bathroom?” He called out.
No answer. This is not good.
He pushed the door open, finding the room vacant.
She was not in the apartment. As small clouds of alarm formed on the horizon of his mind, he searched for reasons she might leave of her own accord and they were dammed few. He considered what he thought of as the most likely scenario; that she tired of waiting for him to return and went to her place to get her things, alone.
I hope I’m wrong, but I doubt it.
He tried looking in the phone book, knowing it would be a long shot and he was right, she didn’t have a listed number.
How the hell am I going to find her?
Aaron had wanted, tried, to keep her safe, and now she was gone. His stomach hardened into a tight, painful ball at the thought of her blindly walking back into danger. He knew that he would never forgive himself if anything bad happened to her.
He scoured the phone book a second time, looking for alternate listings as an even more frightening idea came to him.
What if she went to her office? If she went back to Diversified…Oh, Christ!
The human mind is a strange place and the dark side of his imagination took him to all the terrible things that could be happening to her at this very moment. He couldn’t get the picture of Jenny, beaten and unconscious, out of his mind. He knew he had to go to her office. It was the only place he could think of to start looking for her.
He grabbed Rambo from her chair and left the apartment. He knew some people might think he was nuts for dragging a cat with him all the time, but Rambo, pretty much his best friend, calmed his nerves and he needed that right now.
After stopping and asking Jimmy Dentella to keep an eye peeled for his wayward guest, he headed to the Tower building. His pulse quickened as he strode through the cold afternoon air. He knew he had to find her…before her enemies did.
"Chain Reaction" Power Failure Book I Page 26