I pulled my phone from my back pocket and swiped it on. There were no texts from Bonnie or Liam. The band was packing up and heading to Seattle today, but that wasn’t until the afternoon. He should be here in the hotel room based on his schedule. I shoved my phone back into my pocket and glanced around once more.
Where did he go?
After ten minutes with no answers, I pulled my phone back out and found our text chain. I didn’t want to seem nosy. He was a grown man. He didn’t have to tell his assistant where he was going. But I was worried. Our first night here, he’d come back with a bloodied face. The only thing racing through my mind right then was an image of him lying dead in a ditch somewhere.
I needed to at least know he was okay.
Just checking in. Do you need me to pack your things before our flight today?
That was good. No pressure and definitely what an assistant would ask. I set my phone down on the side table next to the couch. If I continued to babysit my phone, I was going to drive myself nuts. Needing a distraction, I started walking around the hotel room in search of Liam’s belongings. I assumed that his answer to my question would be yes, so I was going to get a jump start on it.
When I found nothing, I frowned. I was standing in the middle of the living room, slowly turning in a circle with the hope that I’d somehow overlooked his things. Had he packed already?
Was he…gone?
My heart began to pound as I shook my head. Of course he wasn’t gone. Why would he leave without me? I was his assistant. Things had been fine last night. Besides me discovering his secret, we were good. He was good. There’d been no indication that he was unhappy with my performance or that he was going to just up and leave.
No. He had to be out with the band. Or Katie. Or…Bonnie!
I walked over and grabbed my phone. The last person I wanted to talk to was Katie. I could only imagine her judgment of me if I had to admit that I lost Liam. I didn’t have a single band member’s number. So the only person I could call who would know where Liam had gone was Bonnie.
I located her number and pressed on it. Five rings and she picked up.
“Hello?”
“Bonnie? It’s me, Sabrina.”
She paused. “Oh, hey, Sabrina. I was just about to call you.”
My heart was racing. Bonnie didn’t sound panicked, which I wasn’t sure how to take. Either she was just cool under pressure, or Liam was not dead in a ditch and there was a perfectly rational explanation for his sudden disappearance.
“You were?” I managed out. My head was dizzy, so I sat down on the couch.
“Yes, ma’am.”
I frowned. “Have you seen Liam? ’Cause, he’s not here.” I smoothed down the plaid wide-legged pants I’d bought with Liam and Katie at the mall.
“That’s what I’ve been tasked to talk to you about. Mr. Carmichael—Liam—won’t be needing your services anymore.”
My entire body froze as her words washed over me. I blinked once, twice, three times as I tried to digest what she was saying. My lips were parted, and I wanted to speak, but no words could come out.
“He thanks you for your hard work and will compensate you for your time, but he no longer needs an assistant.”
I swallowed, my throat feeling scratchy and dry. “Where”—I cleared my throat—“where is he?” So many emotions were now coursing through my body, and it was taking all of my strength to suppress them.
Bonnie cleared her throat. “We’re on our way to Seattle right now. I’m emailing you the flight itinerary for you and Samuel to return to Harmony.”
My phone dinged.
“Let me know if you need anything else. On behalf of Fading Atlas, we thank you for your hard work.”
I started to ask another question, but there was a beep, and when I pulled the phone from my cheek, I saw Bonnie had ended the call. I stared at my screen, my mind racing with thoughts, but I could not process a single one.
Liam was gone? I’d been…fired?
I blinked as tears started to form, but I angrily pushed them down. The last thing I wanted to do was cry over that man. Especially when he didn’t even have the courage to fire me himself. Instead, he had his manger do it? I fisted my hands as anger boiled up inside of me.
I was content in Harmony. I found a job that I enjoyed. Samuel was stable. Sure, things were strained with Abigail, but that wasn’t going to last forever. I was going to save enough so Samuel and I could move out on our own. I was ready to start excelling at life. And then Liam had walked in with all his confidence and swagger.
