I said we’re good now. We haven't been replaced by perfect angels.
Enough of this. I have work too, you know. I have surgery tomorrow and a hundred check-ups. It’s not like I’m free either. I click open the file of the cute little cat I have to operate on tomorrow. She’s going to be perfectly fine. Just needs the tiny lump removed and she’ll be hissing at people again in no time.
My phone buzzes. I grab it, knocking over a glass of waterin the process.
Sliding my laptop away from the water, which is slowly making its way everywhere, I look at my screen. I deflate when I read the flashing name. Why is Oliver calling me right now? Then again, I’ve been avoiding him since that day in the bakery.
Sighing, I pick up the call as I spread out tissue papers on my desk.
“Hey, Elliot. Have you heard from Nicholas since this morning?” Oliver asks urgently as soon as I pick up.
I frown. “No? We’re not always together, you know.”
“Yeah, no. It’s just I’ve not been able to reach him.” Oliver sounds distracted on the other side.
“Ask Matt to reach him on the Bureau phone. He always answers that.” Including that one time when he was buried deep inside me. Not a memory I cherish. I tolerate Bree just fine, but I don’t want her anywhere near my naked ass.
Oliver doesn’t say anything. I wait patiently. “You still there?”
“Listen, don’t freak out, but I haven’t heard back from Matt since he went out for some Bureau thing early this morning. I was half asleep, but I’m pretty sure it was before six. I just came back from work, and he isn’t back yet. He doesn’t normally disappear for that long. But I’m sure it’s fine. He mentioned meeting Nick, so I thought I’d ask you.”
My body goes cold. I don’t even know why. As Oliver said, they could be busy. Their phone batteries could've died. Both of them. At the same time.
“I’ll call you back, Ol.” I disconnected the call. I can’t waste time reassuring him. Nicholas is perfectly fine. I know he is. But I can’t let this feeling go thatsomethingis not right. What if he’s in danger? No, Matt is with him. They've fought the worst criminals together. But what if this is the one time they can't?
No, I can’t go into that spiral right now. I need tothink.
If they were on a Bureau job, Sam should be able to find out where they went. And if there’s nothing there, I’ll startcalling all the Bureau agents I know one by one. At least one of them would know where they went. Or better yet, it’ll turn out one of them is hanging out with them right now.
But I have a distinct feeling they won’t be open to sharing a lot with me, especially if this has anything to do with a Bureau case. It’s not even easy to get Nicholas to open up about it, even though I know more about this case than anyone at the Bureau.
I try calling Nicholas. As expected, it goes straight to voicemail. I don’t have his Bureau number. Amid all the mess, I never thought to ask him for it. And he has never not responded to me before.
I give in and try Matt, too. Nicholas shared his number once for coordinating a Mickey pickup.
Then, for lack of things to do, I rewind the footage from all the cameras to five thirty am and sit there watching empty streets. No, wait. Not empty streets. I can see a very familiar car parked in front of an apartment complex. Closing all the other videos, I zoom in on that one. The video rolls as I dial Sam.
He picks up immediately. “Hey, can I talk later? We were—”
“I need you to come down to the clinicright now,” I say.
I hear some people talking in the background. “I’ll be there in ten,” Sam’s voice cuts through the noise. Then he hangs up.
I speed up the video, trying to keep my mind from drifting to the worst-case scenario. Are they in that building? No. A few minutes later, two tiny figures in black jackets walk out of the building. I recognize those tiny figures.
So, they made it out.
They stop abruptly in front of Matt’s truck. Matt talks to someone on a call until Nicholas takes the phone. So, probably someone from the Bureau. A few seconds later, they both get into the truck and drive off. Where? I don’t have any hopes of knowing.
My door busts open, making me flinch. A very scared Sam stands at the door. I didn’t even hear him come into the clinic.
“Areyou okay?” He asks, still standing at the door.
I wave him in. “I’m okay. But Nicholas isn’t answering his phone.”
He visibly deflates and comes inside, flopping on one of the chairs. “I love how you’re being this dramatic about your relationship, but next time, maybe give me a hint that it’s not a real emergency before I get into an accident getting to you?”
“But itisa real emergency.” I turn my laptop, replaying the video from the point where Nicholas and Matt walked out of the building. “This morning, Nicholas and Matt visited this building that housed one of the criminals on the Bureau's list. They left at around six. And now they’re not answering their calls. I need you to check if the man who lived here is still alive.”
