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"Okay, to start we can file a missing persons report—"
"It's Matias," I interjected before he could finish.
"Matias de la Vega?" Declan asked in surprise.
I nodded.
Declan hesitated a moment before saying, "Have you talked to Cruz—"
"No," I said. "Not directly, anyway. It's complicated." I began pacing the small kitchen. "I don't think Cruz has heard from him. He didn’t come right out and say that when he and Elliot were over for Thanksgiving dinner but…” I found myself biting into my lip to try and get control of myself. “Matias left two weeks ago and no one has seen or heard from him since."
"Sam—" Declan began, his voice full of confusion.
The helplessness and frustration that I'd been feeling for the past two weeks spilled over in a horrific way. "Declan, please, I just need your help. He told me that you guys know each other… that the person he works for knows you or something. I don't really know what kind of work he does, but I know it isn't just security. I just need to know that he's okay. I can't file a missing persons report because then my name will go on it and the police will talk to Cruz and he'll find out…" I shook my head. "Please, Declan, I didn't know where else to go."
The chair scraped back, but I couldn't bring myself to look up. I kept pacing, but eventually Declan's feet came into view. He was only a handful of inches from me, but thankfully he didn't reach for me or anything like that. He just stood there as he said, "Sam, we'll find him, okay? I haven't met Matias directly, but you're right, I do know the person he works for. I also know that all the guys who work for that man know what they're doing and can take care of themselves. I'm going to start by making a couple of phone calls."
That had me looking up at Declan. "Cruz can't know that I…" I didn't know how to finish the statement because I hadn't actually told Declan the truth about my relationship with Matias. Honestly, I couldn't even remember half the things I'd said to Declan during my outburst.
"He won't," Declan assured me. "Why don't you sit down?" He motioned to one of the kitchen chairs. I forced myself to move to it and sit but it was hard to keep still. It brought back memories of dinners with my family when I'd been a kid. The silence had me on edge now as it had back then.
I jumped when Declan appeared at my side and put a bottle of water on the table in front of me. He seemed startled by my reaction. "Sorry," I mumbled as I reached for the bottle. It would at least give my hands something to do.
I forced myself to take a drink of the water as Declan moved back around the table and sat down across from me. It was hard to keep my eyes on him, so I focused on the bottle in my hand instead.
"Sam, can you tell me about your relationship with Matias?"
I nodded but found myself unable to actually say anything after that.
"I take it that something has happened between the two of you since the night of the attack?" Declan said carefully.
I nodded again.
"Were you with him the night that he disappeared?"
"Yes," I managed to say. "He came with his brother and Elliot to my house for movie night. He, uh, got some kind of text on his phone and then he just got up and walked out. He didn't say a thing."
My heart thudded painfully in my chest. "Cruz went after him and I heard them arguing, but I couldn't really make out what they were saying. I think Cruz asked him not to do something, but I don't know what it was. Matias left anyway. I followed him to his car, but…" I could feel tears stinging the backs of my eyes as I remembered how Matias hadn't even looked back when I’d called his name. I reminded myself that the last person I should be falling apart in front of was Declan Barretti, but I was too raw to control my emotions anymore. There hadn't been a single person I could talk to about what was happening in the past two weeks, and now that there was someone in front of me, it was like my mouth was moving of its own accord.
"Did you try to call him?" Declan asked.
"Yeah. Our, um, relationship… it's not like that…" I shook my head because I didn't know how to describe it. "It's casual," I finally managed to get out.
"Okay," Declan said. "I'm going to make a couple of calls. Do you mind hanging out here for a few minutes?"
I absolutely did, but I shook my head. No matter how awkward it would be, I'd sit there all night if it meant getting some answers about Matias. As Declan got up, another little girl came racing around the corner. I guessed her to be around two or three. Her hair was a riot of soft brown curls and she had a nightgown on that went from her neck to her toes. It was covered in stars and rainbows. There was a book in her hands that she immediately held up when she spied Declan.
