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25
ABRAM
It’s been over a week since I walked into Cambria’s empty apartment, and there’s still no sign of her.
I’ve tried calling her phone multiple times, but it goes straight to voicemail. I know she has enough money saved up to just buy a new phone if she wanted to.
That isn’t what’s bothering me, though. What really irks me is that she disappeared completely without any indication as to why. She’s off in the world somewhere, potentially dead, and I have no idea how to find her and make sure she’s safe.
I feel betrayed by her absence, but I can’t say I blame her. What I said to her was awful. She probably came here just to feel more connected to her brother after his death. As fucked up as that might be, I understand it.
But her absence still has a grave effect on me, and I’m not the only one.
Ever since Cam left, Ariella’s been acting weird. Whenever I bring her up, she just kind of shrugs, refusing to look me in the eye until the topic has blown over. Then she’s back to her regular snarky self.
I’ve never suspected Ariella of anything before, but right now, her refusal to cooperate with me is beginning to irritate me. If she were one of the bouncers, I’d interrogate her and potentially torture her for the information.
However, I’m not a psychopath. It brings me no joy to hurt a woman.
The only way that I can manage to get her to talk is by getting her to slowly open up. She’s always been the type to talk incessantly unless she has a secret. In that case, she needs to be coaxed into giving it up.
“Hey, so Cambria’s been missing in action for an entire week now. You think we should take her off the schedule?” I say with a neutral tone.
She glances up at me warily from behind the bar sink. “Oh, uh, I think it might still be too soon. She might have had a family emergency. We can’t really hold it against her if she’s forgotten to tell us about it.”
Right.
I know she’s lying.
“Cambria doesn’t have any family,” I say flatly.
She cocks an eyebrow. “She doesn’t have family? Who doesn’t have any family? Not even aunts or uncles?”
“Nope.”
I can see her growing restless and anxious as my expression remains unreadable.
“Oh, uh, I mean… shit, I really don’t know, Abram. She’s a young girl. She might have just gotten tired of the atmosphere. It takes a special kind of person to put up with this environment,” she says, putting back the glasses she just got done washing.
“She hasn’t worked in two months. There’s no way she was suddenly so stressed out that she decided to just leave. I know you know something,” I insist.
Her face is getting redder by the moment. I know she’s feeling the panic building inside of her. She knows I would never harm her, but I’m not above bluffing to scare her.
“You know, Ari, if I found out that you did know something and she turned up dead, that would be a really bad look for you,” I say. “What would I do with you if you stood in the way of me keeping her safe?”
Her eyes widen. “Abram, please just stop. I don’t want to do this right now. I have a lot of cleaning to do,” she deflects, turning her back to me.
I slam my fist on the table, causing her to jump. “Ariella, you’re going to tell me where the fuck she is, or I’ll have no choice but to make sure you’re completely blackballed at every nightclub in this city. You’ll never work again if you cross me, and you know that’s me being merciful to you.”
She turns around with tears in her eyes. “Abram, please, all I know is that she left and didn’t want you to follow her, that’s it. Now please stop interrogating me. You’re freaking me out a lot,” She cries.
I got what I wanted, but I’ve shaken the last person I know I can truly trust. What has Cambria done to my brain to make me like this? I’ve never given a fuck about a girl ghosting me, and I’d never, ever even think to chase after them.
Seeing Ariella in tears softens me a bit, and I lower my voice. “I just really care about Cambria, and I feel like she’s probably not in the right headspace to be out on her own like that. It’s dangerous out there.”
She wipes a tear from her cheek, careful not to smudge her foundation. “Well, she’s not the one in danger, Abram. You are.”
“Not a chance,” I reply boldly.
