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Owen
It’s getting dark,and I still haven’t found Ella. I don’t know what I’m supposed to do. Her phone is off. She hasn’t contacted the resort that I know of, and none of the other hotels have her as a guest. At least, not under the name Ella Danes.
The only other plan I have is to go back to my room and wait for her to either show up or head to the airport before I know she’s due to fly out.
The idea of just waiting is driving me crazy. I want to be doing something, but there’s nothing left to do that I can think of. That alone makes me feel more helpless than I have in a long time.
I get back to the hotel and head straight to my room, only to find Jack waiting at my door. As much as I want to help Bill, I’m all out of fucks to give. I can’t be the inside man for the board. I can’t work for Jack anymore. I can’t pretend to give two shits about another woman when all I want is Ella.
Jack’s typing on his phone before he looks up at me with narrowed eyes. “I saw Natalie getting food by herself. If you weren’t with her, why weren’t you answering my calls?”
I take a deep breath and consider what I’m about to do. I’m so close to getting Jack out of the picture. So close to helping make a difference in a company I know is capable of doing good. Yet, regardless of those things, I can’t stop the words from spewing out of my mouth.
“Get the fuck out of my way, Jack.”
The line between his brows deepens. “What did you just say to me?”
I sigh. “I don’t have time to placate you anymore. I’m not going to help you get leverage over Natalie. In fact, I don’t even want to work for you anymore. I’m done, Jack. With everything that has to do with you and your company.”
His lips thin, and he takes a step closer. “Do you understand what you’re doing right now? I will ruin you, Owen. You’ll never work for another worthy company again.”
I let out a dark chuckle. “Any company who trusts whatever you have to say about me isn’t one I want to work for.”
“You’re going to pay for this.” He steps forward, slamming his shoulder into mine before heading toward his room.
A weight is lifted off my chest the moment I unlock the door to my hotel room. Damn, I should have done that a long time ago. Then again, if I had, I wouldn’t have been in Saint Lucia and might not have met Ella. I know I’m here for a reason, and I need to make things right. I was meant to be on that plane with her. I feel that in my soul.
With renewed determination, I head for the bedroom, looking for anything I might have missed earlier that could tell me where Ella went.
I open all of the drawers, then I strip the bed, and the bathroom gets the same treatment, but still, there’s nothing left of the woman I’m not ready to let go of.
My phone rings and I hurry to pull it from my pocket only to find Natalie’s name on the screen instead of Ella’s. I consider sending her to voicemail, but she deserves to know what I’ve done.
“Hey, Natalie,” I say.
“Is everything okay?” Her voice is softer than normal.
I sigh. “No. You’ll need to get in touch with Bill. I got into it with Jack and quit. I won’t be able to help the two of you. I’m sorry.”
She’s quiet for several seconds, and I look at the screen to check if she’s hung up.
“I understand, Owen. Thank you for trying.”
Before I can say “you’re welcome,” she’s ended the call. Instead of tucking my phone away again, I send a text to Bill. I still want him to get the information he needs and don’t want him to be blindsided by me quitting.
His response is immediate. Don’t worry. We have a plan B. I’ll be in touch.
I’m not sure why he’d be in touch with me, but I won’t be holding my breath waiting. Getting Ella back is my only priority, and that’s where I let my thoughts get back to.
If she’s not at the hotels, then where would she have gone? The answer eludes me, and I decide to get online. There has to be something on social media that can help me.
A quick search of her name and Charlotte, North Carolina together gives me a social media profile. It’s not public, but I can see her friends list. At this point, Ella is either ignoring me or something has happened to her, which I’m trying not to consider as a possibility.
Whatever it is, I can work with what I’ve found. Ella mentioned something about her friend Kenzie and I being alike, so I search for her name in the friends list.
“Bingo,” I say and click on the profile. I type out a message to her and hope she doesn’t ignore me.
This is Owen, the guy Ella has been staying with. She left without saying anything. Have you heard from her? I just want to make sure she’s okay.
