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It didn't take long to retrace his steps to the courtroom set, but instead of filming in progress, he found a bunch of extras milling about in the jury box. A quick glance around found the director and Khloe gone along with several other men who'd been loitering in suits. His blood pressure was rising with each second that ticked by without Khloe insight.
It wasn't lost on him that he'd be happy to see McLean in that moment, but even that asshole wasmissing.
Stay calm. McLean is probably with her, as he shouldbe.
He asked one of the remaining crew, "Hey, did you see where Khloewent?"
The guy didn't look up from the piece of furniture he was staining. "That's above my pay grade. They don't tell me where they're going. They don't tell me when they'll be back." Nice. A disgruntledemployee.
Ryder went back to the secluded area where he'd talked with her less than an hour before, pretty sure he wouldn't find her squatting over the bucket, but he had to check just the same. He searched for five minutes before he remembered thetracker.
What adumbass.
It only took a minute to pull up the tracking app on his phone. He'd tested the accuracy before giving the bracelet to her. The homing device would track within six feet. When the pinpoint marker showed she was still in the building, he sighed with relief. Using the app's map, he wound through the maze of darkened sets until he arrived at a huge door labeledCostumeDepartment.
The world's largest and most eclectic closet greeted him when he went through the door. The room had to be almost one-hundred feet long and fifty feet wide with triple layered rods hung in row after row–thousands of costumes and accessories from every genre... every timeperiod...
"Can I helpyou?"
A portly woman with thick glasses looked up from the sewing machine she was working on behind the entry'scounter.
"Yeah... I'm looking for KhloeMonroe."
The costume designer smiled indulgently. "Honey, she doesn't come to me. I go toher."
"But... I..." He didn't want to disclose he'd put a tracking device on her. "I gave her a gold bracelet, and I was told it was in here. Did someone bringin..."
While he was talking, she'd stood and walked to a pile of suits and dresses waiting to be rehung. When she turned, she held up thebracelet.
"This what you're looking for? I wondered where it had comefrom."
For the first time in a long time, Ryder panicked. Truly started to lose his shit. Snatching the tracker from her without another word, he took off running in the direction of the courtroom set while he switched over to his phone and calledMcLean.
"Hello." At least the assholeanswered.
"Where the hell are you guys?" heshouted.
"Who isthis?"
"Don't be stupid. This is Helms. Put Khloeon."
He waited for Trevor to dish shit back. It didn'tcome.
"She's not withme."
"What? I told you not to let her out of yoursight."
The jerk tried to defend his stupidity. "I had to take a piss. These sessions can last hours. I'm sure she's stillfilming."
"Do you really think I'd be calling you if she were on the set, asshole? You had one job. One fucking job!" Ryder ended the call before he lost hisshit.
Think. Where the hell would shego?
He retraced his steps, heading back to check the courtroom one last time before he would head out to her dressing trailer to see if she'd gone there for abreak.
Trevor met up with him in the hall just before the set. If he wasn't so frantic to find Khloe, he'd take the time to beat the jerk to a pulp. As it was, the taller man's ashen face filled with concern was punishment enough for themoment.
In a moment of silence, only his exceptional hearing picked up the faint sound of Khloe's laughter in the distance. It has been so brief, it was hard to triangulate her location, but the sound calmed him enough to allow him to think again. To focus. He closed his eyes, listening intently. There were men's voices, muffled in the distance. His gut told him to follow the sound. Finally, another short laugh confirmed he was on the righttrack.
