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Not long after, I watched as the sedative ran down the IV line and into my hand, and I was left with a misty thought before it evaporated — Chase! Where's Chase?!
Chapter Nineteen
Chase
After the fierce storm that roared through town, leaving behind a deluge of debris from broken tree branches to a carpet of leaves on the streets, it was an anticlimactic ending to a disheartening day. Nonetheless, after several hours of analyzing if our grant information had been stolen by malicious hackers and determining whether Rosedale’s system remained safe, we were relieved to find that all data was secure.
Ultimately, though, we had to acknowledge that someone within our team was responsible for informing Valley Technologies. After a prolonged investigation for several hours, it became apparent that Clint was the likely culprit. Nevertheless, after he and I had a spirited conversation, he swore up and down that his mother's death had consumed all his energy and caused him to accidentally delete every file related to this grant. So, my coworkers and I determined this unfortunate event was just another unsolved mystery to add to the series of others plaguing us.
This time, though, we decided not to waste our time by calling Carter!
After we restarted the system, I tried to reach Meagan by both phone call and text. Even though it was well past midnight, and due to my previous request that she stay put in the guest house until morning, I wasn't shocked that she hadn't responded — she must have already drifted off into a deep sleep. Yet, as thoughts of Megs crept into my mind, I felt a part of me twitch, pushing the Escalade to move faster.
Soon enough, Guy's estate came into view, and I couldn't help but smile. Sometime soon, a piece of Casa Palacious would become my very own. Then, as I pulled up to the guest house and exhaustion was tugging at my sleeve, anticipation buzzed through me as I thought about feeling Meg next to me momentarily. Visualizing her face lit up my soul. My hands itched to touch her hair, and my ears burned with the need to listen to her moan seductively. Nothing else in the world mattered — only Meagan.
As I threw open the door and rushed to the bedroom, I didn't want to awaken her by switching on the light. Kicking off my shoes and leaving them at the door, I slipped down the hall and entered the bedroom. Moonlight streamed through the window as I quietly peeled off my clothes and fell into a cold bed.
"Megs. Hey, Megs!" I turned on the lamp and was shocked at what I didn't see. There was no sign that Meagan was here at all. Her side of the bed was neatly made, and the towels in the bathroom were dry. I surveyed the spotless kitchen; not a single dish was left in the sink, yet an empty water bottle sat on the counter. "Megs!" I shouted out with frustration.
I rushed to get dressed, then raced outside and to Guy's garage. Peering in the window, I saw his car was parked inside — obviously, he had made it home safely. Of course, all the lights were off, which meant only one thing; that Guy and Ariel were sound asleep by now.
Panicky, I quickly reached out to gate security and learned that Meagan had departed shortly after noon with someone. "Who was she with?!" I demanded.
The security guard replied, "Joy-Ann Cerkel." Now I was even more confused than before. Who the hell was Joy-Ann Cerkel?
"Is that an Uber driver?"
"No, sir. She's listed here as a friend of Meagan's."
My throat tightened. Was this another kidnapping? Immediately, I hopped into my Escalade and raced through a red light to return home. "It's okay," I whispered encouragingly as if trying to convince myself of the truth — this was simply someone giving her a ride after receiving my text message. Perhaps she was eager to get back to my apartment so she could work on the grant. Suddenly, my mind eased off its worrisome state and embraced reality instead.
As I pulled up and strode to my private elevator, I was met by Hank, who nodded and said, "Working late, I see."
"Yeah, I sure was," I said with a grin. "Listen, have you seen Meagan?”
Hank shook his head, "No, but I started my shift at midnight. Although Bruce didn't mention she was here... and since it's late, I hadn't gone up to check."
Perplexed but hopeful, I stepped into my elevator and pushed the button to go up to the penthouse suite — holding my breath. As the elevator doors opened on my floor, I couldn't help but feel a chill run along my arms. I was filled with dread as I realized Meagan could still be in danger. This thought propelled me forward, and my legs ran towards the bedroom door like a wild animal.
With one hand bracing the wall, I lunged for the handle with my other and flung open the door — Meagan was not in bed. Her side was empty. She had to be somewhere, my head swiveled, searching for a clue. My heart raced as I searched wildly for every possible scenario that could explain her absence—had something happened to her on the way home? Or perhaps she had left with someone else after being dropped off by Joy-Ann without telling me? No matter what, a deep sense of dread held tight in my chest. All I wanted now was for Meagan to be safe at home with me, but until then, all I could do was worry that she had left town with — "Alex! He's come back to get her a second time. Or was he her secret boyfriend she played like she didn't remember?"
This wasn't happening. "We were so close. I bought a ring!" I palmed my hair and dropped to the side of the bed with my face in my hands, wondering what to do next. "Her clothes..." I sprinted to the second bedroom and tore open the closet door. Everything was just like it was when we left hours and hours ago. When I spotted her diamond earrings on the dresser, I didn't know whether to be happy or scared to death. "Meagan would never leave without her earrings, would she, after keeping them for so long?" I mumbled in total confusion.
My heart sank when I caught a glimpse of the pool light reflecting off the window. "Oh no!" Without delay, I dashed out, my dress shoes sounding against the deck. With fear gripping my heart, I arrived at what appeared to be a tragic scene — expecting that she was face down floating in the water. To my great relief, however, it turned out that the lounge chairs had been blown around due to the storm, leaving one on its side and another at the bottom of the pool!
Thankfully, there was no sign of Meagan in the water or passed out on the deck. I had been praying that this would not be the case, but it seemed that my second worst fear was coming true — she was just gone, and I had no idea where she might be.
I tried to remain calm as I rushed inside to make a few more calls. First, I called Guy and Ariel, hoping they had answers, but of course, it was too early for them to hear their phones. At this point, fear and dread had taken over my body. So, I changed my clothes, sped back to Casa Palacious, and pounded on their back door.
Guy opened the door, bleary-eyed and obviously still half asleep. "What's wrong, Chase?" he muttered, rubbing his eyes.
I pushed past him into the house without a word. I cleared my throat to speak, but my tongue failed me. I had no idea what to do next. All I could think about was Meagan — if something terrible had happened to her, it would be my fault for not being there when she needed me.
"Chase! What's going on?" Guy asked again, this time with more urgency in his voice as he followed me into the kitchen. He must have seen the fear on my face because he started looking around as if expecting an intruder or something else that might explain why I was so upset.
"It's Meagan," I finally said, trying to fight back the tears threatening to come. "She's gone."
Guy froze, his face pale with shock. "What do you mean she's gone?" he asked, his voice hoarse with fear.
