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I snatch up my keys and leave.
8
On my drive home,I make detailed, elaborate plans for the rest of our day. It involves no clothes. No interference. And I’ll tell her how much I love her every opportunity I get.
I jog through the foyer, seeing Clive wrestling with something under his desk. I should stop and help. Should.
I step in the elevator and answer my mobile when it rings, having to hold it at my ear with my shoulder so I can use my good hand to punch in the code. “What?” I say to Drew. My phone slips from my ear and hits the floor. “Fuck.” I scoop it up and wedge it between my shoulder and my ear again, going back to the panel on the wall.
“Why the fuck is Sarah showing around the copper who was here last night?”
My mobile slips again, hitting the flooragain. “Fuck it,” I yell, yanking at the bandage around my hand and pulling it off, my hand throbbing. I stuff it in my jean pocket and pick up my phone gingerly as I enter the code. “He’s a member, but probably not for long once Sarah’s done with him.”
“A member? Why the hell are you letting in people who’ve pissed us off?”
“Whose manor is it?” I ask. “And what happened with you and Victoria? I thought you were dating?”
“I don’t date, Jesse.”
“I believe you took her out to dinner.”
“I took her out for dinner and asked her to join me at The Manor. It didn’t go down too well.”
I chuckle, and Drew hangs up, the moody fucker. I start pacing the small space as I’m carried to the penthouse, and I squeeze through the doors the moment the gap is big enough, locating my key on the ring as I hurry to the door. Bursting in, I slam it behind me and stand, scanning the room. “Honey, I’m home,” I call, grinning to myself. I poke my head into the kitchen, check the terrace, and when I find both empty, I take the stairs three at a time, hoping I find her exactly where I left her. On the bed, drenched in lace.
I fall into the bedroom. The bed’s empty.
The bathroom. Empty.
“Ava?” I yell, proceeding to check every other room, my nerves becoming more frayed by the second. I’m getting worked up, unable to reason with the dormant fear rising inside, John’s words crowding my head. I force my legs to take me back to the bedroom and sit on the edge of the bed, gazing around. Listening. She’s not here. I gulp down the giant lump in my throat, wiping at my forehead while I dig my phone out of my pocket, repeating the same mantra over and over.Be cool. Be cool. Be cool.But she’s run too many times, and this feeling that descends every time she’s not where I expect her to be is unstoppable. She never mentioned leaving the penthouse. She never said anything about having to goanywhere. Surely, given she knows how I react to her disappearing, she would have. I dial her, and the fact she answers first time completely escapes me. So does her chirpy tone.
“Where the fuck are you?” I yell, standing and circling the room.
There’s a moment of silence before she retorts, “I’m with my brother,” evidently pissed off. I can give no time to that either. “Calm down.”
“Calm down?” I blurt, my voice high. “I get home and you’ve run out.” And she’s telling me to calm down?
“Fucking hell,” she says quietly.
I’ll give herfucking hell.“Watch your fucking mouth.”
“I’ve not run out. I’ve come to meet my brother.”
I recoil. She didn’t mention meeting her brother. So she knew she had plans and didn’t tell me?
“He’s back from Australia,” she goes on. “I was supposed to see him yesterday, but I got a little caught up elsewhere.”
“I apologize for inconveniencing you.” I need to get off my high fucking horse.
“Excuse me?”
I ignore her and get to what I need to know; how much time have I got to kill before I get her back? “How long will you be?”
“I said I would spend the day with him.”
“Day?” I blurt. All fuckingday? “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Your phone interrupted me,” she says, almost tiredly, as I fight to get my breathing under control. “And you were sidetracked with problems at The Manor.”
