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Stunned, all I could do was stare at her before managing to stutter, “Wha-what did you say?”
“Poor Mark. You may have fooled him, but I know what you really look like. You’re hideous. I can’t believe a freak like you thought you should even breathe the same air as a man as amazing as Mark.”
My wet hand flew to my birthmark marred face, and I glanced into the mirror to verify it was covered.
That was a mistake.
In the moment I looked away, the crazy woman stuck me in the arm with something.
It burned going through my veins, and I opened my mouth to scream, but she grabbed me in a surprisingly strong grip. The bathroom door opened, and a man with an impassive face entered. He wore jean shorts and a white t-shirt, details I noticed in panicked hyper-focus. The guy glanced at me, and I waited for him to help, but instead he turned his attention to the woman.
“Where’s the alarm?” she asked in a tight voice as she held her hand over my mouth.
I don’t know what was in the syringe, but my strength poured out of me. It left me limp against her as I struggled to keep my eyes open.
I slumped over, and my last thought as the world went dark was of Mark.
Chapter 14
Mark
I gently shook the cup full of brass colored game tokens sitting on the table as I waited for Layla to return. My mind was on our upcoming game when a shrill, pulsing alarm split the air. A moment later, I flinched as automatic sprinklers popped out of the ceiling and sprayed the crowd.
Chaos erupted, parents scooping up their screaming kids and sprinting for the doors. I had to pick Vali up to keep him from getting trampled, but then I attempted to shove my way against the flow of the crowd. We fought to get to the bathrooms at the back of the restaurant. Layla was probably freaking out and I had to get to my girl.
I almost lost my grip on Vali more than once because of assholes shoving their way past me, but I finally made it to the hallway with the bathrooms. A few employees milled about, but no one stopped me when I went into the bathroom to look for her. The space was empty, and I felt a little niggle of panic. A search of the stalls showed no Layla…but then I spotted one of her sparkling shoes far beneath the sink.
Picking it up, I stared at it then ran out the nearest set of doors, my heart pounding.
Behind the big building was relatively empty, the a few people in the parking lot all texting or talking on their phones.
I didn’t see any signs of Layla.
My phone rang, and I grabbed it, hoping it was her.
“Layla?”
Mateo answered, “No, boss it’s me. Where are you?”
“At the back of the restaurant. Where are you?”
“Out front with Gill.”
“Do you see Layla anywhere?”
“No but hold on a second. It’s a fucking madhouse out here. Let me climb up on this truck bed real quick.” Someone yelling at Mateo in the background. “I’m looking for my wife, I can’t find her… yeah, I won’t scratch the paint—fucking rednecks. Boss, I’m not seeing her or the dog.”
Fear crept through my gut, leaving a metallic taste in my mouth. “I’ve got Vali, but I can’t find Layla.”
“Where did you see her last?”
“She went to the bathroom, then the fire alarm and sprinklers went off.” I gripped her shoe as I set Vali down. “I found one of her shoes in the bathroom.”
Mateo was quiet for a moment, then said in a serious voice, “Boss, I’m really not seeing her. Neither is Gill.”
“Fuck.” I tried to keep my shit together, but I was one second from losing it. “Where is she?”
“You look around back there, ask anyone if they’ve seen her. I’m gonna start talking to people up front. I’m texting the rest of our guys to do the same. We’ll find her.”
Holding Vali’s leash with a shaking hand, I made my way over to the people nearby and asked if anyone had seen her. They all said no, and by the time I made it to a cluster of employees in their red, white and blue uniforms, I was sweating bullets. The feeling that something was very fucking wrong grew until it was a monster rampaging through my mind.
“Hey,” I asked one of the three kids in their late teens texting on their phones. “Did any of you happen to see a woman with dark hair in a yellow dress come through here? Maybe missing a shoe?”
All three boys looked up with oddly guilty and embarrassed expressions.
“Have you?”
One of them, a blond with big teeth, hesitantly said, “Yeah, we saw her.”
Relief filled me, and I nearly dropped Vali’s leash. “Where is she?”
