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Did she…did she leave?
It felt like someone dropped a bucket of ice-cold water over my head. It wasn’t as if I didn’t know what a one-night stand was. Ancestors knew I’d snuck out on more than one woman after we’d messed around and she’d fallen asleep, but no one had ever snuck out onmebefore. The light-hearted feeling was crushed, replaced by something icy and hollow as I kept looking around my home, finding no sign of her. There was no indication of where she’d gone. Not so much as a note on the fridge or the table.
Whatever time she’d left had been hours ago.
I clenched my jaw as I strode back towards my bedroom, snatching my phone off the nightstand. Hers was gone, of course, but when I flipped mine over to check the screen, I saw no new texts or messages.Nothing. Absolutely nothing. And what exactly did you think you were going to get, Eli?
I forced myself to shake off the thought, swiping my thumb over the screen to unlock it. I pulled Iris’s contact up and tapped on her name, pressing my phone against my ear. The line rang once before going straight to voicemail. The knot in my gut twisted a little tighter as I listened to the sound of her voice. The tone at the end of the message almost started me.
“Uh, hey Iris,” I began, feeling unreasonably awkward. I left messages for work all the time — professional, cool, calm messages. This shouldn’t be any different. “It’s me, Eli. It’s ten in the morning and I’m not exactly sure where you are. I mean, it’s fine. If something happened on the case, it would have been fine to wake me up.”
I didn’t want to assume the worst. What if I just made Iris think I was some sort of insecure jerkoff? Or maybe she needed some space, and I would be coming off as needy or clingy? I didn’t exactly want either scenario to happen.
“Anyway, when you get this, could you just give me a call and let me know you’re alright? There’s a lot going on right now, so I’d really appreciate it. Thanks.”
I paused a moment longer before hanging up, feeling as awkward as a newborn fawn. I stared at my phone’s blank screen for a few moments longer, then tucked it into my pocket.
I retreated to my couch, sitting down heavily before another idea struck me. Pulling my contacts up again, I tapped on Clay’s name instead. He and Jaxon were both supposed to be on watch last night. I held my phone up to my ear, and this time, someone picked up on the second ring.
“Hey boss,” the other wolf rumbled. “What’s up?”
“What time did Iris leave my condo last night?”
There was a brief pause. “I don’t know,” Clay said after a moment. “Damon had the overnight shift.”
“What?” I hissed, my jaw clenching. I had specifically told Damon I was no longer in need of his services a few days ago, and I certainly hadn’t changed my mind. “Why the hell was Damon there?”
I could almost hear Clay cringe over the phone.
“Well…” the guard said slowly, clearly taking his time. “He showed up around ten last night and said he was to take over the watch. I told him I didn’t have any instructions to hand things over, but he’d said Nic had sent him over personally, and I figured that was that.”
I growled softly, rubbing the side of my face with my free hand. Damon had been my bodyguard since I was a child, and clearly, that had given the man some ideas on what he thought he could or couldn’t dictate to me. It was one thing when I was seven; it was entirely another when I was twenty-five. And to make matters worse, I hadactuallythought my father and I were getting somewhere.
I had believed him, foolishly perhaps, when he said he was going to do better and stop treating me like a little boy.
“What’s going on, Eli?” Clay prompted, and I realized I hadn’t said anything to him since he’d explained how Damon had gotten outside my condo in the first place.
“I need you and Jaxon to get back here. Immediately.”
“I…yeah, of course,” Clay said. I could hear the sound of movement. I had no idea what the man was doing in his time off, but that wasn’t really my business. “Sorry, Eli. I didn’t think Damon taking watch was an issue? It’s never been one before.”
This was true. But before this, I’d thought I could trust Damon, and now…now I was seriously starting to suspect he didn’t have my best interests at heart, but rather my father’s. More than that, he still seemed to be convinced that it wasIriswho’d started causing the disappearances, even though no one else did — including my father and Remus.
“It’s fine,” I said, trying not to snap at him. “I told him I was releasing him back to my father a few days ago.Clearly,he didn’t take my word seriously, but you wouldn’t have known.”
This time, I actually heard Clay grimace. “Well, shit,” he grumbled, still moving around. “Soon as we hang up, I’ll call Jaxon and we’ll get over there fast as can be.”
“Thank you.”
We hung up and I sighed, staring at my phone a few moments longer. I wasn’t looking forward to the next call, but I made myself tap on Damon’s name. He picked up after a few rings.
“Hello?”
I scowled at the sound of the familiar deep voice that had brought me so much comfort as a child. “Damon,” I rumbled, trying to contain some of my aggravation. “What time did Iris leave my condo last night?”
He paused. “I didn’t realize she was in your condo last night.”
I rolled my eyes, staring up at the ceiling. Either he was lying to me, or he was completely incompetent. Both situations were equally undesirable. “Clay and Jaxon are working as my bodyguards, Damon. You’re fired.”
