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“I was just about to head home but I’ll come straight there. What’s going on?”
“It’s Emilia. She’s missing.”
There was silence for a few moments before he spoke again. “I know this is easy to say, but you need to try and stay calm.” I heard keys jangling in the background and worked out he must have been right near his car when I called. When he spoke again, the line sounded clearer, which told me he’d switched to Bluetooth. “Tell me what you know so far.”
I recounted everything from the moment I’d gotten out of the meeting, including my call with Marian, and answered all his questions to do with timing. Pacing the room and eyeing the bar as I spoke, I was sorely tempted to pour myself a drink or three, but I wanted to keep a clear head.
Connor listened attentively and allowed me to speak without interruption until I was done. “I’m about ten minutes out, and once I get there, we’ll work out a plan of action. Just stay put, okay? Don’t go running off anywhere.”
“I won’t.” My mouth was dry and my tone rough. “Connor…” I let the unspoken words hang in the air.
“I know, Jason. We’ll find her.” The call ended and I collapsed onto the sofa next to her handbag. Hanging my head in my hands, I tried desperately not to let the fear and despair churning deep inside get the better of me.
Getting angry and upset wasn’t going to find Emilia.
After taking a few deep breaths, I turned to the handbag and rifled through it. Her wallet and tablet were still in it, and it appeared that the only thing missing was her phone. I pulled her wallet out and opened it, and when I saw the photo of the two of us inside, my vision began to get blurry.
I don’t know how long I sat there, staring at the photo of us, when the door opened. I swiped at my eyes before placing the wallet back in Emilia’s bag and standing to greet the new arrival.
“Connor.” I sucked in a breath and it hurt. “She’s gone.”
The other man didn’t say anything. Instead, he came over to where I stood and embraced me without a word. And that was apparently exactly what I fucking needed at that moment. Someone on my side, who could empathize with how I was feeling.
Frantic. Panicked. Worried. Sick to my stomach.
He released me after clapping me on the back a couple of times. “We’re going to find her. Okay?”
“Okay.”
“The first thing I need to know is whether you’ve heard from anyone about Emilia.”
I gazed at him, my brows furrowing. “What do you mean?”
“Have you received a ransom demand?”
My jaw dropped. “No. Fuck. Do you think we’ll get one?”
“I don’t know, Jason. It’s possible. Do you want to involve law enforcement yet or not?”
I started to pace. “I don’t know. Should we? What do you think? Doesn’t she have to be missing for twenty-four hours before they’ll do anything?”
“Normally, but Emilia is different.”
His gentle tone halted my movement. “You mean because she’s rich?”
His nod confirmed my worst fears. “Yes. It’s possible she’s been taken because of your wealth and the kidnapper will try to make contact.”
“So calling the police may not be a good idea yet.”
“If it’s a kidnap for ransom, then no. They won’t want the police involved.”
“Then we’ll leave them out of the equation for now.”
Connor pointed to the wine glasses. “Were they here when you arrived?”
“Yes. I didn’t touch them.”
“Good. That’s good. We’ll have to make sure nobody else touches them, either. They both look like they’ve been used, so they’ll have DNA on them.”
