“Who is this?” I snap, teetering on annoyance from the bombshell Gabriel just dropped. To say I’m upset is an understatement… I’m royally pissed.
“Elijah. Oh god. This is Teya. You don’t know me, but I’m Alex’s sister. I have Alex’s phone, and I need your help!”
“Teya?” I blink, trying to keep up. “Yes, of course, I know who you are. What’s going on? Is Alex okay?”
I shoot daggers across the room at Gabriel, holding the phone firmly to my ear, trying to make sense of what Teya is saying. I’m so upset at him for sending Alex off the deep end. He knows damn well what Alex means to me. He shouldneverhave answered my phone.
“He left, Elijah,” Teya says, voice tight. “I’m not sure what set him off. But he was angry. Like I’ve never seen. He took my car, but he left his phone, so I have no way of tracking him. Have you spoken to him?”
Fuck, I had a feeling this is what happened.
“No, I haven’t,” I mutter.
I scratch the top of my head, needingsomethingto do with my hands—because what Ireallywant to do is punch the living shit out of Gabriel.
“Teya,” I say, voice shaky as I fight to stay calm. “Your car has GPS, sí?”
I know full well that every new high-end SUV comes with a tracker. But I ask anyway, just to be sure.
“Yes, Elijah, of course.”
I wedge the phone between my shoulder and ear, hopping into my boxers and jeans one-legged, allwithoutthe assistance of my nowex-husband. I glance up as the door clicks shut—Gabriel slipping out, wisely deciding to give me some privacy.
“Do you have the app installed on your phone? For the GPS?” I clarify.
There’s a shuffling on the other end. Papers rustling. Something heavy hits the floor. And then she’s back. “Yes, yes. I have it.”
“Good. Do you know how to use it?”
“Yes, I think so. Hold on…”
I tug a T-shirt over my still-damp skin and stretch it into place. My sneakers are within reach—I slide them on and lace them up in record time.
“Anything yet?” I ask, heart pounding.
“I don’t know, Elijah. It’s not updating. The last ping shows him on I-95 South, heading back toward the city.”
“Okay. Good enough. He’s coming this way. Maybe he’s going home?” I say it loud, hoping like hell it’s true. More likely, he’s coming to find me… or worse, Gabriel.
“Elijah, I just ordered a car service. I’m heading into the city too. I’ll keep checking the tracker—see if it picks up his location.”
I yank open my bedroom door and bolt down the hallway, past the kitchen where Gabriel is casually leaning against the counter, deep in conversation with Emilee and Ana. I don’t even look at him. Don’t even acknowledge the girls. I head straight for the elevator and slip inside before the doors are even halfway open.
“Sounds good,” I say, almost forgetting Teya’s still on the line. “I’m going to his place. Call me the second the tracker updates.”
31
ALEX
Alcohol is already lappingthrough my veins as I step into the nightclub. God bless my sister—she’d left two unopened bottles of wine in a brown paper bag on the passenger side of her SUV. At some point during her errands, she must’ve stopped at a liquor store. Probably on her way back from dropping Emilee off at Ana’s house earlier tonight. And lucky for me, she forgot to take them inside. The fact that they were twist-tops? Well… that was just an added bonus to my mission of getting drunk—fast.
By the time I pulled up at Gravity, I’d polished off an entire bottle of warm white wine. Not my proudest moment. Definitely not smart. And no, I wouldn’t recommend drinking and driving. But the second I heard Gabriel answer Elijah’s fucking phone, all rationale flew out the window.
I aim directly for the bar, my usual point of contact at this place. I plaster on my moneymaking smile, dimple and all, as I slide onto a stool and toss a wink at the young bartender. He flashes one back, a flicker of interest lighting up his cute face.Perfect. Friends with alcohol are exactly what I need tonight.
But what I want…
He’s in here somewhere.
