He ended the conversation and saw there were three missed calls from Spencer. He hadn’t said where he was going today after meeting with Bianca and André, so Wolf, alarmed, hit the button to call him back. The call went straight to voice mail. He tried again, and again several minutes later, with the same result.
“Damn him.”
Spencer lived on his phone, social media being his lifeline and his job. For him to be unreachable was unheard of, and nerves crawled through Wolf as he wondered where Spencer was and what he was doing. He called Elliot.
“Have you heard from Spencer?”
“Hi to you too. No. I’ve been working on an article all morning. Why?”
“He called me three times, but I was with a client. I’ve been trying to get in touch with him for the past twenty minutes, and it goes straight to voice mail.”
“Hmm. Maybe Christo called him in and they’re talking about the job?”
That made sense. “Yeah. You’re right. It’s silly. He’s just always there.”
“I love hearing that you’re finally happy.”
“I’m not right now.” Wolf chuckled. “That damn fool never goes off the grid.”
“I’m sure it’s nothing.”
“I’ll call Chess. Ah, shit. He said he’s in meetings this afternoon. Dammit.” Frustrated, he glared out the window of the moving car. “Guess I’ll wait until I get to my office. Thanks, Elliot. Sorry to interrupt.”
“It’s never an interruption. And I wanted to say that we all stand by you, Wolf. We don’t care what your father did. It has nothing to do with you. We love you, and nothing will ever change that.”
“Thanks, Ello. I appreciate that. It’s nice to hear.” He swallowed hard. “Talk to you later.”
He ended the call and hit Spencer’s number again, only to hear his voice mail. Disgusted, he tossed the phone down. “Idiot. Where the fuck are you?”
He took a chance, and when he returned to the city, went to Maximillian and headed to the men’s department. After browsing some, he spotted Fernando, the salesman who’d once helped him. The man’s eyes lit up.
“Good afternoon. Back so soon? What can I help you with this time? Swimwear maybe?”
Wolf chuckled. “No. Definitely not that. I was actually wondering if you’ve seen Spencer. Has he been in the store today?”
“No. I haven’t seen him.”
Fernando looked uncomfortable, and Wolf realized the guy was being loyal to Spencer and didn’t want to talk about his situation. So Wolf said, “I know what happened to him, and I can see you want to help him. Between us, I don’t like the way he’s been treated, and I was curious if you’d heard anything.”
“Why are you asking?”
Wolf allowed himself a smile. “I don’t like people lying about someone I care for, and I need to know the enemy I’m dealing with before I enter the war zone.”
As Fernando listened to Wolf’s explanation, his big eyes grew wider. “Ooh. Well…I don’t know what all that means.”
“You don’t need to. But you must know the people involved, or at least the person who works here? I can’t recall his name.”
“It’s Donald.” Fernando made a face. “And I feel bad that Donald thinks he got Spencer fired. He’s busy gloating.”
“Gloating? Why?”
“He never liked Spencer. Thinks he can do a better job.” Fernando wrinkled his nose. “That guy’s been out of school two years. Who does he think he is, trying to push aside someone like Spencer? Spencer knows everyone who’s anyone.”
“Where can I find Donald?”
“In men’s accessories. That’s on the floor below us.”
“And he’s working now?”
