I shrugged and reached for my phone. “Only one way to find out.”
~*~
Otto
When I woke up alone and said my Omega was gone, I had no idea how right that statement was.
I had low-key stalked Dex to the point where I had his work schedule memorized, so I assumed that I would find him at the coffee shop. Hurrying through a shower, I pulled on the firstpair of jeans and t-shirt that I found pawing through the basket of clean laundry and headed out at a brisk walk.
When I didn’t see Dex at the counter, I slipped around to check the employee break area where I’d found him before. Other than a teenage girl hosing the patio off, it was empty.
“Can I help you?” She was eyeing me suspiciously and pointed to theno-entrysign on the half wall. “This is an employee-only area.”
“Sorry, I was looking for Dexter and didn’t see him inside.”
I was rewarded with an impressive eye roll and sneer. “Duh. He’s on vacation. Why would he be here?”
Vacation? He didn't mention a vacation to me. More importantly, why the hell was he out of bed at the crack of dawn on his first day on vacation? Especially after I kept him up and wore him out the night before?
“Oh, right. I forgot about his vacation. Sorry I bothered you.” I smiled but the alarm on her face suggested it might not have translated well, so I gave up and headed back to the front of the building before she decided I was a threat.
Walking the few blocks to Dex’s building, I made my way to his third-floor apartment with the usual lack of trouble and knocked. No response. I knocked again, louder, and called Dex’s name softly.
Still nothing.
Pressing my ear to the door, I listened for any sign that Dex was inside, either ignoring me or in distress but didn’t hear anything.
“Don’t think he’s home, hun.”
I jumped, somehow managing to bang my head on the doorjamb as I tried to make it look like I wasn’t trying to eavesdrop through the door.
The way the old lady was stifling her giggles as she looked out the door across the hall assured me that I failed miserably.
“Do you know where he is?”
She shook her head. “Nope, but he was hauling a fair-sized suitcase when he and that other handsome young man left last night.”
“Last night?” I parroted. “I, uh, saw him last night.”
“Oh, it was late,” she said conspiratorially. “Almost two in the morning. You know how young lovers are.”
“You were up at two in the morning?”
She laughed. “I was walking a gentleman caller of my own out when they left,” she said saucily.
Okay, then.
“But Dex didn’t say where he was going?”
“We just waved,” she said, “but I did hear the other young man say something about picking up keys to a cabin, if that helps.”
Nope, we were in the middle of dozens of areas with cabin rentals, so that didn’t help at all.
“Thanks.”
“Do you want me to give him a message if he comes home?” she offered. From the gleam in her eyes, I suspected she was more interested in gossip than in helping me.
“No, thanks. I’ll just call him.” I pulled out my cell phone and waggled it in her direction, as if that was going to convince her. “Have a good day.”
