Second Nature (His Chance 2)

“I am, and it’s so nice to meet you!” He grabbed me in a hug, and when he let go of me he peered out into the hallway and asked, “Where’s Gabriel?”

“He’s not here?”

He shook his head, then stepped back and held the door open as he said, “Come in.”

I stepped into the foyer, but then I paused and asked, “When did you get back?”

“At about two a.m. I don’t know if Gabriel told you, but my husband ended up with food poisoning so we came back a little early. Alastair’s taking a nap, but he’s been looking forward to meeting you.”

I asked, “Was Gabriel here when you got home?”

“No, so we assumed you two were spending the night at a friend’s house or something. He forgot his phone, though. It’s been beeping on the coffee table all day.”

“That’s because I sent about a million messages. If he didn’t come back here, where would he go last night?”

Sawyer looked confused as he ran a hand over his short, light brown hair. “You mean you don’t know where he is?”

“We had a fight yesterday evening, and he walked away and left me in the Castro around seven p.m.” I pulled my phone from my pocket and said, “I just assumed he’d come back here, but maybe he went to Zachary’s apartment, or one of his other friends. I don’t have anyone’s number, though. Do you?”

“Yeah, I do. Come on in. It’s most likely he’d reach out to Zachary, so let’s call him first.”

We both sat down in the living room, and while he messaged Zachary, I sent a text to Roger. Not that I expected Gabriel to be there, but I could imagine him going to Roger’s apartment to yell at him after discovering the shop and the poster, so maybe Roger would know where he went afterwards.

After a few minutes, Sawyer looked up from his phone and said, “I messaged three of Gabriel’s friends, and no one’s heard from him. Now they’re worried. What exactly happened last night?”

I told him the story as concisely as possible, and then I asked, “Do you mind if I check the guest bedroom? I want to see if he came back here to change and just forgot his phone before heading out again.”

“Go right ahead.”

Sawyer followed me down the hall and watched me curiously. All our stuff was right where we’d left it, and Gabriel’s wallet was on the dresser. I took a quick peek in the closet, then said, “I started to wonder if he’d gone back to Catalina. He wouldn’t leave all his stuff though, and I really think he would have wanted to come back here and change first, since he was wearing his most uncomfortable heels. Even so, it won’t hurt to check with his friends at Seahorse Ranch.”

“Yeah, might as well.”

I called the front desk, and when Beck answered, I asked him if he’d head from Gabriel. Then I had to spend the next couple of minutes reassuring him everything was alright. When I finally got off the phone, I told Sawyer, “They haven’t heard from him. So, where else would he go? He didn’t have anything with him, just his I.D., some cash, and the keys to this apartment. I can’t imagine him checking into a hotel, or wandering around aimlessly all night.”

Sawyer’s blue eyes went wide, and he asked, “Do you think something bad happened to him?”

Mason Simeck immediately came to mind. What if he’d spotted Gabriel walking down the street all by himself, then abducted him to get back at us for daring to defy him?

“I need to go,” I blurted. “Please call me if Gabriel comes back, or if you hear from him.”

We quickly exchanged numbers, and then he ran with me through the apartment and asked, “Where are you going?”

“I thought of someplace he might be. I hope I’m wrong though, so please keep reaching out to anyone you can think of.”

Before Sawyer could say anything else, I ran out the door. Then I rode the elevator back to the ground floor and sprinted across the lobby. Once I reached the street, I flagged down the first cab I spotted, climbed into the backseat, and recited Mason Simeck’s address. I actually had no idea if he still lived there, but I had to start somewhere.

I leaned back and caught my breath as the cab driver began to make his way across town. My phone rang after a minute, and Roger’s name appeared on the screen. When I answered, he said, “I’ve just seen your text, mate. Why are you asking if I’ve spoken to Gabriel?”

“Because he didn’t come back to the apartment last night, and no one’s heard from him. The last time I saw him, he was heading out of the Castro. Do you happen to know if any of his friends live nearby?”