31
LUKAS
Before I even opened my eyes, I knew she was gone.
There were plenty of other rooms in the house for her to disappear into, but I knew she wasn’t in any of them. She wasn’t anywhere in my apartment, and for some reason, I knew that as a fact. In the fog of my sleep, I vaguely remembered the void she left against my chest after breaking free from my arms. I had a faint memory of her kissing the back of my hand before climbing out of bed.
But there was no memory of her getting back in, or making any sound around my house.
“Shit.”
The second my eyes opened, I climbed out of bed, getting dressed fast as I looked around the room for signs of her things. Her panties were on my nightstand but her bra was nowhere to be seen and when I rushed downstairs, I found my floor clean of her dress. The purse she brought – a brown, leather tote of some sort – was nowhere to be found.
“Fuck me,” I growled as I paced the floor of the living room, trying again after the first call she didn’t pick up.
I heard her last night.
I was half-asleep but I’d heard her say “I love you” – I just didn’t say it back.
Fucking asshole, I cursed myself as I yanked some shoes on in a hurry. I couldn’t explain my inaction last night. I couldn’t explain it as it happened and I still couldn’t now. I just knew that I’d made a mistake and that Lia wasn’t just up early and starting her day. She was gone.
“Hey, Sam,” I was breathless by the time I caught the doorman of the building on the sidewalk. “I’m sorry to ask this but you know the woman I had here the past few nights?”
“Certainly do. She’s hard to forget.”
“Were you here when she left? Did she look upset or angry or…” I trailed off, feeling like a fucking idiot and hoping Sam would bail me out.
“I did see her, Mr. Hendricks, and she was smiling when she said goodbye to me. But your other friend was here this morning. She tried to convince me to let her up.”
I frowned hard. “My other friend?”
“The blonde one who used to come here sometimes?”
I slapped my hand against my face. “Noelle.”
“Yes, Noelle. I called your apartment, there was no answer, and I told her I couldn’t let her up unless you were expecting her, so she waited in the lobby. And when she saw your girlfriend, she approached her,” Sam said with a face of regret. “She followed her out and I wish I could have asked her not to but I couldn’t overstep my boundaries, Mr. Hendricks. I apologize.”
“Please don’t apologize,” I shook my head, my mind racing. “I appreciate everything you did. Thank you, Sam,” I said calmly despite the fact that inside I was losing composure. I wanted to find Noelle and lay into her for whatever bullshit she had subjected Lia to, barely twenty-four hours after Cam threatened her. I was tempted to take the cab I flagged down straight to her apartment and ask what the hell she even said but I refused to indulge my anger.
Lia was the priority. She had been since I met her.
So after giving directions to the driver, the car sped off for 18th Street.
“Lukas, calm down. If she’s in there, she’s not going to appreciate you practically knocking down her door!” Tess hissed, at my side as I knocked on Lia’s door in the hallway. “What even happened last night? Tell me!”
I clenched my teeth, knocking hard for another ten seconds before I gave up and cursed under my breath, leaning my head back against the door.
“Cam threatened her yesterday.”
“Motherfucker,” Tess breathed out right away. “What did he say to her?”
“He threatened her business. Said he could easily kill it before it even started.”
Tess swallowed. “Shit. Can he?” she asked, looking especially small in her oversized hoodie. She twisted the drawstrings nervously as I shrugged.
“I don’t know. Probably. I can blacklist him from real estate but that doesn’t change the fact that he’s from a family with money and respect. Considering he doesn’t have shit else going on in his life, I’m sure he’d actually take the time to terrorize Lia.”
Tess crossed her arms, leaning on the opposite side of the hall. “I hope you’re not blaming yourself.”