"She knows when I've got something good," he said pointedly. "Go get ready, Alex. We need to find Liz."
I nodded and headed to the bathroom to wash up and then to my bedroom for fresh clothes. By the time I returned to the dining table, Cam had mapped out a search area for us to cover beginning with Liz's apartment.
Chapter Thirty-One
Cam
We spent several hours scouring the places I'd marked on the map with no luck. Alex looked worn out by the time we'd checked the known dealer spots, and I suggested that we head back to her place so she could get some sleep.
"Sleep, really?" she said with a wry grin. "C'mon, Connor, you can do better than that!"
"I'm not coming on to you." I laughed as I reached back and patted Tesla, who'd been quiet and patient the entire time we'd been out searching. At a couple of the places, we'd taken a t-shirt that Liz had left at Alex's apartment and let Tesla smell it. She'd looked at us like we were crazy before heading off to sniff at things that were far more interesting to her. "I need to take Tesla for a run, and I've got to prep for the press conference when Metzler announces his run for office."
"Ah, yes, I see." She nodded as I pulled up in front of her apartment building and let the truck idle. "I don't know what to do about Liz. I don't know how to find her. I have no idea where she is or if she even wants to be found."
"Give her time," I said as I reached out and ran my fingers through Alex's hair. It was tangled from the wind that had blown as we searched stretches of the river where the homeless and drug addicts tended to gather. I wanted to say something comforting, but I had nothing. I knew chances were good that Liz was somewhere completely hidden, and that every hour that passed made it less likely that we'd find her. "Maybe she's dealing with something we can't understand and just needs space to figure it out."
"Or maybe she's in a drug-induced haze and has no clue where she's at," Alex said quietly. "She needs me and I can't get to her."
"It'll be okay, Alex," I said, caressing her cheek. "One way or another, it'll be okay."
She nodded and then pushed the door open and got out. I wanted so much to park the truck and follow her upstairs, but I knew that if I did that, I was going to be late for my meeting with Leo and possibly screw the entire CSC deal. After all that I hadn't done to help Leo, this time I was going to make sure that I was where I was supposed to be when I was supposed to be there.
"Thank you, Cam," Alex said, then she closed the door and turned and walked up the stairs.
"You're welcome, Alex," I said as I watched the door close behind her.
Had I known then what I knew later, I would have never let her go home alone.
Chapter Thirty-Two
Alex
After Cam dropped me off, I went upstairs and ran a hot bath while I brewed a pot of tea. Not being able to find Liz was on the top of my list of worries, but I still had an exam to study for and a decision to make about Cam. I didn't like the fact that he had more money that I'd ever imagined. It made me nervous, but I couldn't identify why I was so viscerally opposed to it.
There was no question that he and I had chemistry and that I looked forward to every opportunity we had to act on it, but I wasn't sure it was enough to justify continuing the relationship. However, it was strong enough to keep us going for now.
I sunk down into the tub full of bubbles and tried to logically think my way out of my opposition. Cam was a good man. He worked hard and he was loyal to his friends, and he'd never tried to show off or lord his money over me in a way that made me feel like I owed him something. In fact, when I thought about it, he'd done the exact opposite. He'd downplayed his wealth and passed things off to luck or the kindness of his friends, like the reservation at Grace.
Cam was a modest man who happened to have a lot of money. He wasn't a rich jerk who was looking to acquire me as a possession, and when I dug down deep, I could only come up with the fact that I had something against all that money, not that he'd ever done anything to make me feel uncomfortable. In fact, everything he'd done had been to make me feel comfortable, and I felt vaguely embarrassed that I was making such a big deal out of something he had obviously learned how to manage.
"Get over yourself, Pierce," I said as I scrubbed my skin with a loofah. "It's not about you."
I thought about what Liz would say and how she would laugh it all off with a wink and a smile, and the tears started flowing. I had no idea where she was or if she was all right, and even worse, I had no way of helping her if she was in trouble.
I pulled the plug and let the water drain from the tub before standing up and grabbing a thick towel from the rack. I had to figure out where Liz was and I had to get her help, but first I needed to talk with my landlord about an extension on my rent and then take the exam that Professor Jackson had scheduled for the next day.
After I pulled on a sweatshirt and pants, I went to the kitchen to pour the tea. It was going to be a long night of reviewing anatomy. I took a steaming mug to the table and opened my books. For a moment, my mind drifted off to the place where Cam and I had made very different use of the table earlier in the day and I was tempted to call him.
"Knock it off, Pierce," I scolded myself as I shook my head to clear it. "You don't have the luxury of acting like a lovesick school girl."
I looked down at my books and thought, "Come hell or high water, I am going to pass my exams and get my nursing license."
Not even the devastatingly handsome Cam Connor was going to distract me from my goal.
#
I studied into the wee hours of the morning and then took a quick nap before getting up and getting ready for class. I wanted to stop by the landlord's office to ask him about an extension before I headed to class, so I took extra care to make sure I looked like a responsible tenant who would, in fact, pay the rent. We'd had a few minor differences during the time I'd lived in the apartment, but nothing that would prevent him from giving me a chance to get the financial aid issues straightened out so I could pay him.