Queen of Men (King Maker 2)

A swishing sound had me looking back.

Thirty

Kalen

Everything was wet as I stared around the room. I’d walked in and found the house empty. Bailey was gone and the door to her room had its own mind when it broke free of my hand and banged open as I searched for her.

Turner walked in minutes later, all innocent. I asked in a volume that could wake the dead, “Where is she?”

“Huh?” he said with utter confusion.

My mind raced with possibilities I didn’t want to consider. I checked my rage and said again, “Where is Bailey?’

“I don’t know?” he uttered, sounding puzzled.

Had he said, she changed her mind, she’s not leaving with you, I might have pummeled him. We both looked at the wet clothes spread out on a chair and the lass’ bonnet left near a pile of blankets near the fire. Neither of us acknowledged the fact, though there weren’t many possibilities for how Bailey had spent her night.

Having never been in love before, the tightness in my chest first made me think heart attack. It may have been out of the norm for someone my age, but not impossible.

“Did she leave?” Turner asked, disappointment etched on his face.

“Or did she just run?” From the both of us, I thought.

I’d told the lass I’d loved her and asked her if she’d understood. Though I’d done it in Gaelic, maybe somehow she had.

“It’s early, but maybe she went to help with morning chores at her parents’ house.”

I shook my head. “No, she knew we had to leave this morning.” Then I just said it. “She must have run,” I whispered the words, but he’d heard them anyway.

“No, she promised she wouldn’t,” he said but didn’t look convinced.

“But that’s what she does,” I said. “She ran from you, she ran from Scott, and then she ran from me.”

I watched him as he put the pieces together. “We need to check if her car is still here.”

No other words were needed. There was still an undercurrent of unease. We practically ran to the other side of the community to the security station. My daily workout sessions had paid off. I was barely breathing heavy when we came to the brick building to find my sports car and another.

“That’s her car.” He looked over at mine. “You know she’s not impressed by money,” he declared before heading inside the building that was the only halfway modern-looking one in this whole compound. I followed after I patted my side to find I’d left my bag at Turner’s.

In the security station, Turner asked the guard, “Have you seen Bailey?”

“No,” came from a heavy accented voice. It was Southern, I think they called it here in the States. “And no, she didn’t call a cab,” the voice continued.

Turner looked on the verge of leaving. I wasn’t sure if this question had been asked, but I said it anyway, “No cars came down this path at all today?”

I viewed the bank of monitors in front of the guy. Based on the comments I’d heard, this security was to protect the compound from the curious, not the crazy.

“Yeah, a car showed up, drove down, and turned back without stopping. But that’s not unusual,” the guy said defensively. “People accidentally turn on that road and ignore the private sign all the time.”

“How often does that happen?” I queried.

“Once or twice a month.”

Gritting my teeth, I continued, “And what time did this happen?”

“Oh, about an hour or two ago.”

On the verge of hitting someone, I ignored him and focused on Turner.

Beating me to the punch, he said, “I still think she could have gone home.”

“Is there a problem?” the guy asked. He looked as if we’d woken him from a nap. His blond hair was muddled every which way. “Should I contact Mr. Glicks?”

“No,” Turner said. “I’m heading over there now.”

We exited the building and our brisk walk turned into a jog.

After giving the story to Bailey’s mother, all three of us headed back to Violet’s. After we made it back, Bailey’s mother, convinced no one was home, left in search of Violet and her husband to see if they’d seen her.

I’d already sent a message to Griffin to look into Steven’s background. I’d learned that he was new to the community and hadn’t yet been located. Though I didn’t want to believe he had anything to do with Bailey’s disappearance. He couldn’t have known Bailey would show up here, could he?

Not wanting to scare Bailey’s mother, we’d suggested the possibility that Bailey had probably gone for a walk.

When the back door banged open and closed from a breeze, both Turner and I lunged in that direction.

We both looked at it first, hoping it just hadn’t latched, but that was a long shot. Outside, I caught sight of something not right. “Look over there.”