The Price of Mason (Forbidden Men 10)

I decided to take my chances, anyway. Better safe than sorry. Killing the engine, I opened my door and popped out to cross the street before jogging up her steps and knocking loudly so she’d hear me. A minute later, I drew my hands from my back pockets where I’d been resting them and knocked again.

Another minute a

fter that, I told myself not to panic. Except it was obvious there was no life inside her apartment, and she couldn’t have gone far without her car. It was possible she was at her aunt’s visiting, but I couldn’t go there and find out; her aunt hated me.

“Reese?” I called, knocking a little—okay, a lot—louder this time.

“Trouble in paradise already?” a snarky voice asked from the base of the stairwell.

I whirled around to find Eva smirking up at me.

“Is Reese with you?” I blurted, forgetting Eva’s and my mutual dislike for each other. Worry overrode everything else.

She lifted her hands as if displaying her own body. “Do you see her with me?”

I rolled my eyes. “I mean, is she in the main house or anything?”

“I doubt I’d come all the way out here to visit her if she was in the house.”

It took everything I had not to growl at Reese’s aggravating cousin. Jogging down the steps to meet her, I said, “She’s not answering her door. Do you have a key?”

“Wow.” Eva pulled back as if flabbergasted by my demand. “You don’t really think I’d just let you break into her place while she was gone, now do you?” She splayed her hand out toward the driveway in front of the garage. “Her car’s missing; she’s obviously not home.”

I drew out a long, calming sigh before shaking my head. “No. She left her car at my place on Friday. She either has to be here or within walking distance of here.”

“Then, I guess she’s somewhere within walking distance of here,” Eva answered in exasperation.

“Or Jeremy has her up in that fucking apartment, tied to a chair, taking his knife to her again,” I exploded. “She’s not answering her phone, she’s not answering her door, and she’s not with her car. And no,” I added before Eva could ask, “we’re not fighting. At all. Everything between us is amazing, but my wicked bitch of a landlady threatened to call Reese’s ex and tell him where Reese was if I didn’t do what she wanted, so excuse the hell out of me for freaking the fuck out, but I just need to know that she’s okay. Alright?”

Eva blinked at me once before turning away and saying, “I’ll go get the extra key.”

My shoulders sagged with relief. Thank God.

She returned within the minute, jogging toward me where I paced at the bottom of the steps. “What the hell do you know about Jeremy, anyway?” she muttered as she passed me and hurried up the steps.

I followed directly on her heels. “I know everything.”

“And who’s this landlady bitch threatening to hurt my cousin?”

“Evil incarnate,” I muttered, only to pull up short when Eva whirled around after opening the door and pointed her keys at me.

“You stay out here,” she commanded. “If you’re lying, and the two of you really are fighting, then no way am I going to let you use me as a means to get to her.”

I lifted my hands and shifted a step back. “Fine. Just get in there and check on her.”

She rolled her eyes but turned away and disappeared inside. I bit my thumbnail and tapped my toe impatiently. When Eva appeared a minute later, shrugging, my shoulders sagged.

“Where the hell could she be?”

“I’ll call her,” Eva announced, pulling her phone from her back pocket.

It was my turn to roll my eyes. “I told you; Reese and I aren’t fighting.”

“Right,” she said dryly, clearly not believing me, only to frown and pull her phone from her ear. “Straight to voicemail.”

Told you, I wanted to mutter.

“I’m going to drive around, maybe head over by the campus or coffee shop and look for her,” I announced.