I’m lying to myself. If he had left and intended to come back, he would have called me or left a note. I don’t know if it’s something I said or did last night, but there has to be some reason he left me. I don’t understand what the hell is going on, so I break down and cry on the couch.
* * *
I’m up too early the next morning after sleeping with my phone and checking non-stop. I’ve been lying on the couch trying to will it to ring all night. The problem is, ithasrung. A lot. I have almost forty missed calls and texts from my mother and a few from Ronnie. I can’t stay here today because they’ll come looking for me, so I pack up my stuff and head down to the office to get my mind off things.
Dani isn’t at her desk when I get there and I’m feeling like no one is where they’re supposed to be anymore in my life. I see Sam in the back by the coffee machine and head for him.
“Hey Sam, have you heard from Jamie since he dropped off those prints?”
“Hey, my star designer!” He beams when he sees me. “No, I haven’t. Why? Lose him?”
“Honestly, I’m not sure. I can’t get a hold of him. He isn’t returning my calls or texts. I’m worried about him, but I don’t have any way to get a hold of him. So I came here to work and try to clear my mind.” My eyes burn the longer I’m rambling until Sam pulls me in for a hug and I realize I’m already crying. “I…I think he left me. I don’t understand what I did.”
“Hey, no. Jamie isn’t like that. I’m sure there’s an explanation.”
“He just left in the middle of the night. I know things were weird after he saw his sister at the party, but I didn’t expect this. He took all his things and didn’t leave a note. We were supposed to go on that trip, but now he’s ghosting me.”
“His sister?” Sam’s face darkens, and I can tell he’s hiding something from me. “Lex, uhm, give me a minute. Stay here, try to find a way to calm down.”
“What?” The panic hits my stomach hard and my knees buckle. “Sam?”
“I’m gonna go call him. I’m sure he’s fine. He’s been through a lot lately, so I’ll check in.”
He hurries off to his office, taking the stairs three at a time. I’m standing there holding a cup of coffee I hadn’t even realized he’d handed me, wondering what the hell I’ve gotten myself into. Something is wrong and no one will tell me what. “No, fuck this.”
I run back to Dani’s desk, relieved to see her there. “Where have you been? I texted you!”
“Chill! I dropped my phone in the fountain at the party and was way too hungover to go get a new one. Why?”
“I need to do something reckless, and probably stupid. In fact, I’m pretty sure it’s illegal, or it is on TV.”
“Oh, I’m in. Whose house are we burning to the ground?”
“I need an address. I need James’ address. He’s not answering, and there was an issue at the party. Chase told me to not let him leave my place, but he snuck out.”
“The party from two days ago? That’s fucked up. Say no more, I’m on it.”
In what seemed like seconds, Dani hands me a slip of paper with an address scribbled on it. I recognize the street name, but other than that, I have no clue where this is. I don’t exactly go to Pasadena very often.
“Do you have Chase’s number?”
“No. I only hang out with him when I’m with Jamie. It’s not like the guy wants his number floating around. You’re really freaking out, huh?” I nod. “Alright, go! Eat that after you get there, in case someone tries to arrest us for it!”
“I’m not eating paper, also, I have to put it in my GPS. I love you, Dani, but you watch way too many crime dramas.”
“I watch them with you, dummy!” I’m halfway out the door when she adds, “Oh, and if he’s ghosting you to break up with you, tell him I’m going to beat his ass!”
I bolt out the door, not bothering to wait for Sam as I plug the address into the GPS and speed away the second the directions pull up. The screen says forty-five minutes with traffic and when I finally pull into the driveway, I’m a mess. I’ve thought of every terrible thing that could have happened to him, not stopping at an alien abduction.
Chase said Elle was powerful.
Jamie is terrified of her, even though he doesn’t want to admit it.
If she hurt him, I will hunt her fucking ass down and shove those stupid, pointy fingernails into her damn eyes.
I spot his Jeep parked in front of a large, two-story home. It’s a simple house, set back off the road but in decent shape for how old it probably is. Next to his Jeep is a silver SUV that looks brand new. As I walk past, I see two car seats in the back.
James told me he didn’t have kids. He said Elle was lying about all of that. The back of my brain taunts me with what ifs. What if he lied? What if he has kids? What if he has other girlfriends? My heart is in my throat as I head up the stairs to the porch and knock. When there’s no answer, I knock once more and I check my phone. I hear hurried footsteps and the door flies open, revealing an absolutely stunning woman I’ve never seen before. She has long, blonde hair pulled up in a messy bun that looks slept in, so does the shirt she’s wearing. I recognize it as Jamie’s. I had it on just a few days ago.
