Ava steps closer and wraps her arms around me. “She’ll be here. I know her. Just give her a few more minutes.”
As if I have a choice.
My phone vibrates in my pocket, so I fish it out of my pants and see it’s a text from Eden. My spirits soar at seeing her name. Quickly, I read it, but I don’t understand.
decided to stay in tonight why don’t you come here instead of me coming there
I read it twice and shake my head. “This doesn’t make sense.”
“What is it?” Ava asks, now her voice full of concern.
Turning my phone, I show her the message. As she reads it, I say, “Something’s off about this text.”
Ava looks up at me with pure worry in her eyes and points at my phone. “Eden would never send a text like that. You know her. She punctuates everything and correctly too. And she’d never write anything that sounds like this. I had to readit three times to figure out what it was trying to say. And no capitalization? No way. This wasn’t the person I’ve known for most of my life texting this. What could be happening, Marius?”
My blood runs cold as Ava says that. If Eden didn’t write that message, then who did? Something is very wrong.
“I don’t know what’s happening, but I need to get back to the penthouse right now.”
Before Ava can say another word, I race up the stairs to grab my keys and bolt back downstairs as my heart races. I can’t imagine what’s wrong, but the woman I love would never send me a text like that.
I nearly run into Matthias at the bottom of the stairs. “Whoa! What’s the matter? You look like you just saw a ghost.”
“Something’s wrong with Eden. I’m driving to the penthouse to see what’s going on,” I answer as I push past him.
“Do you want me to come with you?” he asks as Ava joins us.
When I don’t answer, she nods and kisses him. “Yes, go with Marius. He’ll tell you about the text on the way. Bring Eden back here so I can know she’s safe, okay?”
My brother promises her he will, but he looks baffled, like he isn’t sure what he’s getting himself into. After they say their goodbyes, he walks over to where I’m waiting at the door.
“Okay, let’s do this! I have no idea what this is, but it’ll be like old times when you, Theo, and me used to cause trouble.”
I smile at the memory of those days. “Let’s hope it is. I’m driving, so get ready because we’re going to be getting there as fast as possible.”
The two of us look back at Ava and then head out to my car. My stomach’s in knots, and my chest hurts just thinking of Eden in trouble.
She better be okay when I find her, or I swear to God someone’s going to pay dearly.
Matthiasand I practically run through the lobby of my building, but then I remember the doorman would have to let someone upstairs if they wanted to see Eden. I stop my brother and point at the desk just inside the front door.
“Hang on. I need to talk to him for a second.”
The doorman on tonight is Conrad, the one I like the most. An older man with white hair and a mouth full of the nicest teeth I’ve ever seen, he never fails to smile and say something nice whenever he sees me.
“Conrad, I need to know if anyone is upstairs with my wife,” I say nearly breathlessly.
He shakes his head immediately. “I didn’t let anyone upstairs, but I just came on, Mr. King. Are you expecting someone?”
I crane my neck to scan his desk for any hint about what may be happening to Eden. “No, but my wife sent me a very strange text, and she didn’t show up at my brother’s house like she was supposed to. Is there any way of knowing if she’s still up there?”
Again, he shakes his head. “No, we don’t track tenants that way here. I can check the logbook to see if Ernest let anyone up. Give me a second.”
My patience is practically null right now as I watch him flip through pages. Matthias pats me on the shoulder and quietly whispers, “It’s going to be okay. I’m sure we’ll find her upstairs and fine.”
Conrad looks up from his logbook and nods. “Yes, there was someone who asked to be let up. Ernest wrote down that a young woman named Samantha McCann requested permission to be allowed up to the penthouse at just before half past six tonight. Mrs. King approved her, and the young woman rode up in the elevator. He doesn’t note anything about the woman leaving, and since we do track visitors, he would have written down whenshe left if it occurred on his shift. I haven’t seen anyone leave since I got on.”
Samantha? My assistant? My mind races for a few moments as I try to imagine why she would have come here for anything. Then I remember Eden’s text.
