Chapter Twenty-Eight
I walked out of the home gym Christensen had, marginally less pissed off. Dripping with sweat, instinct hit me. I dropped the hand towel and palmed my 9mm as I moved to the kitchen without making a sound.
My senses on high alert, I didn’t know what the fuck was different, but something was. I scanned the open plan kitchen and living room, but nothing stood out. The doors were all closed, the lights were still off and the sun had just set.
Listening for any movement, I silently made my way down the hall. Bypassing the master and third bedroom, I went straight for her room and tried the door handle.
Locked.
I banged on the door once. “Audrina, open up.”
One second, two, three. No response.
Shit. Shit .
I kicked the door right below the handle. Wood splintered as it swung open and slammed into the wall.
The second my gaze hit the room, I knew what was wrong.
Slider door open, the worn suitcase opened on the bed, shit strewn all over—she was gone.
I hit the lanai running.
Circling the pool, scanning the side yard, I ran toward the beach access and sprinted out to the sand. When I hit the beach, I looked south and north, but I didn’t see her. I didn’t see anyone except an older couple with a dog a hundred yards south.
“Fuck! ”
I was running back toward the house and the garage when I realized I still had the car keys in my pocket. I checked the garage for the Escalade anyway and sprinted into the house after I saw it parked where I’d left it.
I went straight to the security panel and scrolled through the video footage of the back of the house and the pool. A minute later, I saw it.
Audrina with a backpack jogging around the pool and heading straight for the beach.
My gut constricted as I looked at the time stamp, then at my watch.
Two hours ago.
Two motherfucking hours ago .
Which was a goddamn lifetime when tracking someone.
I pulled my phone out and dialed Luna.
He answered on the first ring. “This better be good. We lost three celebrity clients today.”
Fuck, fuck, fuck. “She’s gone.”
Silence.
I inhaled, then fessed up to my fucking negligence. “Two hours ago.”
“ Jesucristo ,” Luna swore. “What the hell happened?”
“I was pissed. I needed a workout. She was in her room, talking to her lawyer.”
“For two hours?” Luna practically yelled. “What the fuck, Tank? You do that shit on your own time.”
I didn’t defend myself, because he was right. I didn’t have an excuse. I’d crossed every professional line I could think of. Fucking her was child’s play compared to turning my back on her. She could’ve been kidnapped, for fuck’s sake.
“Christ,” Luna swore. “Tell me what you have.” He started typing on a keyboard. “I’m bringing up the security feeds there.”
“She left through the slider in her room and went toward the beach. The cameras lost her after that.”
“Shit, I don’t have coverage on that property past the yard.” He typed some more. “I’m bringing up her cell now. Hold on, I’ll trace it… Mierda . Last ping is your location, two hours ago. She either turned it off or left it there.”
Fuck me . I strode into her room, and sure enough, in the middle of the pile on the bed was her phone. “It’s here. She left it.”
“Damn it, hold on. Let’s see who she called last.”
Luna clicked away on his computer, and I fucking stewed. Rifling through the shit she left behind, I couldn’t believe she’d taken off. Then again, I could. I’d been a dick. She’d deserved it, but I was still a dick. I should’ve fucking checked on her before working out.
“Okay, got it,” Luna said absently. “I’m calling the number. I’ll put it on speaker.” A few seconds later, I heard a phone ringing, then someone picked up.
“Derks, you prick, that you? Where the hell are you? You said you would bring my shit hours ago.”
“Mother fucker ,” I cursed. “That’s Payne. Play it out.”
“Copy,” Luna whispered, before raising his voice. “Yeah, I got held up. I’m on my way.”
“About fucking time,” Payne slurred. “You get what I wanted?”
“Yeah,” Luna answered. “On my way. Where you at?”
“Where the fuck do you think? The W, you moron.”
“Room number?” Luna asked.
“You have a fucking seizure since yesterday? You already forget I’m in the east penthouse?”
Luna cleared his throat. “On my way.”
“Hurry the fuck up, ass—”
Luna hung up on Payne. “You heard. He’s at the W. You want backup?”
I was already walking toward the garage. “No. I got this. I’ll let you know what I find out.”
“Affirmative. And that fucking pendejo needs rehab.”
No fucking shit. “Not my problem. I’m out. I’ll check in later.”
“Copy that.”
I hung up and got behind the wheel .
Fifteen minutes later, I was riding the elevator up, ready to pound Payne’s face in for the simple fact that she’d called him. I didn’t know what the fuck she’d been thinking, but it pissed me off to no end that she’d reached out to him.
I pounded on the door to the east penthouse, and a few seconds later a chick in a bikini, drunk as hell, opened the door.
“Well, hello there.” She grinned, holding on to the door for support. “What’s your name?”
I pushed past her. “Where’s Payne?”
“Fine, ignore me.” She pouted.
I glanced around at a half dozen chicks in various states of undress lounging on the furniture. One was on her knees, sucking off what had to be Payne’s security as he sat with his head back and eyes closed in a chair by the balcony.
Unholstering my gun, I took three strides and shoved the muzzle in to the guard’s temple. “Tell her to take a hike.”
To his credit, the asshole didn’t flinch. He tapped the chick’s shoulder. “Take a break, sweetheart.”
His fucking dick still in her mouth, her eyes dilated as hell, she looked at him.
The guard upped the command in his tone. “Now.”
Her gaze cut to my gun, and a heartbeat later, understanding dawned. Her eyes went wide, her hands went up and she fall back on her ass. “I wasn’t doing anything wrong.”
Jesus fucking Christ. “How goddamn high is she?”
Putting his dick back in his pants, the guard ignored me. “It’s fine, sweetheart. Take a break, get something to eat.”
Nodding like a fucking bobblehead, she crawled backward before scrambling to get up and take off.
I focused on the guard. “There’s two ways this can go down. You and your client answer my questions.” I paused.
“Or?” the guard ground out .
“I call Miami PD and tell them about Derks and the amount of drugs in your and your client’s possession.”
The guard sighed. “What do you want?”
“Was Dreena MacKenzie here?” I could get Luna to talk to security and explain the situation and we could review footage, but this was faster.
The guard’s shoulders relaxed marginally. “Yeah. Couple hours ago.”
“What’d she want?”
“No clue. You’d have to ask Colton. She went into his room and came out a few minutes later.”
I stepped back, but I didn’t drop my weapon. “We’re going to talk to Payne, and you’re going to tell him to answer my questions.”
The guard stood without comment and walked toward one of the closed doors off the living room with me on his six.
The women fell silent as they saw my gun, but I gave zero fucks.
The guard knocked once on the door, then opened it and walked in. “Colton. We got company.”
Naked, fucked-up, and eyes bloodshot, Payne sat up in his bed and snorted a line on the nightstand as two naked chicks lounged next to him. “Derks better have come through. I’m almost out of blow.”
“ Colton ,” the guard snapped.
Payne looked up. When he saw my gun on his guard, he held his hands out. “What the actual fuck, dude? I already told you I’m sorry about Dreena.”
“Why’d she come here?” I demanded.
Payne hesitated as the two women stared at me.
I pressed my gun harder against the guard’s head. “Explain to him why he needs to answer my question.”
“Answer him, or your drug days are over,” the guard clipped.
“All right, calm the fuck down.” Payne swiped the back of his hand under his nose. “She wanted a car, said she needed one pronto. She said she couldn’t rent one, or some shit, so I got her one.”
My jaw ticked. “What car? Where was she going? ”
“I don’t fucking know. I’m not her keeper.” He held one nostril and sucked in deep. “You’re the one fucking her, you figure it out.”
I pulled my phone out and swept my thumb across to dial.
“Colton,” the guard snapped. “ Answer him .”
“Jesus.” Payne lit a cigarette, then glanced at the two women next to him. “What was that other chick’s name? The one who left?”
They both shrugged, but one spoke up. “I don’t know, but she gave Dreena her car keys before she left.”
Motherfucking shit. “She’s gone?”
The chick nodded.
I looked at Payne. “Who was the girl?”
Payne threw his hands up again. “I don’t fucking know!” He tipped his chin at his guard. “Ask my useless security here. He’s the one who gets them.”
“Name?” I demanded of the guard.
“Don’t know,” he admitted. “I picked her and the others up at a club last night.”
Stupid fuck. “You have them sign NDAs?”
The guard’s eyes cut to mine, and his expression said it all.
Goddamn it .
Holstering my gun, shoving my phone back in my pocket, I walked the fuck out.