Chapter Fourteen
Why Does He Keep Running From Me?
Gabe
“And if you put your hands on me one more time, I will fucking break them. Do you understand me?” This kind of thing doesn’t happen here often, but some assholes don’t get your polite hints to keep their hands to themselves.
I’m usually not this adamant about it, but having Ender in my life now, I’m not even entertaining the idea.
“Okay, man. Take it easy.” The guy surrenders, his hands in the air as I push him away.
Once he’s out of my path, I continue looking for Ender. I check the restrooms and every unlocked room in the private section, but there’s no sign of him anywhere. I don’t think he’d leave without telling me, but then again, with his track record, anything is possible.
I call his phone as I search around the dance floor on the first level, but he isn’t answering. Did he even bring it with him? I text a couple of times—still nothing.
“Hey Steve, did you see the guy I came in with leave?” I ask the front doorman.
“He ran out of here a little while ago. I asked if he needed me to call an Uber, but I don’t think he heard me. Just ran down the block.”
Fuck!
I run to my car and take off without any clue where to look for him. I search the surrounding area while I keep texting and calling him.
Eventually, I lose hope that I’ll find him on my own, and resort to calling the only person who can possibly help.
“Hey, what’s going on?”
“Luke, I need you to ask Kaden to check on Ender. He’s not answering my calls. Please don’t ask me to explain.”
“What did you do, Gabe?”
“Luke, just have him fucking call, please!” I’ve never raised my voice at Luke in the twelve years we’ve known each other.
“I’ll call you back in a few.”
With nowhere else to go, I drive to Ender’s apartment, hoping to get there before he walks into the building.
The drive is a total blur, and I arrive back at his apartment in half the usual time.
The front doors are close enough to my car that I can’t miss him if he shows up, while I repeatedly text and call him.
Ender, please answer me. What happened?
At least let me know you’re okay…please!
Dozens of unanswered messages and still no sign of Ender or Connor coming home. When my speakers shrill with an incoming call, I hold my breath for the split second before I hear Luke’s voice.
“Buddy, you there?” The wariness in his voice has blood whooshing in my ears.
“Did you find him? Is he okay?” I can’t say for sure what explanation would make me feel better.
“He’s fine. He’s at Kaden’s apartment with him and Connor now.”
The engine roars to life, my tires screeching as I pull away from Ender’s building.
“Gabe, don’t go there.”
“Fuck that!” All I see is red as I fly through the streets toward Kaden’s place.
Why did he answer Kaden’s call but not mine?
What the fuck did I do wrong—tell him he’s perfect? Why is that so bad?
Why did he leave without telling me?
Or maybe he left because I hurt him in the room?
Did someone at the club hurt him? Does he blame me for it?
None of the questions running through my mind have logical answers right now.
“Gabe, listen to me.” Luke’s big brother tone comes out, like it always does when I’m about to do some dumb shit. “Leave it be for tonight. Kaden isn’t going to let you in anyway. Let them figure out what’s going on. You don’t need to be there right now. Just come here.”
It’s almost one in the morning, and the chance of someone else in Kaden’s building letting me in is slim to none. I don’t want to admit it to him, but I know Luke’s right. He obviously doesn’t want to talk to me, so going there will only make things worse.
I give Luke an ETA and end the call.
My pounding head cringes at Fred’s dramatic meowing.
Luke is clearly starving him—or so he thinks if his bowl is empty for more than a minute.
This monstrous-size cat eats more than the average teenager and behaves like one on his good days.
And for some reason, he gravitates toward me every time I’m here.
His fur tickles my nose, but I can’t bother trying to move him away when every part of my body aches the way it does right now.
“Fred, go away,” I huff out the barely audible command that he obviously ignores.
MEOW!
“Dude, please. Don’t.” His head muffles my words, and I hastily pull back to spit out hair, causing my head to throb more at the sudden movement.
“Fuck…” As I collapse back onto the couch, Luke’s mocking laughter joins in with Fred’s auditory attack.
“I told you to slow down last night. Gave yourself a hangover, didn’t you?” He finds himself so funny. If I could move right now, I’d punch him just so he’d stop making noise.
“Fuck off, Luke.” I grumble as the ceiling comes into my view. I instantly regret changing positions when the beast jumps on my chest and takes my breath away with the extra weight crushing my lungs. “Luke, if you ever loved me, you’ll show me mercy and put him in another room.”
I don’t mind the laughter so much this time when the twenty-seven pound Maine Coon was taken off my chest, and they both leave the room.
A minute later, something cold replaces where the cat was on my chest. “Get up and drink this,” Luke commands in that bossy tone of his.
I grab the bottle and slowly sit up, my head throbbing a little less this time as I sit up to take a couple of pills to help with the hangover.
“I’m going into the restaurant for a few hours, and then I’ll be back. I think Rachelle and Dominic can handle everything tonight.”
As I swallow the last of the water, Luke sits in front of me on the table.
“Gabe, you need to give him a day or two before calling him.”
The details of last night come back to me in little pieces at a time. “Did he tell you guys what happened? Why he ran off?”
“No, I don’t think so. Well, at least Kaden hasn’t said anything to me about it.” Sympathy pours from his eyes like rapids, crashing into me.
The heels of my hands cause me to see stars as my head drops onto the back of the couch with a painful groan—both my head and heart affected.
“Just hang out here, and I’ll be back later.” With a slap to my knee before standing to leave, he says, “Don’t call him, Gabe.”
Not a minute passes before I pick up my phone.
I’m sorry if I hurt you
Luke said no calls—so I feel better when I put down the phone, knowing that I technically didn’t break his rules.