Chapter 27
27
River
“ S omething’s happened,” I say.
I keep staring at Christa’s last text from this morning, and it still doesn’t sit right with me. It still doesn’t feel right.
“She asked us to give her some space,” Cassius replies. “This is not the right time for that, though. What’s going through her head? I’m fucking lost.”
“Let me see that message again.” Nathan reaches across my desk. I give him my phone and he reads it out loud. “I just need some room to sort a few things out. I’ll see you guys tomorrow. Love you.” He takes a deep breath. “I’m not buying it either.”
My pulse races.
A slew of worst-case scenarios dart through my head while I try to keep my focus.
When I woke up this morning and didn’t find Christa in bed with us, I figured she’d be here at the office, even though we agreed she’d work from home for the rest of the week. I should’ve spotted the red flag then.
“There has to be a logical explanation,” Cassius says. “I spoke to security. Her keycard wasn’t swiped at all since the last time she was here.”
“She’s up to no good,” Nathan mutters and crosses his arms. “Doing something she knows is going to get her in deeper trouble, but she didn’t tell us because she wants to protect us. I’m telling you, after everything she’s been through, Christa is still trying to protect us.”
“That’s pretty fucking noble, except it leaves her exposed,” I snap.
Nathan looks through his phone. “I’m going over home footage again. There’s no sign of her. Not since last night.”
“Do we see her sneaking out, at least?” I know she snuck out; it’s the only thing that makes sense. I don’t know whether to be angry or worried or both.
“This is Christa coming out of the bedroom,” Nathan shows us a piece of the footage. “See that robe she’s got on?”
“It’s a little big for her. Or am I going blind?” Cassius leans in to look as well.
“She’s wearing clothes underneath. Oh, and boots,” Nathan pauses and zooms in.
It’s grainy, but I can still make out the boots.
“Dammit,” I curse under my breath. “She literally snuck out of the house last night. It’s like high school all over again.”
“Except there’s no Teddy Denton for us to terrify this time around,” Nathan grumbles.
Scaring off a horny teenage boy sounds like a breeze right about now. What we’re dealing with is infinitely more worrisome and with potentially deadly repercussions. It makes my blood boil, yet all I can think of is how we’re going to get her back.
Cassius sighs deeply. “Christa is pregnant with our child. I mean, what the hell was she thinking? Going off like that… And doing what, exactly?”
“She’s being her brave, fearless self,” Nathan says. “She’s been hiding in Portland since she came back, and I think she truly believes she needs to finish what she started to get out from under it all.”
“Again, that sounds noble and all, but she’s putting herself and our kid in danger,” I reply.
We’ve been going over this repeatedly since we came in. Making calls. Texting people. Searching for Christa. With each passing minute, I fear we’re getting closer to the one conclusion we’d hoped to avoid.
“What about Teagan? Has she heard from Christa?” I ask.
“She’s not picking up either. I sent her a couple of texts,” Cassius says.
My office door opens. Alexandra walks in with a soft smile and a binder in one hand. “Good morning, gentlemen. I’m about to put in a purchase order for some of the windmill parts we agreed on,” she says. “I just need you to sign off before I send it over to the manufacturer.”
“This really isn’t the best time,” Cassius replies.
“What’s wrong?” she asks, her slim brows furrowing with concern.
“Have you heard from Christa today?” I turn to her. “At all?”
Alexandra shakes her head slowly. “No. We spoke yesterday on the phone. I’m trying to get her to let me organize her baby shower.”
“Look at you, becoming besties,” Nathan mutters.
“I care about Christa deeply,” she says. “Now, talk to me. What’s going on?”
“Nothing to be concerned about,” I cut in. “Tell you what: Leave that purchase order. I’ll check it and sign it and have it on your desk by end of business hours today.”
She hesitates as she thinks about it for a moment. Her eyes keep searching my face. I could tell her more, but I cannot bring myself to trust her. I don’t like the way she inserted herself into our lives when no one asked her to. Christa is kind and generous by nature. Alexandra, I fear, is merely playing the part.
“That’s fine,” she concedes with a subtle nod. “You know what? The purchase order can wait. You guys do what you need to do. You know where to find me in the meantime. I’ve got a few other issues to iron out before I send it over anyway.”
“Thank you,” Cassius says.
“If you need any help at all—”
“We’ll let you know,” he adds.
As soon as Alexandra leaves my office, the grim shadow returns, cloaking all three of us in concern and fear. We usually have better control over situations like this, but with Christa, it’s different. She is fierce and determined. Whip-smart and resilient as hell. But her condition makes her more vulnerable than she is willing to admit.
And the people she’s been up against will gladly take advantage of that.
Nathan’s phone pings. He checks the incoming message. “Teagan. She’s coming in.”