Chapter 37
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
MARCO
I woke up slowly, stretched luxuriantly before reaching out to the other side of the bed. Where I expected my hand to land on Audry, all I felt was cold bedsheet.
I shot up, looking to my left at the empty side of the bed, uncomprehending. My brows furrowed as I listened keenly, expecting to maybe hear the shower running or maybe the fragrant smell of coffee wafting out to me from the kitchen.
Instead, there was the kind of silence that told me I was all alone in my space. I glanced around for a note, something. But there was nothing. Her clothes, which I’d scattered mindlessly on the floor were long gone.
I got up and walked to the living room, looking around to see if she’d maybe left a note on the fridge or the coffee table, a clue as to why she wasn’t here, but the only clue I found was the absence of her things and her in every corner of my home.
I sighed tiredly. “Oh Audry. Why are you still playing games?”
I just couldn’t find any reason why she would have just vanished. Going back to my room, I grabbed some sweats from the drawer, along with a t-shirt and then added my headphones, a cap and sneakers. If I couldn’t fuck away my frustration, I could at least run it off. Exercise in the morning helped me to think clearly, especially when I had a problem that needed solving.
At the moment my mind felt murky and unfocused, and I definitely needed to clear my head. I started off at a soft jog, stopping at the café at the corner to pick up a coffee to give me some energy. As I stood in line, I could hear the baristas talking and I eavesdropped casually.
“Hey, did anyone lose a phone?” one of the baristas asked, holding up a device.
The other barista glanced over. “Yeah, I found it outside near the curb. Weird, right? Who just drops their phone and doesn’t come back for it?”
I tensed as I recognized the Hello Kitty sticker on the back. Audry had one just like it.
Leaving the line, I went over to the waitress. “Excuse me, I couldn’t help but overhear you guys. Can I see that phone please?”
The barista looked at me skeptically. I tried to look as trustworthy as possible. “Please. My girlfriend has a phone like that.”
The frown on the barista’s face cleared. “Oh.” She said, handing over the device.
I turned it over, staring at the wallpaper. I wasn’t a hundred percent sure but it looked like her phone wallpaper all the same. I looked over at the barista.
“The phone you found, was there anyone around or any signs of a struggle?”
The baristas exchanged glances. “Not really,” the first one said. “I found it on the curb when I arrived for my shift. It was just lying there.”
“Did you see anyone unusual or anything strange?”
They both shook their heads. “No, nothing like that. Just the phone. It was weird because it was just left there, and it’s basically new.”
I nodded. “Thank you,” I said before turning to leave, Audry’s phone clutched tightly in my hand. As soon as I left the premises, I dug out my own phone to call Valerio.
“Audry’s missing. I need everyone mobilized to find her, top priority. Drop everything else.”
“Yes, boss.” Valerio said and his usual teasing tone was missing. I could feel my chest tightening and truly feared I would start hyperventilating or even have a panic attack in the middle of the road. I hastened my footsteps, wanting to get home, call George and have him hack all the CCTV cameras on my street.
I was trying really hard not to think about her, or what she might be going through just now. I stared down at her phone, wondering if she’d deliberately dropped it or if it had been an accident and how fortunate it was that it’d landed in my hands. The thought occurred to me that I might trace her whereabouts using the phone, maybe even find out where she had banked my money and the info that she stole. Then I felt like slapping myself for thinking about that while she was in danger.
Maybe later, after I’d gotten her back, we could talk about that, but for now, I needed to find her. I dug my phone out again and called George. “Hey man, I have Audry’s phone and I need you to hack all the CCTV in my neighborhood. How soon can you get here?”
“I heard what happened. Which is more urgent. The phone or CCTV?”
“CCTV.”
“Okay then, I’ll do that from here while I send someone to collect the phone.”
I huffed, “No need. You work on CCTV. I’ll bring the phone to you.”
“Bet.” George said and hung up.
Just as I had reached my apartment to grab my car keys, my phone buzzed. I dug it out, and saw a message from an unknown number. I frowned, wondering who the fuck would dare. But then I figured that if Audry going missing had something to do with me, then it must be a ransom note. I took a deep breath and then opened it.
I read the message once, and then again, feeling dyslexic with my inability to absorb the message.
Yegorov has her.
A feeling of déjà vu swept through me closely, followed by one of horror.
“This is not happening again .” I whispered, gritting my teeth. Surely whatever higher power existed could not be this cruel. I clicked over to the ring app and dialed my brother. “Is there any way you can confirm whether Yegorov has her?’
There was a loud surprised silence on the phone. “You know we always keep him under surveillance. Give me five minutes.”
I hung up, closed my eyes and took a deep breath before taking the opportunity to jump into the shower. I had my phone in there with me, in case Valerio called but I was out in two minutes. I changed into a black Prada suit - just in case I had to meet with Yegorov. It was important to look the part. Then I took my car keys and left the premises. I stopped at the corner café for coffee, though it tasted like ash in my mouth, and then began to head towards the compound, willing Valerio to call.
Finally, he did. “Talk to me,” I said.
“The streets are saying they might have her.”
“But you don’t know for sure?”
Valerio huffed and then said, “Sure enough.”
“Okay then. Good enough for me. Gather our men. This is war.”