Chapter 24
24
M ason drove up Main Street as darkness fell. It was funny how as soon as the sun began to set, darkness fell within minutes.
He pulled into the lot and saw Carley's SUV at the end of the first row, nearest his patio door. A grin spread on his face, and he marveled how in one moment he'd be afraid of disappointing her or feeling less than the man she deserved, to being so happy to just see her car in his lot. He shook his head. Weird.
His phone rang, and he looked at the readout. Ethan Dougherty.
Tapping the button on his phone, he sat in his truck and greeted his friend. "Hey, Ethan. Thanks for calling back."
"You're welcome, Mason. So, a couple of things. I'm sending Mitch DeMario to Blossom Springs to retrieve the thumb drive. Do you remember him?"
"I do. Is he still in the Marines?"
"Negative. He is in the security business, but he maintains clearances, and we hire him to do certain jobs for us."
"Okay. When should I expect him?"
"I believe he'll be there tomorrow. I've given him your number and he'll touch base with you on his ETA."
"Great. I'll wait to hear from him."
Ethan was quiet for a moment then his voice changed. "Is everything okay with you, Mason?"
Mason leaned his head back on the headrest and closed his eyes. "Yeah." He let out a deep breath. "PTSD got me. I struggled to perform surgery, so I quit. I kicked around a bit and remembered my brother, Burke, had come down here and had a great time, so I decided to check it out myself. I found a bartending gig in a beachfront bar. Great boss. Nice co-workers and pouring drinks doesn’t give me panic attacks. Actually, I just bought a condo here which is a converted barracks."
"No kidding?"
"Weird. Right?"
"Different. But at least they're being used. The military has far too much waste in old buildings."
"Yeah. If you find yourself in need of sunshine and friendship, come on down and have a look. It would be great to see you."
Ethan chuckled. "That sounds like a plan. I'm getting married later this year. Maybe Christmas in Florida is on the books."
"I like it."
"Thanks for contacting me about the thumb drive. It was great talking to you."
"Ten-four. I hope to see you and the woman you've managed to dupe into marrying you soon."
Ethan's laugh was the last thing he heard before the call ended.
A sheet of paper blew past his truck, and his brows furrowed. Heaving out a breath, he stepped down from his truck and moved toward the paper. Just as he picked it up, another paper blew toward him. Grabbing that one, too, he looked down at the papers and saw they were real estate sheets. His head jerked back, and he moved toward Carley's SUV. He looked inside and saw the usual accordion file she carried with various real estate documents inside. She was neat and organized all the time. But she'd never let them blow out of her car.
He walked around the passenger side of the SUV and didn't see anything lying around. As he rounded the driver's side, his heart nearly stopped. Her purse lay on the ground, half under the vehicle. The brown folder she carried was also on the ground...he glanced at the documents in his hand and one was an Offer to Purchase.
His stomach twisted. He picked up her purse and the brown folder and then ran inside the building. "Carley."
He hurried down to Unit Five and twisted the handle. It was locked. "Carley?" He knocked on the door.
Fear. Real fear slammed into his chest and his breathing grew shallow. He could barely take a breath.
He pulled his phone out and tapped her number. His vision grayed and he leaned against the wall. He listened to her phone ring, and then the acid in his stomach multiplied when her purse rang. He closed his eyes. "Fuck!"
The door to Unit One opened. "What's going on here?"
"Call the police."
"What?"
Mason took a deep breath. "Please call the police. My girlfriend has been kidnap..." He swallowed and tried breathing. He couldn't say it. He shook his head. "She's gone."
The man, his neighbor, came to stand across the hall from him. Mason tried to listen as he felt the panic attack trying to take hold. His neighbor called the police, and Mason's shaking fingers tapped Jace's number.
"Hey, Mason, what's up?"
"She's gone. She's not..." He tried to breathe. "Carley... her car's here. Her purse and notebook were lying on the ground next to her car. She's not here." He sucked in a deep breath. "Panic. I'm hav..."
"Where are you?"
Mason struggled but managed to say, "Home."
"I'm on my way."
He pressed his back to the wall and felt his neighbor stand near him. "It's alright man. I'm here with you. How about we slide down the wall, so you don't fall?"
He felt like he was floating. The room came in and out of focus. His neighbor said, "My name is Asa. I just moved into Unit One. I get these attacks too."
Mason nodded once and rested his head back. Asa kept talking to him. Then he heard Jace's voice.
"Mason. It's Jace. Take a deep breath and when you're ready, take a sip of water."
More voices came toward him, and his breathing returned to near normal. His focus cleared, and he looked into Jace's eyes. "She's been taken. She's not here. Her purse and her files were on the ground by her car. We have to find her."
Jace looked around and saw the purse and files. He swallowed heavily and looked up at someone else. Mason turned his head to see Tray Fielding and a female officer standing in the hallway. Tray knelt down. "Can you tell me what happened?"
Mason told him what had happened as far as he knew it. Then he remembered... "Call Quinn Kurtz and see if he had the security system completed this week. We may have video."
Jace nodded. "Great thought." Jace stood. "Can you stand?"
Mason nodded. Jace held out his hand and pulled Mason up as much as he propelled himself up. He leaned against the wall and the officer with Tray held out her hand. My name is Erin Moody."
He shook her hand. She nodded, "How about if we go sit at one of the tables in the front and you can tell me again what happened?"
Mason nodded. He always felt tired after an attack, but wanted to be out looking for her. He followed Erin Moody to the common area. She motioned to a chair for him to sit and he shook his head. She smiled. "Please sit down."
He asked, "Did you find the man who put the note on her windshield the other day?"
Tray came and sat at the table as did Jace. Tray shook his head. "No, we weren't able to find him yet. Last we saw him was today when you got shot."
Erin turned her head to Tray, then said, "Oh." She opened her notebook, then looked him in the eye. "Okay, please tell me everything that happened."