Chapter 28 Beau #2
“No one ever thought Genevieve would settle down,” Hunter said with a grin. “At least I never did. It’s funny where life takes you and how quickly life can change.”
Hunter looked at Romeo and Valencia with lovey-dovey eyes and it made me uncomfortable once again. Being their fourth, when I hung out with them, was annoying and when I looked at Iris, was she admiring them with want in her eyes?
We spent the next few hours with them eating, relaxing and catching up on everything that had happened since I hadn’t been here, which wasn’t much other than Romeo and Hunter having an amazing season. Iris was dozing off on my shoulder so I knew it was time to go.
“Let me get a room ready for you,” Valencia said, when she saw Iris.
“I want to go home,” I said quickly. “We will be fine.”
“Beau,” Valencia snapped.
“Valencia,” I snapped back.
“No seas menso,” she sighed.
Don’t be stupid.
“I’m not arguing with you,” I said, shaking Iris a little. “Hey, Sweets. Let’s get going.”
“Ok, I’m exhausted,” she said, getting up.
I ordered a car to take us to my apartment, avoiding Valencia’s stare.
“You don’t have to go home,” Romeo said.
“I know, but I need to see it and I miss home,” I said, grabbing our bags, getting more irritated. “Come on.”
I held out my hand for Iris and she took it immediately after she said goodbye to Valencia, waving at the guys.
“Thanks Val. I’ll text you ok,” I said at the door.
“You better,” she clipped. “Give her some warning.”
“I will,” I said, my nerves coming back in full force as we made our way down to our car.
My apartment was thankfully close to Valencia and if it wasn’t so late, we could have walked, but Iris looked dead on her feet. Our day had started early on her family’s farm, and I couldn’t believe we ended up in Denver.
“Beau! Long time no see,” Jack, the doorman, said with a huge smile.
“Hey, Jack!” I smiled, glad to see a friendly face.
“It’s good to see you, I’m sorry to hear about the apartment,” he said. “We were so mad when we found out, but we have the tapes from that night, so I’m hoping we will catch the guy soon.”
“Thanks, I hope we do,” I said, leading Iris away before he said anything more.
“What was he talking about?” Iris asked as I called the elevator.
“The reason we are here is that someone broke into my apartment,” I sighed.
“Oh, shit,” Iris gasped. “Beau, what the hell? Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”
“It’s a little more complicated than that,” I said, as we rode the elevator up.
“You were scared before we got on the plane. Was it someone you know?” She was fully awake now.
I opened my mouth to explain, but I felt stupid explaining why I ran away. This entire situation had made me feel stupid.
“I came to Sterling Ridge because I had someone who was stalking me. I thought some distance would be good,” I said, feeling embarrassed. “Then they broke into my home and trashed it.”
Iris’ eyes widened as the elevator stopped and we got off. She didn’t say anything as we walked to my apartment and I opened my door.
“Are we sure this is safe, Beau?” she said softly as I opened my door.
“I haven’t been here in months and—”
“He might have done this to get you back here,” Iris said, walking into my apartment behind me.
“Yeah, I thought of that, but the doorman is already on high alert, and he wouldn’t be stupid enough to try something so soon,” I said, closing the door seeing the destruction of my once pretty apartment.
“Fucking hell, Beau,” Iris gasped.
Valencia had sent me pictures but seeing it in person was viscerally disturbing. My couch was destroyed, my TV on the floor shattered and in big red letters ‘Your Mine’ across the wall.
“Geez, can’t even spell you’re right,” Iris said, walking forward, but there was nowhere to go.
I attempted to chuckle, but I think I was panicking.
“I’m going to see my bedroom,” I said, leaving my bag with Iris. “We can’t stay here, but I just need to see something.”
“Beau, maybe—”
I turned down the hall to the last room on the left and all the air from my lungs escaped.
A photo of Nash and Iris hung on the wall with a big X on it.
This was new and hadn’t been here when the cops and Valencia were here.
I took my phone out of my pocket, my shaky hands making opening it difficult. I opened my text thread with Nash.
Me: I need you, please.
I shook as I typed the message, sending him my location so he could find me.
Taking a picture of the evidence, I tried to keep calm but it was like everything from the past few months was crashing down on me, making it hard to breathe.
I walked down the hall slowly trying to get my body working, needing to get out of here immediately.
Valencia and Iris were right, I was a fucking idiot for coming back here.
“Iris, we are leaving. Now,” I said, trying to steady my voice.
I looked out to the living room and Iris was no longer there.
“Sweets,” I called out again, thinking she must have gone to the restroom.
The bathroom was empty. Something was wrong. My heart pounded as I went back to the living room to go outside.
“Baby, we need to leave. Nash is here for us,” I said, hoping to see her pop out of somewhere.
I dialed the front desk wondering if she had walked out.
“I thought by now you would have realized you were mine.” A man my age was in the middle of my destroyed living room.
“Where is she?” I looked around the room.
Still no sign of her anywhere.
“You are mine!” he yelled.
I looked back at him, taking in his disheveled look, realizing I knew who he was.
“Scout?”
“You remember me?” His entire demeanor changed.
He looked completely different, he wasn’t the same man I had once done porn with, looking underweight and haggard. When we first started camming, we would collab every so often and then one day he wanted more and I couldn’t give him that.
“How could I forget you?” I attempted a light, cheery tone.
“You did.” He was growing angry. “You rejected me and left me. I patiently waited, hoping you would see that we were made for each other.”
“Scout, I told you,” I said softly. “I didn’t see you like that. I saw you as a friend, I had no roman—”
“I remember!” he yelled. “But you’re lying, I see you. You’re unhappy. You hate this.”
“Scout.” I held my hands out. “Can you tell me where my friend is and then we can leave to sit and talk?”
“She doesn’t matter anymore,” he snarled. “I’m the only person who matters. Me.”
He hit his chest and I noticed the knife in his hand.
“Ok, Scout. You’re the only one who matters, but do we need to get the police involved if they don’t find my friend?” My heart was pounding so hard I was getting dizzy. “Her brother lives here and he was expecting her.”
“Either way she’s seen my face,” he growled.
“Scout, what’s your plan? Because at this point, it looks like you want to get caught.” I walked closer to him.
He quickly looked at the front door. I wondered if he had let her go, but if he had, she would have told someone unless he did something to her. I didn’t hear any scuffling or anything, so he must have put her somewhere.
“Scout, please—”
Stop talking about her!” he yelled. “Face the wall and get on your knees, we’ve wasted enough time.”
“Not until you tell me where she is,” I said, taking a deep breath.
“Face the wall and get on your knees.” He stepped toward me.
Scout was always smaller than me and right now he looked like a shell of himself, very thin and seemed as though he had not taken care of himself.
“Tell me where she is,” I said, squaring up, glancing at the knife trying to figure out how to disarm him.
“Keep fucking with me and I’ll make sure she—”
I rushed Scout, charging at him because I was done. He was too unstable, and this was my only opportunity. This was for Iris. I just wished I had told her and Nash how I felt about them before this.
Scout and I crashed together into the sofa as I prayed this wasn’t a huge mistake.