Chapter 1 Two Months Later #2
Moments after the words left my mouth, I heard the deadbolt turn, then the handle lock disengaged.
I eagerly waited to see her face. Even if she was angry, I needed to see her more than I needed my next breath.
However, when the door opened, a man stood there.
He scowled at me. Instantly, anger hit me.
“Who the fuck are you?” I snarled.
“Who the fuck am I? I’m the goddamn man who lives here and pays the rent. Who are you?” he snapped back.
I stepped toward him, getting in his face. My fists were clenched at my sides.
“I’m Heath. I’m Danae’s boyfriend. You let me in. She and I need to talk. You can get lost.”
He gave me an incredulous look, but he didn’t step back or stop scowling at me.
“Listen, buddy, I don’t know who you are. But the only woman here is my girlfriend, Georgianne. There’s no Danae here,” he informed me gruffly.
“I don’t believe you. If you don’t let me see her, I’ll—”
My tirade was interrupted by a woman coming to peek around the guy’s arm. She appeared uneasy. She wasn’t my woman.
“Hi, I’m Georgianne, and this is my boyfriend, Hugh. We moved into this apartment a month ago. The woman you’re looking for wasn’t here when we got the key. We met with the property manager,” she said hesitantly.
I was stunned, and it took several moments for my brain to fire and produce a coherent sentence.
“I-I apologize. I’ve been away, and I can’t get my girlfriend on the phone. I came here to see her. She’s no doubt upset with me, but I can explain everything. Did you by any chance find anything when you moved in that might show where she went?” I asked hopefully.
Georgianne shook her head. “I’m terribly sorry, but the place was spotless when we moved in. You can ask the management office tomorrow. They have an office in the middle of the complex. They come in at nine o’clock,” she suggested.
I knew she was trying to be helpful. Not wanting to make them call the cops after all, I gave her a faint smile.
“Thank you. I’m deeply sorry for disturbing you. Have a good evening,” I somehow said.
“I hope you find her,” Hugh said. Giving him a nod, I walked off as they shut the door.
Christ, how the fuck was I supposed to wait twelve hours to find out where Danae was?
I couldn’t. I sped off to find the office they had at the complex.
It was a small, single-story building in the middle of the inner courtyard area.
All the windows were dark. I went to the door anyway to see if there was any kind of notice or phone number posted.
Most places had an after-hours number to call.
I growled in frustration. Apparently, this damn place didn’t believe in posting the number.
You were just expected to know what it was.
However, the management company's name was posted, and I took a picture of it. I’d go home and see what I could find online about them. I bet I’d find a phone number there.
The drive back to my place was excruciating. I kept running through scenarios in my head. Why had she moved? Has something happened to her? What was up with her phone? Had she blocked me? Or maybe no longer had that number?
I almost tore the doorknob off between the garage and the condo when I got home because I was too impatient to let the key do its job. Inside, I didn’t bother taking off my boots. I sped up the stairs to the second floor and into my office/gym. My computer was sitting there.
It took a minute to wake it and let it reboot before I could bring up the browser to search the internet.
I entered the company’s name exactly as it appeared in the picture.
I was relieved to see it came up on the first page of listings.
However, when I opened their website, I became frustrated again.
It listed the corporate office address and the various locations they managed.
It stated their mission statement, testimonials, and every other fucking thing, but not an after-hours phone number.
I jotted down the regular one and gave it a try—the recording I got made me want to chuck my phone through the wall.
“Our office is open from nine a.m. to six p.m. Monday through Friday. If you’re a resident, please call the emergency services number on your rental agreement.
If you’re interested in leasing one of our properties, please call back during regular business hours, or leave a detailed message after the beep. ”
I hung up before I was tempted to leave a scathing message filled with swear words and threats. I spent an hour scouring the internet for another number. In the end, I had to give up.
I paced my office, dragging my hands through my hair.
It was ten-thirty. I had no one else I could call who knew her.
It was clear now that by being wrapped up in each other for four months, we’d neglected to have a point of contact in case of an emergency.
Riding all over town would accomplish nothing.
My hands were beginning to drop things, and my gait was unsteady.
I needed sleep, though I wasn’t sure if I’d get much.
Finally, I gave up and went to my bedroom. I undressed and crawled into bed. I plugged in my phone to charge and turned up the ringer as loud as it would go, then I set my alarm for eight in the morning. I would be there waiting for the management company to open its doors.
Turning out the lights, all I could think about was how lonely my bed was, how I missed not only the feel of her, but also the smell of her on my sheets. I forced my eyes closed and tried to empty my mind so I could get some shut-eye. If I could get five hours, I’d be good.
???
My night had been restless. I kept drifting in and out the entire night.
Finally, I gave up at seven thirty. I got up, got dressed, and then went to the kitchen.
I wasn’t hungry, but I needed caffeine in the worst way.
I got the coffee maker working. I filled the largest insulated tumbler I owned with the strongest coffee I could make, then added a couple of splashes of creamer.
I had those tiny pod ones you see at restaurants.
You didn’t have to worry about those going bad.
Once I had my coffee, I set out for the property management office. I sat my ass down when I got there and sipped my coffee. To pass the time, I watched people leaving their apartments. They were off to work. In some cases, kids were heading out to school.
A young woman walked up to the door at ten minutes before nine. She smiled at me.
“Good morning, aren’t you the early bird? You must be eager to find a place with us. Give me a second, and I’ll show you what we have.”
I didn’t bother to say anything. It wasn’t until we were inside, she had turned on the lights, and she had waved me over to a desk that we got to the actual business at hand.
“Oh, how rude, I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Jessika.”
She held her hand out expectantly. Her smile was still bright. I gave hers a brief shake, then responded, “My name is Heath.”
“It’s wonderful to meet you, Heath. Alright, tell me what you’re looking for? How many bedrooms? Do you have pets? Are you a smoker?”
“I’m not here to rent from you,” I replied.
Her smile faltered, then her expression turned perplexed.
“Then what are you doing here?”
“I’m here to find my girlfriend. She used to live in one of your units, and I have to find her.”
Instantly, the smile dropped away, and an uneasy look replaced it. Jessika’s gaze darted around the room. She was second-guessing being alone with me.
“Please, I’m not here to cause trouble or to harm anyone. I just need to find my girlfriend. I came here last night, and a man and a woman were living in her apartment. They told me they moved in a month ago and have no idea where she went.”
“You didn’t know your girlfriend moved out of her apartment? How long ago did you last see her?” Jessika asked.
Inside, I cringed before I answered her. “Two months.”
Her outraged expression had me rushing to explain.
“Listen, I know that sounds terrible, and if I haven’t had contact with her in that long, why now?
I swear I didn’t ghost her. I work for a company where I sometimes have to be on assignments without any outside contact for security reasons.
It happened that one of those came up, and I wasn’t even permitted to tell her that I was leaving.
But I thought it would only last a week. ”
I explained probably more than I should’ve, but I hated the idea of her thinking I was a lowlife who abandoned his woman and then got a wild hair up his ass to try and hook up again.
“What kind of company do you work for that you can’t tell anyone anything or even call?” Jessika questioned.
“We sometimes work for our government. That’s all I can say.”
She gave me an assessing once-over. I saw intrigue there. She’d better not get any ideas. There was only one woman in my life and future. All I needed to do was find her.
“I’m sorry, but we can’t disclose any information about a current or previous tenant. I know you must understand that. It would expose us to legal troubles. Does she have any family or friends whom you can ask?”
I wanted to kick myself in the ass. Our desire to stay isolated and together left us both without anyone to call. “No, there isn’t,” I said.
“I’m sorry. I wish I could help, but I can’t. But if you’d like to rent something, I can show you a nice unit. It’s in the same building that I live in.” Her smile was filled with suggestiveness.
I stood. “Not interested. I’ve got a home, and I’m going to find my woman. Good day.”