he picked up his order and placed it on the passenger seat.
No more stalling.
He could find her apartment building blindfolded and made it there in no time. A parking spot magically opened up right out front. It was a sign, right?
Holding the large yellow bouquet, he marched into the courtyard and went straight to Summer’s door. With a deep breath for strength, Arnie cleared his throat and knocked.
Almost immediately, the door swung open, but it wasn’t Summer staring back at him.
“Who are you?” he demanded.
“Who are you?” a frowning dark-haired woman barked over the top of the sunflower arrangement in his hands.
“Where’s Summer?” he asked with a scowl.
“She’s not here.”
His blood pressure was dangerously close to making him blow his stack.
This time when he spoke, Arnie lowered the bouquet and used his fearsome physicality. His facial expression and tone dared her to fuck with him.
“Are you authorized to speak on her behalf?”
She took a step back and eyed him up and down. “I’m her cousin. Stacey. And you are?”
Cousin? Stacey? No way. Arnie remembered every word Summer ever said. She spoke often and lovingly of her father and brother, but there was never a mention of cousins. Something wasn’t right. He came back at her with a statement intended to get a reaction.
“I’m the guy she’s sleeping with.”
“That explains the sunflowers.” Stacey sniggered. “Look, you can leave a message if you want. I’m just house and plant sitting while she’s out of town.”
“Define out of town,” he demanded in as friendly a tone as he could muster.
The laugh this Stacey woman produced sounded memorized and rehearsed.
“She’s on a booze cruise with some girlfriends. Mexican Riviera. I’m so jelly,” she insincerely chuckled.
He sorted the details. Summer on a booze cruise. To Mexico. With girlfriends. It sounded good, but he wasn’t buying it.
“I’d like to leave a message. Do you have a pen and something to write on?”
“Sure, sure,” she muttered. “Hold on.”
When she moved from the doorway, he leaned in and surveyed the room. The big sofa still dominated the space, but all evidence of Summer was stripped away. Nothing personal. He looked around the door. The framed photo of Merlin’s cave was gone. So was the bowl of crystals.
A stack of mail sat on the lawn chair next to the front door. He squinted to make out an address label but failed.
Stepping back, he waited for Stacey to return. She handed him a pad of paper and a pen. He laid the bouquet on top of the mail and took the pen and pad. Under Stacey’s watchful eye, he scribbled his name and wrote, Please call me.
Handing the note to Stacey, he retrieved the flowers along with the top piece of mail. It was a semi-sleazy and underhanded move, but desperate times called for desperate measures. On the walkway leading from the courtyard, he ran into Summer’s neighbor friend. He was going to say something to jog her memory and see if she remembered him. Maybe she’d have better information.
Remembering the lady’s name, he smiled and greeted her. “Mrs. Hayashi. Remember me? I’m Summer’s friend.”
She looked at him, at the flowers, and at the walkway. “I’m sorry. I have to go,” she said before scurrying off. He heard her apartment door slam a moment later.
What the fucking fuck was going on? Where was Summer?
He made it quickly to the rental car and got in. Tossing the flowers aside, he inspected the mail he picked up.
Summer Warren.
Rattled and off balance, he started the car and drove away. Stymied by her whereabouts, he had no choice but to return to the hotel and hope to Christ she got his message and called.
The next day, when he didn’t hear from her, he called the restaurant where she worked and asked for her by name, only to be informed she hung up her apron and didn’t work there anymore.
Panic seeped into his system.
At the end of the second day, he tried one more thing and called the number that came up on the message she left him. It rang, but there was no voicemail option.
All the signs were there. Summer was on the run. His heart sank.
Why had she gone to ground? And when?
Was it him? He searched and searched for an answer but came up empty.
He could go to King, and unleash the whole of NIGHTWIND’S influence and power to track her down in five minutes, but he didn’t want to involve anyone else in something so personal. And besides, using NIGHTWIND felt