Heartbreak You - T.L. Smith Page 0,50

my shirt. The doctor said I was recovering nicely and could go home if I took it easy, but he highly recommends I stay. “Sydney?”

“You can’t fire him, or me for that matter,” she says, grabbing my bag and throwing it over her shoulder. “We can talk in the car. It’s probably best not to do it here,” she says. “I know how you get when Theadora’s involved.”

“What did you do, Sydney?” I ask in a gruff voice.

She shakes her head and walks out of the room, taking my bag with her. When we get to the elevator, I turn to face her, but people step in, children along with them, halting my inquiries for now. I see a sigh of relief leave Sydney as we go down.

Stepping off the elevator, Sydney puts distance between us before I can say another word. When we finally get to the car, Sydney turns to face me. “Ronnie isn’t on her anymore.”

Ronnie’s sitting in the driver’s seat of the car.

“I can see that, Sydney. Now tell me why, when you know I instructed it.”

“You were injured and put me in charge. I took Ronnie off her,” she says, matter-of-factly.

“You did what?” Looking to Ronnie who’s quietly waiting, I ask, “When was the last contact you had with her?”

“I haven’t seen her since that night, sir, when I took her back to her house, and her sister was there.”

“Lucy?” I ask, which makes him sit up straighter.

“She didn’t say her name. I asked miss if she was the woman in question, and she told me she wasn’t.”

“Did she have long, dark hair?”

He visibly flinches. “Yes.”

“Go to her house… right now,” I instruct as we get into the car, and he takes off quickly.

I turn to look at Sydney. “You’re fired!”

“She’s fine. She messages Tina every day saying so.”

I don’t believe a word that leaves her mouth.

“You can’t be angry at me about it. I’m the one here for you. I care about you. She only came to see you once.”

“Because I told her to leave,” I say in a voice that screams pure unadulterated anger. But I am trying to not work myself up until I know what’s happening and that she’s okay.

“Your father won’t be after her, he tried and failed.”

“And he will try and try again until he gets what he wants. It’s how I was raised, so I know it’s how he works.” My eyebrows pinch together. “If you were anyone else right now, Sydney, I would roll you out of this car with a bullet between your eyes.”

“Why do you care so much about her. She isn’t worth it,” she says with a shake of her head. “Nothing but trouble follows that woman.”

“No, Sydney, it follows me.”

We stop out the front of her house, and I get out as quickly as I can. I try not to wince with the pull of my stitches as I stand, the pain almost unbearable. Pulling my jacket together, I walk to Theadora’s door, knocking on it a few times. She doesn’t answer. I look back over my shoulder to Sydney. “Call her.”

Sydney gives me an eye roll but does as I say. When she doesn’t get an answer, she tries again. “I’ll call Tina, see if she’s heard from her.”

I wait, knocking again just in case. I can hear Sydney talking to Tina, but then she turns to me. “Tina said she hasn’t spoken to her, only texts for the last week. She said Theadora’s been busy.” Worry stretches over me in waves. “I’ll call Marissa. She will have seen her.” Sydney does as she says, and I motion for Ronnie to come to me.

He gets out of the car fast.

“Break the door.”

Ronnie raises an eyebrow but doesn’t balk again when I nod. I would have done it myself if it didn’t hurt to fucking walk.

Ronnie kicks the door, and it flies off its hinges. He steps back as I walk in, and when I do, I see no sign of her. Her things are on the floor which is very unlike Theadora. Her home is always clean, small but clean.

Sydney runs up the stairs, her cell in hand.

“She hasn’t been in all week, and I even rang the hospital. I know a nurse there, and she said Thea hasn’t been in to see the baby either.”

My eyes grow wide at her words, and I take a deep, steadying breath.

“Track Lucy, now.”

Sydney starts typing on her cell, then looks up to me. “You