and Gabriel’s in the other, his breathing sped. Something was wrong. Very wrong. He felt it in every bone in his body. His lips parted as the air huffed in and out. He screwed his eyes shut and walked backward through the darkness until his back hit the wall by the entryway.
Everyone he had held close to his heart had been taken from him one way or another.
No…please…
He slid down the wall until his ass hit the floor. With a phone still in each hand, he ducked his head and banged both closed hands against his head.
No, please. Not Gabriel.
The ache in his heart swelled and spread. He wouldn’t let his mind nosedive into negativity.
He couldn’t.
He nearly jumped out of his skin when his phone vibrated in his hand at the same time the lights flashed in the penthouse, letting him know someone had rung the doorbell. A text from Cal lit his display.
Aidan called me. Open the door. I’m right outside.
He shot up from his spot on the floor, thankful his friend lived a few floors down in the same hotel. After a quick peek through the peephole, he swung open the door.
Cal slid inside and locked the door behind him, then switched on the light by the entryway. One room at a time, Cal walked through the penthouse, likely double-checking things for himself. Returning, Cal switched the lights on in the main area, then stood in front of Ben. His disheveled hair, mismatched clothes, and sockless sneakers let Ben know Cal had darted out of his room on short notice. Proof the man was a friend when he truly needed one.
“Why are you in the dark? What happened?”
Ben shook his head. He carefully set Gabriel’s phone on the kitchen counter, not wanting to risk it slipping from his hand. He pulled up the note app on his phone and typed out a quick note.
Got home. He wasn’t here.
Calvin frowned as his gaze slid to the phone on the countertop. “He wouldn’t leave his phone behind,” he said, as if the connection had finally registered in his mind. He glanced around the living room, then returned his attention to Ben. “Nothing looks messed up. When you got home, did it all look like this?”
Ben nodded.
Cal’s lips thinned and his jaw muscles tightened. He took a seat at one of the barstools at the kitchen counter and patted the stool next to him.
Barely able to keep himself together, Ben fell into the seat.
“We’re going to sit here and wait for Aidan. We don’t know what happened, so it’s best to not risk messing anything up. Okay?” Cal stared at him, as if waiting for some acknowledgment to his words.
With a nod, Ben’s shoulders slumped.
“Bull’s tough. You know that. And Aidan’s too hardheaded to give up on finding him.”
Ben nodded again, fighting the burn in his eyes. A tear finally escaped when Cal slid his arm around Ben’s shoulders and pulled him into a hug.
Cal’s arms were big and strong. His embrace was solid and unyielding.
But they weren’t Gabriel’s arms. And they didn’t give him the same peace.
Ben sat on one of the kitchen barstools, out of the way from the chaos around him. Less than an hour had passed since he had walked through the door, but the physical exhaustion of the long day couldn’t hold a candle to the tiredness seeping through his brain.
Standing across the room, arms crossed and giving him the space he needed was Julian. He had obviously pulled the short straw to determine who would be at Ben’s side while the other stayed behind at the house with the new residents. Ben was thankful. He appreciated Matt but was certain he couldn’t handle his coddling. He would take Julian’s quiet guardianship instead.
Ben had read more than a dozen different lips in the group—Aidan, other team members on his task force, and a mix of people wearing forensics and crime scene investigation badges. He had even tried deciphering the one-sided phone call Aidan had with someone who was a hacker. Or maybe he was a sharpshooter. Or were they a musician? Ben closed his eyes and ducked his head. Everything started jumbling together. How hacker, shooter, musician, horses, and dogs merged together in a single, short conversation didn’t make much sense. His brain was obviously too mixed up to read lips.
He glanced up, refusing to withdraw from his surroundings. If he let his mind pull away, he would shut down. And that wouldn’t help Gabriel.