Total pages in book: 79
Estimated words: 73397 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 367(@200wpm)___ 294(@250wpm)___ 245(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 73397 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 367(@200wpm)___ 294(@250wpm)___ 245(@300wpm)
“Nah, not me. Maybe she went to get some food? We definitely worked up an appetite last night.” I answer, laughing at my own joke.
Max throws a pillow at me from his spot on the bed. “If you don’t know where the beautiful woman is, please shut up. Some of us are trying to regain our strength for another round.”
“Jake’s right. Eve is likely downstairs, and downstairs, there’s bacon and coffee. Let’s find her and help her finish breakfast.” Robin tosses my slacks to me and heads into the bathroom himself. In a few minutes we are all dressed again and headed down to the hotel restaurant.
No Eve. The restaurant is bustling with the brunch crowd, but our girl isn’t there. Robin pulls out his phone and calls her. I can hear her voicemail message. He hangs up.
“Maybe she went for a swim?” I suggest.
I picture Evelynn Travers in a swimsuit, and something about wet fabric clinging to her curves seems even sexier than her absolutely fucking naked. I hope she’s swimming.
She isn’t in the pool. She isn’t in the co-ed sauna. We wait around in the fitness/spa area for a little while hoping she’s in the changing room. Nothing. Max pulls out his phone and calls her.
“Hello, this is Evelynn Travers’ personal line. Please leave me a messa…” I hear her muffled voice again before he hangs up. I don’t like this.
“Let’s go back up to the room. I’m not hungry.” I say. We ride the elevator in silence. The “Do Not Disturb” tag still hangs from the door handle. It’s swinging, and maybe we just missed her coming back?
The room is empty. My turn to call. We hear a ringing in the corner.
Eve’s evening bag is sitting on top of a garment bag and an overnight bag. Her cell phone and her signature lipstick are inside.
Three missed calls. Wherever Eve is, she doesn’t have her phone. I look at the other two, and they look as worried as I feel.
“She wouldn’t have gone far without her phone. She’ll be back soon,” Robin says. I nod.
“I’m going to order some food. She’ll probably be back before it gets here.” Max chimes in. He calls for room service. He orders brunch for four, and another bottle of champagne.
To be honest, it feels fake to order champagne right now.
We find seats around the room. I turn on the TV to the local news. Normally I would change the station, but this morning, I don’t.
I half-listen while looking out the balcony. No one talks. Robin fiddles with his phone. He wants to call her again, but we have her phone. It won’t help.
There is a knock on the door, and we all jump. Max rushes over.
It’s room service. The tray is rolled in. The guy asks if we want him to open the champagne. I tell him no. He leaves it in the bucket with ice. Max tips him and he leaves. I head out to the balcony.
I watch the street, looking for Eve. The city seems larger than I have ever thought before. I feel helpless. I don’t know where to start looking for her.
It’s been an hour and a half since we went downstairs to look for her. Robin is pacing, Max is staring into a cooling cup of coffee. I step back in from the balcony. The warmth of the room reminds me that it was a little chilly out there.
“I’m calling the cops.” I announce. Max looks up.
“She’s a grown woman. What can they do?” Robin asks. I can hear in his voice that he has been thinking about calling them, too.
“She’s a grown woman with registered complaints saying three assholes are after her, which means they can start a fucking man-hunt and find our girl.” I say whipping out my phone. I don’t want to hear his logic.
The cops don’t seem like they’re going to be much help. Even with the complaints against the former employees on record, they say they can’t start a search until she has been gone for three days. I bite my tongue, trying not to swear at the cop. I’m showing incredible restraint.
I glare at Robin instead, daring him to say ‘I told you so.’ He doesn’t. I throw my phone on the bed.
I stride across the room to her things and start tearing into the small overnight bag. Looking for…I don’t really know what.
Everything seems normal. Robin comes over and puts a hand on my shoulder. I sit there, her bag turned inside out on my lap.
“I’m calling Gustav.” He says. “Call your brother and the other guys. I…” He trails off. The thing hangs in the air. We don’t dare say what we are thinking.
What if the assholes found her alone? What if they took her somewhere? What if—I won’t even think the next thing.