Because of Sydney (30 page)

“The airport,” I choked.

“Yes, ma’am.” The driver took off.

I pulled my ticket from my bag. The return flight wasn’t until ten. I had to hope I could fly standby on an earlier flight.

I walked to the ticket counter and handed the woman my voucher. “I was hoping I could fly standby.” I bit hard on my lower lip.

She studied me for a second. “Let me see what we have here.” Her nails clanked on the keyboard.

I waited while she mumbled to herself. “How about the three o’clock?”

I felt the hot tears roll over my cheeks. “Is there anything earlier?” I sniffed. I was not going to break down in the airport. I refused.

“Honey, you all right?” She peered at me.

“I’ll be fine. I just really need to get home.”

“Hold on.” She clanked some more. “The noon flight?”

I nodded. “Yes. Can I do that one?”

“It’s a two hundred dollar change fee.”

I dug through my wallet for the credit card that was an emergency-only backup. This was an emergency. I had to get home. Away from Mason. Away from the super models in PR. Away from Lachlan Corporation, or as Jackie fondly referred to it, Lach Corp.

I handed her the card. “Just get me on the flight please.” At this point I would be willing to pay another hundred dollars to make an earlier plane back to Padre.

It took off in an hour. I returned the card to my wallet after she ran it through the scanner. I heard my phone ring.
Mason.
I clicked ignore, and shoved the phone in the side pocket of my bag.

“Here you go, honey. I hope everything’s all right.” She handed me a new ticket.

“Thank you.”

I walked toward the security checkpoint and put my bag on the conveyer belt.

“Ma’am, your phone is ringing.” The guard pointed to my bag.

“I can take care of that.” I picked it from my purse and powered it off. I didn’t need to talk to him. I needed to get out of here.

I
looked at the phone in my hand. The calls went straight to voicemail. Damn it.

“Mark, what were you thinking taking her to PR?” I yelled. “I told her to stay in my office.”

“She’s on the PR team, sir.”

I threw my hands in the air. I should have told her. “Find out where she went, damn it!” I knew I was yelling and screaming like a dictator, but I felt all the control I had was lost.

“How am I supposed to do that?” Mark was plastered to the wall next to the door.

I sat in the chair. She was gone. No one had seen her in the building, and Jackie and Chelsea said she ran out of their offices like she was being chased.

I didn’t know whether I should stay in the office or go out on the street to search for her. She could be at the airport. She could be in a coffee shop. Hell, she could be anywhere. I picked up the note she had scribbled on my desk. She signed it with three X’s. She had told me once they stood for more than kisses. They were kisses laced with fire.

“I need James Booker on the phone now.” I glared at him.

“Got it.” Mark raced out of the office.

It had been a long time since I had used his services, but this was urgent. Sydney could be anywhere in the city. I couldn’t stay if she had left, and I couldn’t go if she had stayed. I felt caged. Worse, I felt helpless.

The intercom crackled. “Mr. Booker’s on line one.”

I yanked the phone in my hand. “James.”

“Sounds like you have something urgent.” The retired detective had a slow drawl.

“I do.”

“What can I do for you, Mason?”

“Can you meet me at my place? I’m headed over there now.”

“Sure can. See you in twenty minutes.”

I barged past Mark and the rest of the staff. I turned to face him. “If you see her, call me immediately.”

“I will, sir.” Mark shrank against the potted palm next to his desk.

I flipped the lights on in my penthouse, and threw the keys on a side table. I was going to show all of this to Sydney. I wanted her to see where I lived. See the view I coveted from this floor. It felt stuffy even with the air conditioner running. These windows didn’t open. It wasn’t like the condo in Padre, always circulating with salt air.

I looked around, it wasn’t anything like Padre. This place was cold and unfeeling.

I opened the bedroom closet and stared at the two racks of white shirts. Some had been monogrammed with my initials on the cuffs. Others were designed with a close fit by my tailor.

I shut the door when I heard a strong knock. I crossed the hardwood floors to get to the door.

“James, come in.” I showed the tall man into the penthouse.

“You sounded out of sorts, Mason.” He took the Stetson from his head and placed it next to him on the couch.

“I am. I need you to find someone for me.”

“Another missing family member?”

I shook my head. I had used James’s services last year when I wanted to make sure Grey was Dad’s grandson. James had done all of the investigative work for me. I could trust him.

“It’s a girl.” I pulled up a picture of Sydney on the beach. “I brought her with me to Dallas this morning. She might be headed back to South Padre.”

The older man eyed the picture. “Pretty thing.”

“Yes, gorgeous. And I have no idea where she is.”

“Why is she missin’?” He eyed me.

“She’s upset.” I paused. “With me.” It didn’t seem to faze James. He only wanted details if they would help him find Sydney. “She was at the office and got some news. She took off and no one knows where she went.”

“Shouldn’t be too hard to find her.” He pulled out a small notebook from his starched jeans. “I need her number.”

I wrote it for him. “And that’s it?”

He grinned. “Pretty much.”

I felt like I could breathe again. He rose to leave. “James, I have another project for you.”

“What’s that?” He tucked the notepad behind his wallet.

“Do you think you could find someone who didn’t want to be found?”

He played with the inside brim of his hat. “Sure could. Who doesn’t want to be found?”

“I don’t know much, but I can give you what I have.” I motioned for the notepad again.

I jotted down Hailey’s and Gracie’s names. The town in Virginia where they lived. Anything I could remember Sydney telling me about her sister. I handed my notes to James.

“You have unlimited hours on both of these. Sydney is the most important right now, but as soon as you’ve found here I want you to start looking for Hailey. I know it might take a while.”

“Will do.” He fixed the Stetson on top of his head. I admired a man who could wear a hat like that.

“I’ll be here. I’m not going to leave Dallas until I know where Sydney is.” I decided if she went home she would be safe and I could fly out later. If for some reason she had stuck around the city, I couldn’t leave her here by herself.

It was a strange instinct that kicked in when she was around. I had this need to protect her. To keep the bad out. To keep the hurt and danger far from her. Only today I had failed. I had done it all wrong.

I closed the door behind James. I tried her number one more time, but I got the same result. She was sending me a clear message. I had to figure out how to send her one.

I circled the apartment, checking my phone after I did a few laps. I turned on the business channel, then flipped it to the weather channel. There was a storm brewing in the Gulf. It didn’t look bad, but it was enough to have me worry if Sydney was in its path. I sank into the leather couch, angry, nervous, frustrated. She was out there somewhere and I was in here.

I couldn’t help her from here. I couldn’t do a damn thing but wait for James.

I checked the pantry for food, but I rarely cooked and the only thing that was meal-worthy was a box of pasta. I slammed the door, knowing I didn’t really want to eat anyway. I turned back to the TV, watching the swirling storm edging closer to South Padre.

It was close to eight before I had a call from James. I answered immediately, my heart thumping loud and strong when his number flashed on the screen.

“She’s back in South Padre, Mason.” James didn’t rush the delivery of information.

“And you’re sure?” The searing pain between my ribs finally subsided.

“I got a ping off her phone about thirty seconds ago. She’s on the island.”

I scratched my head. At first glance you wouldn’t think James would know what a ping is. He looked like the kind of guy who would meet you in the street for a six-draw shootout, but he had access to technology and equipment that boggled my mind.

“Thank, God. I’m taking the next flight out.” I grabbed my jacket from the back of the couch and turned off the lights as I walked through the penthouse.

“Sure thing. And I’ll be in touch about the sister. That one is going to take me a little longer, but I’ll work on it for you.”

“Thanks, James.” I didn’t care about the extra clothes I wanted to pack. I slammed the door behind me, ready to take down anyone in my way between here and South Padre.