Capture Me: Alpha Billionaire Romance (Hollywood Dreams) (29 page)

“Hello, I can’t make it to my phone—”

It was good to hear her voice but I wanted to talk to
her
, not some machine, so I hung up. I figured any more than two messages in ten minutes would be a little much. She could probably see how many times I’d already called, anyway. Five? Six times? I’d lost count. I told myself that I wasn’t some creepy stalker since we did have an appointment.

I just hoped she saw it the same way.

I looked at the time again. Twenty after. I couldn’t remember her ever being late, and Tessa definitely didn’t seem the type to miss anything she said she’d do.

Trying my best not to look at the clock really wasn’t working. I’d gone back to edit one of Sadie’s pictures and touched up the same spot five times when it didn’t need it in the first place. I tended to do the same sort of thing when I read while tired. After the third pass on a paragraph, without actually reading a single word, I knew I should just put the book down.

I went against my instincts this time and hit the redial button.

I waited for her voicemail to finish. Hearing her upbeat voice this time around, something unpleasant bubbled inside me and I wished she had it set up so I could just hit a button and leave a message without having to hear her go through the spiel again.

When it beeped, my mind froze for a second. I made myself focus. Otherwise, all she’d hear was a message of me breathing into the phone. That would probably move me from the callback list to the avoid-at-all-costs list.

“Hey, Tessa, it’s Liam. Again. I’m calling again because you were scheduled to be at the studio half an hour ago and I just want to know you’re all right. Call me when you get this. Thanks. My number is . . .” Like a damn idiot, I gave her my digits.

As if she didn’t already have them. As if they didn’t show up on her caller ID.

But, apparently, that was what someone does when they have worry eating away at them.

I clicked the end button and figured that was probably the last message I could leave for now.

There were only three possibilities for what was going on. Her phone wasn’t turned off so she either didn’t have it on her, she didn’t want to answer my calls, or something bad had happened.

Either way, she wasn’t coming.

I rubbed my face and needed to know she was okay.

Picking up my phone again, I hesitated. Calling Tessa again right now would get me nowhere. I thumbed through my contacts and found the one I was looking for.

“Pick up. Pick up.”

“Liam.”

“Hey, Sadie—” My brain went blank. “How’s it going?”

“Since I saw you two hours ago?”

“Hah, right.” Worrying and me didn’t mix. Apparently, it shut my brain off.

“Tessa had a shoot with me but she didn’t show up.”

“I see.”

“Have you heard from her?”

“Sure.”

“Is she okay?” I frowned at her answers that weren’t really answers.

“There’s nothing wrong with Tessa.”

A wave of relief flowed over me and my brain finally switched back on. “Good. There are some things I want to talk with her about.”

“I bet. Well, I’ve got this thing. Gotta jet.”

“Oh, sure. Thanks Sa—”

She hung up the phone before I could finish. At least Tessa was okay, but she wasn’t answering my calls. How much had Sadie told her? Sadie knew I’d planned to talk to Tessa tonight.

I checked my watch. We should be heading to the loft anytime now for dinner. She either forgot about our shoot and was at the loft or she went straight there because Sadie had told her something and didn’t want to talk about it over the phone.

Either way, we would sort this out together.

CHAPTER 48

Liam

I nodded to Randy as he held open the main door for me. “Tessa here yet?” Hope rose in me as I could see that he had something to tell me.

“Not yet, Mr. Rising. Should I let her up when she arrives?”

“Yes. Is there something else?”

Randy stepped behind the main desk and shook his head. “A few strange things happened just before you arrived.”

“Go on.”

“I received a call reporting some kids spray painting the building. I completed a search of the perimeter and I witnessed no loitering or vandalism.”

“Sounds like everything’s in order.”
Except for Tessa not being here
. I turned to head up to the loft.

“There was something else.” Randy glanced at the front door before crossing his arms. “I had the feeling I wasn’t alone so I decided to do a walkthrough of the building. While in the staff kitchen, the alarm sounded.”

“Was someone here?”

“I didn’t get to do a full sweep but the emergency door was partially open.”

“Thought we got that fixed.”

Randy shrugged. “Which is why I wanted to check things over before alerting anyone. You said you didn’t want another false alarm sending the cops here.”

I nodded. That was before the issues with Paisley. “Maybe you didn’t shut it all the way.”

He nodded. “I considered that. I was making my way up the stairs when you alerted me that you were on your way. I came back here before I completed my sweep.”

“You had to hold the front door for me.”

“That’s right,” he said.

None of this sat well with me. After all that Paisley had pulled recently, who knew what she could be after? Every time I saw her, she had a different agenda.

“Thanks for letting me know, Randy.” I waited for him to give me grief of some kind, but he didn’t. He could probably tell that I wasn’t really processing the news he’d just given me.

And how could I? Tessa wasn’t here and I had to know why.

“If anything else happens or if Tessa shows up, let me know.”

Times like this, I wished I’d gone for the elevator instead of forcing myself to climb up the two flights of stairs for an extra round of daily exercise. I told myself that Tessa would be here any minute. She had to be.

I walked down the hallway and frowned. The faint light under my door didn’t look quite right. I realized it was at an angle instead of straight across.

My door wasn’t shut all the way.

Thinking about the alarm made me slow my pace. Randy hadn’t made it up this far. Whoever had been here either left without shutting it or was still inside.

With my hand on the door, my heart rate sped up. There wasn’t much I couldn’t handle, but not knowing what was on the other side made it hard to prepare myself. It could be anything from a burglar clothed head to toe in black, to Paisley wearing nothing at all, wanting to make amends.

I wasn’t sure which was worse.

I counted to three in my head, held my breath, and pushed the door open.

Light from the hallway spilled into my main living room. I stood ready for a naked Paisley to pounce.

When nothing happened, I made my way toward my bedroom, realizing that would be the more likely place for her to be waiting for me.

On my way, something caught my eye—or rather, a
lack
of something. I stepped up to my dining table and placed my hands on the bare surface.

Why the hell would Paisley come here and take all the photos and ICE paperwork?

A small paper leaned at an angle against the leg of a chair. When I picked it up, I recognized it as one of the photos. Tessa’s genuine smile—the first thing I noticed about her—was as wide as I’d ever seen it. She had her fingers around the cuff I’d just given her. It warmed me to know her well enough that she liked it because it was something I’d given her, rather than because of the price tag attached.

It was only the first of many things I wanted to give her, if she’d only call me back.

A folded paper lay on the floor beside the sofa. As I walked over to it, I saw the rest.

“Dammit, Paisley, what the hell were you looking for?”

I was pretty sure she didn’t know about my immigration issues. At least, she didn’t before tonight.

I froze when I saw the cuff. The only thing I could feel was my heart beating. It slammed in my chest so hard I thought it might explode. After her leaving the cuff behind, maybe that would be a good thing.

Tessa had been here.
Tessa
. Dammit.

I closed my eyes and it all came into focus.

Sadie overheard my conversation with Paisley and called Tessa. Of course Tessa wanted answers. It wasn’t like I’d given her any.

I picked up the cuff. The metal felt cold in my hand.

The woman I had hoped to marry just left behind the only jewelry I’d ever given her. A bad sign.

I looked at the ICE paperwork and the photos of Tessa. I picked up the photo. She mattered most.

Somehow, I would fix this. I didn’t know how. I just knew that it had to be done.

CHAPTER 49

Tessa

I opened the door to the café. The high-pitched jingle of a bell rang overhead, alerting the clerk that Sadie and I were here, but I couldn’t make myself step inside. My toes edged the entrance, like my feet had been super-glued to the sidewalk. My stomach knotted and I braced myself on the doorjamb. “I think . . . I need some air.”

“Oh, no.” Sadie grabbed my elbow and pulled me inside. The white tile shone bright against my brown flip-flops and I nearly tripped as she dragged me to the counter.

“Hello. Can I get you something? Tea? Protein shake with a vitamin boost?” The girl had arms bigger than most guys I knew and I wondered if this was one of those coffee-slash-health-food bars.

“We’re not here to order anything,” I said.

Sadie squinted at one of the five panels displaying the various drink and snack options. “I’ll have a—”

“What are you doing?” I gritted my teeth and glanced around the place. My patience were thin after a sleepless night. “This isn’t why we’re here.”

“Go with me on this,” she said. “We need to look authentic. Besides, haven’t you seen any decent detective shows? They always have coffee.”

Bicep-girl made a sour face. “Sorry, we don’t sell coffee here.”

Sadie’s eyes went wide and she placed her hand on her chest. “What kind of coffee shop is this?”

I pulled her away from the counter. “Sorry about that,” I said back to the girl. “We’re just trying to find someone.”

As we turned, Sadie said in a low voice, “What kind of place is called ‘Morning Perk’ that doesn’t sell coffee?”

I shrugged. “Guess everyone’s trying the clean, natural way of doing things.”

“Waking up by any means other than coffee is not natural.” Sadie was looking about as frazzled as I felt.

I took her hand. “You’re supposed to be the strong one for me this morning, remember?”

She gave me a pained look. “Sorry, let’s see if she’s here. Why anyone would want to be here this early without coffee is beyond me.” Sadie said the last part through gritted teeth and I squeezed her hand. Partially for my own comfort as well as not being rude—more than we already had been.

The place had several tall bookshelves configured as room dividers so we had to walk around the small café to see if Paisley was sitting somewhere in the back corner. Though most of the chairs and sofas were taken, Paisley wasn’t one of the patrons.

Once Sadie and I made it back outside I said, “I thought your modeling buddy said that she gets her morning coffee here sometimes.”

Sadie laughed and shook her head. “Clearly not.” She looked up and down the street. “And I was told that Paisley goes somewhere on this
block
. Who was I to know this was the health store from hell?”

I followed her gaze until my phone vibrated in my purse. I sighed, not wanting to take a look at it.

“How many times?” Sadie asked.

“What are you talking about?” I dug it out, and seeing that it was another text from Liam, I sighed. I had turned it on vibrate after his third voicemail yesterday. After the fifth, I wanted to shut the thing off. And after that, I felt like chucking it into the East River. “I really should just turn the thing off.”

“You do that and he won’t know that you’re intentionally ignoring him.”

I frowned and followed her across the street. “Isn’t that a bitchy thing to do?”

She started ticking off points on her fingers. “One—not telling you that he wants to marry you because he’s about to be kicked out of the country in four days. Two—he may have another girl knocked up. Both of which are so far beyond what a sweetheart of a guy should do that it’s okay to be just a touch bitchy.”

I sighed. “You’re right. It’s beyond messed up that he’s thinking about marrying me just to stay in the country while someone else is carrying his baby.”

She put her arm around me. “But really, he knows you’re okay, and if you turn your phone off now he might really have cause to worry.”