Page 84 of Rum & Coke
“Though, he’s not Metro.” I sighed. “Should we call Metro?”
“I don’t know, Vinny. I’ve never dealt with this shit before.”
“Neither have I.”
“What if she did it on her own?”
“Did what?”
Melony shrugged. “I don’t know. Decided to stay the night?”
“We had plans,” I informed her. “I was supposed to stay the night. Plus, Sophia said she looked like she had been crying.”
“Right. She mentioned that.”
“So, she’s not doing this on her own,” I stated. “Something’s not right.”
“You think he kidnapped her?”
I shook my head slowly, thinking with a long sigh. “It’s the only explanation.”
“But why? He has an entire house full of people. It doesn’t make sense.”
“Tell me exactly what happened.” I sat back down on the couch and leaned forward, my elbows resting on my knees.
“Nothing happened. We showed up, got a few drinks, saw Sebastian for a minute while he introduced us to his friends he was walking with. Then we went to watch a pool tournament, saw our friends from Red Diamond, and hung out for a while. Tessa wanted to leave, and so did I, so she told me to get an Uber while she went to the bathroom. I was standing outside when this guy came up and told me to leave.”
“Told you to leave?”
Melony shrugged. “He was nice about it, but I told him I was waiting for Tessa. He said that she wasn’t coming, and when I questioned why I had to leave, he just told me that I needed to leavenow.”
“So you did? Just like that?”
“No, of course not. I told him I wasn’t leaving without Tessa, but then the Uber arrived and next thing I knew, I was being picked up and put into the car. Physically picked up by this guy and put into the backseat. Then the driver left and went the long fucking way home. I tried calling Tessa over and over, but she never answered, and I didn’t have your number.”
“Something must have happened. That’s the only thing that makes sense.”
“What would have happened? We were drinking and watching pool.”
“I have no fucking clue.”
“So, what do we do?”
“I’m going to go talk to my friend Seth.” We weren’t close, but I’d hung out with him at the fight and while we got ready for Paul’s wedding. Plus, I didn’t know what else to do. If I called Metro, what would I say? My girlfriend came home, got some clothes and I assumed went back to her boss’s house? From everything I’d seen on TV and the movies, once a person was kidnapped, they stayed hidden. They didn’t go home to get an overnight bag.
“I’m coming with you.”
“No. Stay here in case she comes back.”
“Right.” She sighed. “This is too surreal.”
I grabbed her shoulders and looked straight into her eyes. “I know, but I’m going to fucking find her. I’ll be damned if the first woman I fall in love with disappears.”
She smiled slowly. “You love her?”
I blinked, not realizing I’d actually said the L word. I’d never been in love before, but what I felt for Tessa had to be love. Thinking about her hurt, kidnapped, or dead made my heart fucking ache and I didn’t fucking like it. I wanted those butterflies girls talked about. I wanted to laugh with Tessa, hold her, kiss her, make love to her again. I wanted to cook breakfast and dinner for her and Colton, and everything in between.
I wanted them.
