Total pages in book: 133
Estimated words: 131888 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 659(@200wpm)___ 528(@250wpm)___ 440(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 131888 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 659(@200wpm)___ 528(@250wpm)___ 440(@300wpm)
Chapter Forty-One
Nox put down the crime thriller he was reading and picked up his phone to check the time. After getting the original text that she was on her way, he’d gotten no update from Liyah saying she was running behind schedule. Her running late happened often but she usually gave him a heads up.
It was one reason why she didn’t want him waiting for her at the gate.
She could be five minutes or fifty-five minutes late. It all depended on how her day went.
But tonight? She was forty-five minutes past her arrival time.
He didn’t like that.
He sent her a text. You okay? Expected you here at six.
He forced himself to wait five more minutes. Long enough to give her a chance to respond before he called her. After three rings, the call went to voicemail.
“Liyah, are you on your way? Call or text me as soon as you get this. I want to make sure you’re okay.”
With a frown, he hung up and stared at the phone in his hand.
He didn’t like this. Not one bit. She’d never ignored his texts or calls. Not once. If she was busy with a client, fellow agents, or even her sons, she shot him a quick text to let him know she’d get ahold of him once she was free.
If she didn’t own that fancy car, he would only think she didn’t want to call or text while driving. However, her AMG had all the bells and whistles, including hands-free text and calls, so she had no valid excuse to not respond.
Unless something happened to her.
He shouldn’t think like that but being a cop, it came with the territory.
He’d give her another twenty minutes before he went out searching for her.
Surging from the couch, he began to pace across the length of his apartment with his phone in his hand and his eyes watching the time tick by minute after minute.
With every minute that went by without a response, a new scenario would run through his head.
Her phone battery died.
One of her sons broke an arm and she was currently at the ER.
She was somewhere without any cell phone reception.
She lost her phone.
She’d been in a car crash.
Before he could stop it, his thoughts turned even darker.
She was injured and no one found her yet.
She was dead.
The last possibility made his mouth go dry, his stomach twist and his heart squeeze hard enough that pain shot through his chest.
“C’mon, Liyah,” he whispered. “Don’t leave me hanging like this.”
He sent one more text. If I don’t hear from you in the next five minutes, I’m coming to look for you whether you want that or not.
He shouldn’t even wait another five minutes. Her situation—whatever it was—could change for the worst in five minutes.
Fuck it.
He ended up spending that next five minutes, in addition to another fifteen, on his bike as he raced over to her place, hoping at least one of the boys was home so he could find out where Liyah was.
Only no one answered the door.
He couldn’t see into the garage, so he had no idea if her car was parked inside. He walked around the house, peering through any window he could.
The house appeared empty.
None of that made him feel any better. No, instead it sent him into a spin.
When he finished rounding the house and got back to her front porch, he called her office. The agent who picked up the phone said he hadn’t seen her and they were about to close the office for the night.
He muttered, “Shit,” more times than he could count as he strode back to his bike with his mind spinning on how to handle this. He could get his brothers involved but he wasn’t sure that would help. He could call the police department that covered the area where she lived or…
Straddling his bike, he pulled out his phone and scrolled through his contacts to find the person possibly able to help him with his next option.
The second Axel Jamison answered, Nox asked, “Where does Malcolm Moore live?”
“Who?”
Shit. “Aaliyah’s father.”
“Why the fuck do you want to know where Magnum lives?”
“He doesn’t live in the Dirty Angels’ gated community with you?”
“No. He—”
“Just get me the address, brother. I tried googling it, but nothing came up.”
“No surprise. Since ol’ Magnum and I aren’t best buds, I don’t have his address but I can find out easily enough. You’re not planning on actually going over there, are you?”
Yes, it was a risk showing up at the Knights’ sergeant at arms’ door uninvited. It wasn’t like he had a choice. Liyah could be over there with her sons. “Just get me the address.” He added, “Please.”
“Why do you need his address? Is there a problem?”
“I don’t know yet. I’m hoping not.”
After a slight hesitation, Jamison finally said, “I’ll find out where he lives and text it to you.”