“I’m going,” I say. “Stay on standby. I’ll text as soon as I know anything.”
My four teammates nod in unison. “Got it.”
Just before I leave the table, Eden lightly touches my arm. “Ace. Do you think… could he have done something to her?”
My stomach lurches.
Could he?
But she texted. Said she had a plan.
Stupid Ace,a voice in the back of my head scolds.Plans can always go sideways. You should know better than most the truth of that.
“I’m sure she’s fine,” I tell Eden. My confidence sounds false, even to me. “Don’t worry.”
And on that note, I flash everyone at the table a thin smile before turning to leave. As I weave through the crowded banquet hall, I send Yara another message.
Hey. Everything okay? Where are you?
There’s no response.
Not right away, and not by the time I reach the hallway, where a cluster of catering staff are cleaning up a large mess of broken glass and dishware scattered across the floor.
As I head in that direction, one of the staff members notices me and holds up his hand. “Don’t come this way, sir. It’s not safe.”
Undeterred, I keep moving in his direction. “Sir,” he starts, “it’s not safe?—”
“I’m fine,” I interrupt. “I’m looking for someone. Maybe you’ve seen her?”
Unease flickers in the man’s eyes widen as he looks up at me. I’m used to it by now—being six-four and weighing in at two-twenty, most of it muscle, a lot of people are intimidated by me at first. Sometimes, I feel bad about it. But in this case, I’m using it to my full advantage.
“Um.” He takes a step back, nearly putting his foot in a large puddle of spilled coffee. “I haven’t been paying attention, really. I’ve just been helping clean up.”
“I’m looking for a woman,” I reply. “You would have noticed if you’d seen her. She’s wearing a long dress, kind of greenish-gold colored. Like the color?—”
Shit. He doesn’t need to know that her dress matches the color of her eyes—a deep green cast with gold, like a grassy field at sunrise.
“She has long, brown hair,” I add. “And she’s tall for a woman. About five-eight. Pretty.”
More than pretty, really. But that’s not relevant right now.
The catering employee shakes his head. “I just got out here. I haven’t seen anyone like that.” Then he glances at his two coworkers. “Did either of you?”
I pin the two other men with a steady gaze. “Have you seen her? She might have been with a man. He has black hair, heavy eyebrows, kind of… arrogant.”
One of the other men nods. “I saw her. And the guy.”
“And?”
“They looked cozy,” he replies with a smirk. “Are you sure you want to interrupt?” A beat and then, “Shit. Is she your girlfriend? Is she cheating on you?”
“No.” My voice is sharp. No nonsense. “She isn’t. And I need to know which way she went.Now.”
The guy gulps as I move closer to loom over him. His face pales. “They went that way,” he says quickly. Gesturing to the right, he adds, “Towards the north wing.”
“What’s in the north wing?” I ask.
The third employee speaks up. “Small meeting rooms. Dressing rooms they use for weddings. It’s supposed to be closed to attendees, but I’m not telling anyone that. Not my business.”