Page 168 of Lars

Then four…

Then six…

When I reached the three-week mark – the longest he said he’d be gone – I called him again.

“Hey… I know you might still be out of town, but I’m starting to get really worried. Please call me, okay?”

I paced nervously for hours and chewed my fingernails – something I hadn’t done since I was seven years old.

Then I started calling all the hospitals in Greater London, asking if a Lars Henriksson had been admitted in the last three weeks. No one had any information whatsoever.

When I still hadn’t heard from Lars the next morning, I decided to take matters into my own hands.

When I went into work, I made a beeline for Sean.

“You look like shit,” he said as soon as he saw me.

“Thanks,” I snapped.

But I knew it was true. I’d lost several pounds from not eating, and I had dark circles under my eyes from insomnia.

“Was Buenos Aires really that rough?” he asked. “I know it was bad, but – ”

“Buenos Aires isn’t the problem.”

He realized exactly what I meant and physically recoiled from me. “No – ”

“Sean, please,” I begged. “Just do a trace on his phone – ”

“No!” he hissed, then looked around again like he was afraid of being overheard. “Did he bolt?”

“I don’t know! Which is why I need you to – ”

“If you don’t know whether he bolted, that means he’s not around – which means he probably bolted,” Sean said sardonically. “Which means you really don’t want people asking if you tipped him off, even accidentally.”

“Sean – ”

“Did you?” he asked, peering at me intently. “Tip him off?”

I hadn’t intended to warn Lars…

Although some of the things I’d said could have possibly been construed that way.

Are you working for Russia or China? Or someone else – a foreign power?

…okay…

I totally could have tipped him off.

Not that I was going to admit that to Sean.

“No,” I said forcefully.

He looked at me like Don’t bullshit me.

“I DIDN’T! I’m just worried that – ”

“You should be worried about yourself, not your boyfriend,” Sean hissed.

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