Page 32 of Golden Knight

I wave back to them, “Good night.”

Once all the customers have finally made their way out, I make sure that all the glasses are cleaned and put away.

Once I’m done, I wipe my brow. I’m exhausted. I glance over at Jake who is staring at me with a look that I can’t decipher, so I ask, “How long have you been watching me?”

“All night.”

Jake gets up and walks around the bar, snaking his arms around my waist. He whispers in my ear, “It turns me on to watch you work.”

His words send a tingle straight to my core. All I can think about is jumping him right here. Fuck, I need him to get me out of here before I combust.

I grab the papers and make my way toward him. I kiss his cheek and then whisper in his ear, “Let me go put these papers in my office, and then we can go back to your apartment.”

Jake growls at my words, but he allows me to leave his clutches. I hurry back to my office, setting the paperwork down on my desk. I get the same creepy feeling as before. I look over my shoulder one last time but no one’s there. So I get the hell out of there.

Still not wanting to set off any alarms with Jake, because this is just me being paranoid. The incident with the man grabbing my arm just had me freaked out. I lean against the wall for a quick second, taking deep breaths, repeating in my head, no one is after you. Once I feel calmer, I approach him and ask, “Ready to go?”

He nods his head, then he grabs my hand, weaving our fingers together. When we approach the exit, I see Paul closing up. I wave to him and shout, “Hey, I’m heading out. Call me if you need anything.”

“No problem, Amber. See you tomorrow.”

With that, I feel lighter than ever, and for the first time, I feel ready for the future. Life couldn’t get any better. Famous last words.

Chapter twenty-two

Jake

I wake to a loud noise coming from the hallway. I roll over to the other side of the bed wanting to check on my girl. My brow creases when she’s not there. I sit up to see if the bathroom light is on, but it’s all dark. I hear another noise outside in the living room.

I open the drawer on my nightstand and grab my gun.

Another loud bang has me moving quickly from the bedroom and out into the hallway.

“Amber?” I yell down the hallway, no answer.

“Sunshine, where are you?”

I hear a loud bang, like a door opening. I rush to the front door and find it standing wide open. Looking down the dark hallway, I don’t see anyone. I run down the empty hallway toward the elevator, no sign of her.

I see the stairwell and shove the door open, rushing down the stairs, checking every landing just in case she’s there. My brain is telling me that she left, but my heart is holding onto that she might still be here. Reaching the lobby, I frantically push through the doors, glancing around. Still no sign of her. Pushing open the doors to the building, I glance down the street, and nothing. She’s not out here.

Maybe she didn’t leave? Is she having another panic attack and is in my apartment? I rush back up to my apartment and check every room, hoping I will find her. But nothing.

I’m not sure where or why she would leave, but I will find her. Running back to my room, I hurriedly grab my sweats off the ground and pull them up over my boxers. Next, I throw on a hoodie and then I shove my feet into my tennis shoes.

I only know of a few places that she might be, her apartment, his apartment, or The Tower. I don’t think she would’ve gone back to work, and the idea that she is with him makes my skin crawl.

My first stop is her apartment. Maybe she decided to go home, but I’m not sure why she wouldn’t have left a note or woke me up to tell me.

I bang my fist against the front door of her apartment. After a few minutes, no one answers the door, and I can’t hear anyone moving around either. I try again by knocking once again and shouting. “Amber, open the door.”

Still no answer from Amber’s apartment, but I hear the door behind me open up and then the same neighbor as before grumbling, “Not you again?”

I turn to look at the woman behind me and just glare at her. She ignores the scathing look I’m giving her. “You know people are sleeping. Why the fuck are you yelling? I’ve already told you that she isn’t here.”

“She didn’t come back?” I’m not sure why I asked, because I already knew the answer before I even asked it.

“No duh, dipshit.”

---