Page 54 of Tempting the King

“You fucking telling me you both knew she was upset, she was on the phone, and you just let her walk away because you couldn’t handle hearing the word tampon?” I shake my head, pointing at each of them. “If I find her and she’s hurt, or anything is wrong, I’m coming back for both of you.”

I’m shaking as I turn and burst through the door into the hallway. Other players and family and friends are laughing and talking, but I hear nothing but the rage-filled blood rushing through my ears.

Chase and Mack follow as I barrel down the hallway calling her name. They both have a full six inches on me, but every time I shoot a look their way, they won’t meet my eyes.

If I find her and there’s anything wrong, they better hope they’re a million miles away from me.

“You two go that way. Check fucking everywhere, you hear me? Everywhere. I don’t give a shit if it’s off limits or if you’re fucking embarrassed. If I find she was there and you missed her…if she’s hurt…”

I glare, and they get it, turning around and heading down a corridor as I continue the other way, panic riding my back like a five-hundred-pound gorilla.

I check bathrooms, I check supply closets. I check garbage cans.

Her fucking phone is still showing off line.

What the fuck.

What if she left? But, she doesn’t know about the tracking. She would still have her phone…

Something is wrong. I feel it in my soul.

“You!” I bark at a security guard standing at the entrance to the VIP suite hallway. “Have you seen a girl with red curly hair, about this tall?” I put my hand out at my side. “Pretty. Curvy. Wearing one of my jerseys.”

“I, er… Yeah, I think I saw a girl like that.”

“Did she leave? Did you see her go out the doors?”

“No, man. No. She was heading down that way.” He points, but the direction doesn’t make any sense.

“Toward the maintenance corridor?”

There’s a network of tunnels down there, and nothing she could possibly have any interest in; electrical wires everywhere, plumbing, ventilation ducts, large machinery.

It also houses the coolant pipes for the rink. Unless Emee is secretly some sort of spy and wants to sabotage the stadium, I can’t think of a single reason she’d be going down there.

“Yeah. I tried to stop her. Told her it was off limits. She either didn’t hear me or ignored me. She started running, and I had another call about a fight, so I couldn’t go after her. Shit happens down there. Sometimes we find needles, used condoms.” He makes a disgusted noise.

“If you’re sure it was her…” I say, darkness clouding my vision, staring at the maintenance corridor.

“You want me to come with you?”

“Shit,” I mutter, then it occurs to me. “You get phone signal down there? Any sort of interference?”

“No, you can’t get a signal down there. The main electrical lines and the cement block the signals.”

“It’s her,” I say, my jaw locking up then I growl through my teeth, “Yeah, show me the way. I hope you can run…”

I follow as he heads that way, huffing and puffing but giving it his all, but before we can disappear, a voice echoes down the hall from behind.

“Hey, asshole, where the fuck you going?” I know who it is without looking.

“You’re coming with me,” I demand, waving my arm in a come here gesture, and he shrugs.

“Sure. Where are we going?”

“To find Emee.”

We’re two stories underground when I hear it. Emee’s voice. She’s screaming, and it’s not in celebration.

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