Page 19 of Protecting Christina

“I’m fine. Well, not exactly.”

As I suspected. “What’s wrong? Is it Jake?”

“No. No. He’s with my mother in Boston and I spoke to them both this morning. It’s not that.”

“What is it, then?”

“It’s my friend, Christina.”

I dropped a hand to my hip. “You don’t have to worry about your friend. She can take care of herself,” I said, recalling the ice pack I pressed against my groin shortly after meeting with Christina for the first time.

“I know. But she hasn’t come into work today.” Her voice sounded frantic. It was unlike Nikole. She’d been through a lot and didn’t overreact.

“Perhaps she’s sick.”

“She didn’t call in sick, and she hasn’t texted me like she usually does whenever she misses work. I’m really worried about her. I was ready to go to her house, but I promised Jake I wouldn’t. He doesn’t think it’s safe for me to go alone.”

“Jake’s right. You shouldn’t go alone.”

“Great. Then you’ll come with me?”

I considered the possibility that Christina had run into some trouble after I saw her yesterday. If that were the case and I brought Nikole into the fray with me, I would never hear the end of it from Jake.

“No. I’ll go alone.”

“But—”

“You made a promise to Jake and my balls can’t take anymore breaking, especially not from Jake, so I’m going in alone. What’s her address?”

She sighed. “Fine. But text me as soon as you know anything. And if she’s not there, then I’m calling the police.”

“Yes. I agree. But let’s take this one step at a time.”

“All right. I’ll text you the address now.”

While I waited for Nikole’s message, I took the elevator to the penthouse floor and stepped inside my apartment to shower.

Fifteen minutes later, I was in my black SUV and driving through Manhattan. Checking the GPS, I realized Christina’s house was in Brooklyn. It would take some time to get there with traffic. Although it was past nine o’clock in the morning, it was still a weekday, and this was still New York City.

Traffic lightened after crossing the Brooklyn Bridge, but my energy darkened. I grew up in Brooklyn with my parents. I lived here until I was eighteen years old. Shortly after my eighteenth birthday, I joined the army. I had no mother, no father, no idea what sort of future I wanted.

Turning onto Christina’s street, the brownstone houses loomed one after the other. This was a much better neighborhood than the one I grew up in, although mine wasn’t exactly rough or poor, just not as nice as this one.

I parked my truck in front of the address Nikole had texted me and looked around.

A couple of women in black leggings and sunglasses walked their dogs and pushed strollers at the same time.

There was nothing suspicious about the neighborhood or what was happening around the house. I stepped outside and walked up to the front door. It was closed and the blinds to the front window were drawn.

I knocked twice on the door. And waited.

No one answered.

I rang the doorbell. And waited.

No one answered.

Discreetly, I checked the door handle, pressed down on the lever, and felt the door give. It was unlocked.

---