Page 120 of Obsession

I look up at Vaughn. “You think Johnathan took a fancy to her, and they moved to New York? Is he this nurse’s rich boyfriend?”

“We weren’t looking for a couple, we were always just looking for his shady ass. Maybe this Rose was his cover. No one gives a couple a second glance .”

Johnathan is strategic enough to pull something like this, I think to myself.

“So, she ran,” I say. “Nice girl like this probably discovered something and made a run for it.”

“And either Johnathan found out and killed her, or she is still out there hiding,” Vaughn finishes.

“If she’s still alive, then she’s our biggest lead. She knows what he looks like.”

“Exactly.”

“If she’s hiding, she wouldn’t take another job in the same industry. He would be looking for that. Two years with him would have made her a little smarter.”

“So what are you thinking?”

I look at the picture again, willing her to tell me where to find her.

“Look at her family. If she’s scared, she may have managed a way to contact them. And also check out the homeless community in New York. Get in touch with our usual contacts there, and I’ll reach out to a few as well.”

Vaughn is about to leave when he says, “You didn’t ask about the clinic or Johnathan’s files.”

“If she still worked there after the surgeon’s death, then she probably stole those files and erased them from the system.”

“That would make her complicit.”

“Johnathan wouldn’t leave evidence like that around, but you’re right; I don’t think the nurse willingly helped him commit murder. I’m not sure what we’re looking at here, but there’s something. Put the files in my office.”

I have a lot to think about. However, I decide to check on Megan before I go to my office. It’s been a couple of days since the incident at my place, and apparently, she’s bounced back. Any normal person would be traumatized from being shot at, but Megan has the ability to recover from life-or-death situations quite quickly. It says a lot about how she values her life if I think about it. At first, I thought it was an impressive show of resilience, but now I’m thinking that a certain level of apathy like hers can be pretty dangerous.

Oftentimes, I see a dull acceptance in her eyes that bothers me, like how she deals with those idiots at her school. It’s almost as if she’s complacent about her life, but then she gets back up and keeps on fighting. How can I not be drawn to that spunk?

I open the door which leads to the main floor of the Blue Whiskey and I’m hit by a blast of dance music. Ignoring the gyrating bodies around me, I cut through the dance floor and meet Gage’s eyes who is conversing with a customer. He gives me a discreet nod and then gestures with his shoulder towards the corridor where Megan’s small office is.

As I enter the corridor, a tall figure bumps into me, and a sultry voice murmurs in surprise, “Mr. Middleton!”

I look down at the woman, and it takes me a second to recognize the bartender Megan hired. She’s still pressed against me, showing no indications of moving back. I stare down at her, oddly repulsed by the look in her eyes, which is an invitation, clear as day.

“If you’re quite done, step back,” I say coldly.

Her eyes flicker, a flush crawls up her face, and she quickly moves back. I look around before narrowing my eyes at her.

“And what are you doing in this part of the building? This is for managerial staff only.”

She toys with a strand of her hair, a coy look in her eyes. I can’t believe this type of act works on other men.

“I got lost.”

“You’ve been working here for nearly a month now,” I say icily. “If you’re this incompetent, I can always hire somebody else.”

“Wait, what?” She asks worriedly.

“What’s going on?” I hear Megan’s voice as the door to her office opens.

She blinks when she sees Diana and me, and then, interestingly enough, I see a flash of a darker emotion move through her eyes as she sharply questions me, “Hunter?”

My lips curl in satisfaction at Megan’s first clear display of jealousy and the fact she called me by my first name.

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