Page 81 of The Acquisition

Stryker straightened his shirt and fixed his cuff links. "My reputation precedes me. You're going to hear some unsavory things about me, but just know that as bad as you hear I can be, the truth is actually worse, and all my skills will be used to help you."

"On that unsettling note, how about you give me a ride in the sex mobile so I can get settled back in my home."

THIRTY

COLTER

My phone rang with Caroline's name on the screen. I knew if I didn't answer she'd just keep calling.

"Now isn't a good time." My greeting was rude, but I had a wife to find.

"What the hell did you do?"

"Say whatever you need to say so I can get going. Whatever you're calling to bitch me out about I promise I've got bigger problems."

I didn't have time for this shit. Jana never came home last night. It only took a moment's hesitation on my part for her to get away. I chased after her, but I was too late.

The rest of the night passed with me walking around the hospital trying to find where she'd gone. I stopped in several bars and late-night cafes. I even went to the diner where Beck found Evie.

She wasn't in any of those places, so I called Sabrina to see if she'd seen her. That earned me a blistering lecture and further wasted time since she hadn't left the hospital yet. The only other place I could think where she would have gone was to Evie and Beck's, but they were also both still at the hospital.

"Colter—"

"I'm serious, now is a bad time. Jana didn't come home last night."

Caroline sighed on the other end of the line. "That's why I'm calling. She called me last night to get the keys to her apartment."

The messages she left Jana while we were still in France came back to me. I'd pushed aside a lot after hearing Evie went into labor early. I grabbed my keys off the counter and headed toward the door.

"Did you give them to her?"

"Of course, it's her apartment. What did you want me to do, stall her?"

"Yes!" I shouted. "You could have bought me some time."

"Well, then you're really going to hate the next bit of news I have for you. She's meeting with the new interim CEO of Easton Corp.,” she said with an odd hesitation in her voice.

"Don't fucking say it, Care. There's no way you'd bring that bastard into our lives," I growled.

I heard her take a deep breath. "He's the best, of course I called him. Besides, he's a friend of mine. You need to stop holding your hatred of his brother over him. If you would actually talk to him I'd bet you'd find you have more in common than you think."

My teeth clenched so hard I felt like they'd crack. "Attraction to a long-legged blonde better not be one of those things," I managed to force out.

"Do you love her?" she pried.

"She's my wife."

"You didn't answer my question," she persisted.

"Care, why are you pushing?"

"It's a simple question, Colt. If you can't answer it, or if you know the answer is no, then let her go."

"I can't do that," I muttered.

"Well, before you go look for her, I suggest you figure out why you are so desperate to keep her." She hung up before I could say anything more. Not that I even knew what to say.

I'd sworn to myself I'd never love again. When I fell for Jenny I did so with the innocence of youth. Even with the neglect I'd felt from my own parents, I was able to give her my heart completely.

---