Page 62 of Redemption's Inferno

“But?”

“But if something had happened and he didn’t want me to worry, he wouldn’t have told me.”

“Are you okay, querida?” Sweetheart.

“No.” She shook her head. “I’m kind of emotional, you know?”

“Let me call Joe, see what I can find out.”

“Okay.”

“Why don’t you get some rest? I’ll wake you if I find out anything.”

She shrugged slightly. “Would it be all right if I just curled up on the chair in here? I don’t know if I can sleep alone in that bed, knowing he’s not coming home…”

“Of course.” Dante kissed her forehead. “It’s going to be okay.”

“Promise?” Her blue eyes filled with tears and he reached up to wipe them away with his thumbs.

“I promise.”

Chapter 23

Emilie dozed on and off and finally got up early to shower. She roused Simone and fed and dressed her before dropping her off at Kate’s for the day while she went to work. It was Wednesday, time to start another work week, and that would keep her mind off Chains. She knew with every fiber of her being he was in trouble, but she had no way to help or to find out what had happened. She’d left a message for Warren and then she, Becca and Dante had driven to the club together. Becca had a babysitter who came during the week and she’d announced if Emilie was going to work, so was she. Emilie knew it was for support, not because Becca really wanted to work, but she played along because she was too terrified to be by herself anyway.

Joe arrived just before them and was turning off the alarms as they walked in.

“Everything all right with the system?” Dante asked him.

Joe nodded. “Everything’s sealed up tight.”

They walked in, turning on lights and the air-conditioning as they talked quietly.

“You tell no one anything,” Dante looked at Becca and Emilie as they heard Franny’s voice calling to them. “No one. Me entiendes?” You understand me?

Emilie and Becca nodded and turned towards Emilie’s office. Emilie’s step faltered when she saw an envelope taped to the door. Becca squeezed her hand and Emilie forced her feet forward, grabbing it and tearing it open. She already knew what it would say—he’d given her several scenarios of things he would do if he felt either she or both of them were in danger—but her overabundance of hormones had her crying anyway.

Em—Sorry I had to go this way, but it was time. Seeing you upset always guts me, so I thought this would be easier. I can’t be the man you need. Your family is Viggo and Jamie, your children, your brother and sister-in-law. No place for me in that, and it’s time for me to move on anyway. Joe will fill my shoes at the club until he finds a replacement. Be happy, beautiful girl. C.

“Ah, shit, did he really split?” Franny asked, standing beside them and reading over Emilie’s shoulder, her eyes filled with sympathy.

“Apparently so.” Emilie balled up the note in her hand and unlocked her office. “I have work to do, if you’ll excuse me.”

“You going to be all right?” Becca asked worriedly.

“Yeah. He, uh, he never really got excited about the baby and he’d been acting weird lately…I guess my unconventional lifestyle is more than he can handle. Stupid Brits are too uptight for their own good.” Shutting her door behind her, she leaned against it and let the tears fall. Chains wasn’t at all uptight, and just saying the words felt disloyal. Please, let him be okay, she thought as she fought against hysteria. She knew he hadn’t left her because he didn’t think he could be the man she needed; he’d left because there was a threat of some kind and wanted to protect her. She couldn’t prove it, but she knew it. They’d talked about the possibility and the note was her first piece of evidence. The problem was she couldn’t tell anyone except Dante and Joe.

* * *

“I’ve found nothing,” Joe told her a few hours later, sitting on the edge of her desk. “No sign of him anywhere. His car is still in Viggo’s driveway, his credit cards haven’t been used, and no one with his name or any of his known aliases has rented a car or flown anywhere.”

“He has dozens of aliases and he could have driven to any airport within eight or ten hours in any direction,” Emile said wearily, rubbing her temples. It had been a spectacularly disheartening day and after only sleeping a few hours last night, she was exhausted.

“Did you hear from Warren?”

“No.”

“I’ll find Chains,” Joe promised quietly.

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