Page 64 of Lodged

“You didn’t have to.”

“Anyway, we started talking about his hometown and his family, and I don’t know… things were getting too coincidental, so when I asked him his siblings’ names, he said: River, Miles, Rain and Ruin.” Penny’s mouth is ajar.

“Exactly,” I tell her with a triumphant smile.

“Did you ask his last name? Is it the same as Ruin’s?”

“Damn, I forgot.”

“Dude, what kind of detective are you?” she says as she rolls her eyes.

“Not a very good one,” I answer as I get my phone out. “Luckily, Dr. Smith emailed me his contact info.” I open the mail app, and when I check Dr. Smith’s email, a huge smile stretches my lips.

“Yup, it’s MacAllister.”

“I mean, there’s definitely more families with the MacAllister last name, but the chances of them having a Ruin MacAllister are slim.” I nod in agreement as our food arrives.

Before continuing our talk, we both dive in. The plantains are sweet and crisp to perfection, the beans are full of flavor, and theropa vieja, a marinated shredded beef, melts in my mouth. It’s delicious.

“Okay, so what are you going to do with this information?” Penny asks as she calls the waiter for a second mojito. I shake my head and order water instead.

“Here’s the kicker. Merlin, that’s my student’s name, mentioned he wants to get a good job to help his family becausethey’ve been paying lots of medical bills lately, and they’re at risk of losing their orchard.”

“And you’re planning to go to their town and offer to pay their bills? I thought you had already done that.”

“Well, I was just thinking about going to her town and assessing the situation. Talk to Ruin, see how she’s feeling. I mean, it’s been six months since the accident. Maybe she doesn’t remember that she was terrified to see me back in January.” I shrug, suddenly feeling like my plan is the weakest in the history of getting a girl back.

“I agree. You need to speak with her in person, see what happened. But also, you need to be prepared for her to tell you to fuck off. What if she doesn't have amnesia anymore, and for some reason, doesn’t want to see you?”

I’m not feeling great about my odds. My jaw clenches at the thought. There’s no way she can send me away—I’m still in love with her.

“Yeah, we’ll see,” is all I say.

“Ohhh, Gio Bianchi is ready to fight to get his girl back,” Penny sing-songs.

“Damn right, I am. I have never loved anyone the way I love her.” I close my eyes, thinking about everything I got to experience with Ruin. And how happy we were together.

“Well, you let me know how I can help. I’ll be ready for sidekick duty.” We clink our glasses and toast to new opportunities and the power of friendship.

Gabo: Hey, is anyone available?

Vicente: Hey, bro. What’s up?

Gabo: I’m still in Sweden. Just got word we can lift off after a terrible storm. But Bella is in Geneva. I was supposed to be there to attend a gala with her.

Vicente: Aww, she’s mad at you because you chose work over her?

Gabo: Fuck, I don’t know. But neither she nor her security team can be reached.

I’m at work and have decided to check my phone since I have some downtime before I need to continue the experiment I’m running. That’s when I found a message thread with Vicente and Gabo. My blood leaves my head when I read what Gabo is saying—my sister is missing? Before I jump to conclusions, I send a text to the group.

Gio: What? What do you mean they can’t be reached?

Gabo: Yeah, we can’t find them.

How on fucking Earth did my sister go missing when she has two bodyguards with her 24/7? And who would take her? My mind starts racing with possibilities.

Vicente: I’m on my way.

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