Page 105 of From Us, Forever

Mr. Rogers nodded, smiling as he walked away.

“Okay, fellas, let’s call this a night. My wife would have my head if I stayed here any longer.” Tom laughed, and we all agreed.

“Fuck, finally,” Mikey mumbled under his breath, loosening the bow around his neck. “I thought we were supposed to be having fun, not this. I would’ve been happier at home.”

“I’m sorry for ruining your night of chasing bimbos, or maybe you have something better at home,” Matty suggested dryly.

Mikey’s entire demeanor changed as he gave him a nasty look.

Something in me ticked at that statement, but I disregarded it and headed downstairs. We’d mingled about in the private room upstairs for the past half hour, talking business. At this point, I was tired and exhausted. All I wanted to do was go home with my girl and sleep.

“Come on, assholes. I’m exhausted.” Katy covered her mouth with a yawn.

“Ah, K. You’re getting old. Where’s your spark?” Mikey commented to which no one bothered replying.

The crowd was getting thinner and thinner by the minute, the young ones heading out for the after-party while the old ones were already on their way home.

We weaved through the crowd, and I headed straight to where I left my girl. An instant frown creased my eyes when I noticed Louisa talking with another woman who wasn’t Evelyn.

“Hey, Louisa.” I approached her, my pulse already spiking up a notch. “Where’s Evelyn?”

“Oh, honey, she went to the bathroom,” she replied.

Relief clouded me, and I nodded, already walking around the back. Following the sign, I reached the individual powder room and knocked on the door softly. “Evelyn, sweetheart. Are you in there? We’re calling it a night.”

Seconds passed, and no answer came through. I twisted the knob open, and the door gave away freely. “Evelyn?”

There was no one in the room, and my pulse skyrocketed.

Mikey popped in behind me. “What’s wrong?” he asked, concerned.

I swallowed. “Evelyn’s not here.”

“She probably went back out. I’ll ask the others to find her.” He was already on his phone as we both walked out toward the hallway.

Minutes later, Katy approached us as we re-grouped. “Guys, I searched all the other restrooms and asked around. She’s nowhere to be seen,” she said in a frantic tone.

Matty appeared grim. “No luck. Did you try her phone?”

“She’s not picking up,” I mumbled as I dialed Tyler. “Track Evelyn’s phone,” I said, cutting straight to the point, running a hand through my hair.

I squeezed my eyes shut as I waited, and not even a second later his voice filtered through. “It shows she’s still in the building, sir.”

“Really?” My heart rate eased a bit. “Tell me where?”

“On it, sir.”

We followed the directions that Tyler gave us and it took us right past the powder room I first checked. I felt the fear brimming in my heart because I knew something was terribly wrong.

We went past a few different hallways and right to an exit door at the end. My steps quickened as I burst it open, and it led right to an empty alley. “It’s right where you’re standing, sir.” Tyler’s voice carried through the air from the speaker on my phone.

“Found it,” Mikey mumbled, his face pinched in distress as he held a sparkly pink phone with a Polaroid image of us stuck to the back.

Matty and Katy exchanged panicked looks with me.

And I just knew.

My girl was missing.

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