Page 57 of Lost Without You (Chasing Olivia 2)

Chase dials another number. “Dad, hey. I need a favor. Can you get Mitch to find out which key card accessed Olivia’s elevator for her apartment earlier today?” His voice is softer now while talking to his father. “No, she’s fine. Someone was in her apartment, though, and I need to know who.” He turns to look over at me and smiles. “Thanks, Dad. Call me as soon as you hear something.”

Chase hangs up the phone and makes his way back to the couch. Sitting down next to me, I crawl into his lap, place my head on his chest, and wrap my arms around his neck, refusing to let go. “Are you hungry?” he murmurs in my ear. I shake my head no in a slight jerk.

“I won’t let anything happen to you,” he whispers. “Ever.”

“Just hold me,” I say, choking back tears. The reality of what’s going on hits me. What if I was home when whoever was in my apartment showed up? What if it was Evan? The thought makes me shiver.

“Cold, baby?” he asks. I shake my head into his chest.

I don’t want to believe that it could be Evan. The look in his eye when I told him it was over . . . He’s done some stupid shit when we were kids, I just hope he would never do anything crazy to me, or Chase.

“Okay, whatever you need,” Chase says, stroking my hair.

“I just want to go to bed and let this nightmare day be over,” I sob.

Chase picks me up and carries me to his bedroom. Placing me on the bed, he pulls the covers over me. “I’ll be right back, beautiful.”

“No, please. Lie down with me?” Without a word, he crawls into bed behind me, pulls me to his chest, and holds me tight.

I wake to an empty bed. “What do you mean you don’t fucking know!” Who is he screaming at? What time is it? The alarm clock shows it’s one forty-five in the morning.

I get out of bed and follow the sound of Chase’s voice. “I don’t want any fucking excuses. I want answers! I pay you to give me answers!” I peek around the corner and see Chase pacing the kitchen floor, his eyes closed, his fingers pinching the bridge of his nose, trying to reign in his anger. “I don’t care the cost, just get me answers!” He slams the phone down on the counter.

“Chase?” I whisper as I tip toe toward him. He spins around at the sound of my voice, his expression softening when he sees me. He looks so tired.

“Baby, what are you doing out of bed?”

“I woke up and you weren’t there. I heard you yelling.”

He makes his way across the kitchen, pulling me into his arms. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to wake you,” he breathes, kissing the top of my head.

“Who was that?” I ask.

“Never mind that now. We’ll talk in the morning. Let’s get you back to bed.” He pushes me back to his bedroom, like a father would a child, stalling for extra time.

Listening to his conversation brings the events of the day crashing back. I try to push them aside, but one thought keeps coming back to me. I start to voice my fears, my words barely audible. “What if I was in my apartment? What if—” He places his finger over my lips to stop me from finishing my thought.

“Nothing’s going to happen to you,” he reassures me, a trace of sadness in his eyes. “Come to bed,” he commands, pulling a t-shirt from one of his d

rawers and motioning for me to put it on. I had fallen asleep fully clothed, wanting to crawl into bed and forget any of this ever happened. Chase gets in bed, patting the spot next to him. Once under the covers, Chase pulls me close once again, and whispers, “Sleep, my beautiful angel.”

I wake up to the sun beaming on my face. Turning over, my hand rests on the space where Chase should be. I squint to read the alarm clock and jump out of bed. “Shit, shit, shit! I am so late for work,” I mumble to myself, searching for the clothes I packed. Racing into the living room, I find Chase sitting on the couch. He isn’t dressed for work either. “Chase, I’ve gotta go, I’m late for work!”

“Good morning, beautiful,” he replies, but the spark is gone from his eyes. Something must have happened.

Work forgotten, I sit down next to him and ask, “What’s wrong?”

“My father called this morning.” Chase pulls me onto his lap. “Someone stole a key card from the maintenance office. They checked the video, but whoever it was had on a hoodie and was aware of the surveillance cameras. They avoided being seen on every one. I want you staying here until I find out who it is.”

“Okay, but I only grabbed enough clothes for a couple of days.”

“I’ll have more brought over. I don’t want you going back until whoever it was is caught.” He kisses the top of my head. “Hopefully this will all be resolved by the time we get back from Italy.”

“Italy?” I squeak.

“Yes. Remember, I need to go check on the property? We talked about it.” Yes, we did, but that was before I ran off with Evan, and I never actually said yes. Shit, I can’t leave now. I just got back.

“Chase, I can’t go with you. As much as I want to, the timing is all wrong.”

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