Burned: A Bad Boy Billionaire Romance (Lords of the City Book 3)

by Alice Ward

  Which — considering I was Seth’s girlfriend — suddenly seemed so weird. Things between us had transpired so fast. We hadn’t planned for a catastrophe, hadn’t set things up for an emergency in the life we suddenly shared together.

  Because he had a secret life. Whatever it was Seth hid, it had pulled him away from me. As tormented as he was over his relationship with his father, he’d never once said the man’s name in my presence.

  Finally, I found it. Mention of his father as one of Seth’s high school basketball team’s benefactors. Colin Allman.

  “Colin Allman, Colin Allman,” I repeated over and over as I did another search. Seth had said he was something akin to a drifter, never staying in one place for long.

  In between digging for contact info, I periodically checked my Facebook and phone. Nothing from Phil.

  The time was slipping by, Seth getting further and further away from me.

  Then, finally! I found it. A number for his father. A Chicago one at that.

  Praying the digits still belonged to Colin, I made the call.

  “Hello?”

  I nearly cried out from relief, having been half afraid no one would answer. “Is this Colin Allman?”

  A pause. “Who is this?”

  “Sir, my name is Quinn Laurent. I’m calling about Seth. He’s… he’s gone missing.”

  “Are you from the police?”

  “No, sir. I’m his… girlfriend.”

  “Oh.” Another long pause. “That’s right… I remember your name now. He mentioned you.”

  “Really?” The news surprised me. I had assumed Seth and his father didn’t schmooze over personal stuff. “Have you talked to him at all in the last couple weeks?”

  “No,” he said, then cleared his throat.

  I paused to collect myself. I could sense the man’s mood through the line, and it wasn’t a good one. I needed to tread carefully around him, or I might lose him. At the moment, Colin was my last hope for finding out any information.

  “I’m worried about Seth,” I explained. “He left a couple weeks ago. He told me he was being deployed to Afghanistan. You saw him about three weeks ago, right? Did he say anything about this to you?”

  “Seth doesn’t tell me much of anything, Miss Laurent.”

  I bit my bottom lip. “I got in touch with the army, and they told me Seth hasn’t been deployed. He’s gone off somewhere else, and I don’t know where. I’m worried about him. That weekend before… he didn’t seem right. Something was bothering him.”

  The weekend he saw you, I wanted to say, but couldn’t. I didn’t want Colin to think I blamed him for Seth’s vanishing.

  Colin sighed. “All right. How about you and I meet somewhere? We can discuss this further.”

  “You really don’t know where he could be? There’s nothing you can tell me right now?”

  “I’d rather speak in person.”

  I shut my eyes and took a moment. No one, it seemed, took this issue as seriously as I did. “Okay,” I said. “All right. Are you in Chicago right now?”

  “I am.”

  “There’s this bar named Reparations.”

  I gave him the address, and we agreed to meet there in a couple of hours, right when it opened. Though Rory’s workplace was a bar, it could also pass as a pub since it served a limited menu of fried foods. I picked the place because Rory was working the early shift and, no matter what went down, I would need the emotional support of one of my friends.

  I got to Reparations fifteen minutes early. Rory was just pulling the last of the stools down from the counters.

  “Hey,” she said, clearly surprised to see me.

  “Hi.”

  “Have you heard from…”

  “No,” I answered tartly. She knew all about Seth’s going MIA, but I’d yet to tell her or my other friends about the rest of it. “He’s not in Afghanistan.” I nearly sobbed.

  Rory’s eyes went wide. “What are you talking about? He came home?”

  I shook my head and pushed down the pain. This was not the time to break down. Not when Seth’s dad would be walking through the door any minute with, hopefully, answers. “No, it’s not that at all. I called the army, and he wasn’t deployed. I don’t know where he is, Rory.”

  “Oh my God.” She looped her arms around me and pulled me close. “I don’t understand.”

  “Neither do I,” I said into her shoulder. “But something’s up. He didn’t want to leave, but he had to.” I pulled back and wiped tears. “I think he went off somewhere because… I don’t know. I just don’t know. He was writing me these emails, and now he’s not. I’m meeting his dad here to see if he knows anything.”

  “Okay. Let me know if I can help. Don’t worry. We’ll find him. We’ll get through this.”

  I nodded sullenly and sat in one of the tall booths, making sure I had a good view of the front door. A middle-aged couple entered and sat at the bar, then a young man in a suit. The door opened for a third time, and I recognized Colin right away. Not only did he have the same build and thick brown hair as Seth, he also possessed the same stoic quality in his eyes. He wasn’t as fit, and there were threads of silver in his otherwise dark hair, but in his younger days, he might have been Seth’s doppelganger.

  I stood and caught his eye. He nodded and walked to my table.

  “Mr. Allman.” I offered my hand for a shake. He studied me warily, as if trying to decide what to make of me or what to make of this whole situation. “Thank you for meeting with me.”

  He nodded again and pursed his lips, taking a seat in the booth across from me.

  “I’m worried… I know I said that before, but I think something has happened to Seth. I—” I choked on the last word.

  “I don’t know where he is,” Colin said. “I’m sorry.”

  I stared at him, unable to accept the tight tone in his voice. “Aren’t you worried about him?”

  He sighed and looked away. “Yes,” he finally said. “But Seth does what he wants to do. You must know that by now. If he’s gone off and gotten himself into a mess, there’s not much you can do about it.”

  “I don’t believe that. I’m going to find him.”

  Colin studied me silently, his lips turning up in the slightest, sad smile. “Did you ask his mother?”

  “I went there, but her neighbor said she’s on vacation in Pennsylvania or Connecticut.” I leaned eagerly across the table. “Do you have her number?”

  Colin shook his head in distaste. “No. She doesn’t want to talk to me. She changed it last year. Right before she said I was ruining her and told me never to call her again.”

  I shrank back in my seat.

  “It’ll be all right,” Colin said. “Don’t worry.”

  “How can you say that? Something’s wrong.”

  He studied me, then looked toward the bar and ran his hand over his mouth.

  “Will you please think back and try to remember if he said anything to you the last time you saw him? Or the time before that? Was there anything bothering him? Or maybe he talked about going somewhere or doing something.”

  Colin looked back at me, something new in his eyes. Sadness? Disgust? Pity? “There’s always something bothering Seth. There should be.”

  “I…” I gazed back at him. “I’m sorry. I don’t understand.”

  “How long have you been seeing him?”

  “Um, I don’t know exactly… a couple months. Why are you asking? Why is that important?”

  “I’m interested to know just how well you know him.”

  I bristled at that. When had this meeting become about interviewing for the role of significant other in Seth’s life?

  “I know him extremely well,” I told Colin.

  His eyes narrowed. “You do? Are you sure about that?”

  My jaw locked. No, of course I wasn’t sure about that. At this point, there wasn’t a whole lot I could be sure of. I’d had my doubts from the beginning about ever being able to fully k
now Seth. People who weren’t open books stayed that way. But I loved Seth, and I truly believed he loved me, despite anything he may have kept from me.

  Colin’s face softened. Behind him, Rory was busy at the bar, muddling mint for a pair of mojitos. “It sounds like I’m guessing right,” he said, “when I say Seth hasn’t shared his past with you.”

  “What are you talking about?” I asked in a low voice.

  Colin laced his hands together on top of the table and looked down at them. “He’s not a saint. I don’t know what he made you believe, but he’s not a saint.”

  “I know that. He hasn’t tried to act like a perfect person.”

  “He’s done things in the past that can’t be forgiven.”

  A shiver went through me. Frozen solid in place, I stayed as still as stone and waited for more.

  “I need to go,” Colin said brusquely. “I’ve got to get to work.”

  “No! Please.” I reached across the table and gripped his arm to stop him. “What things did Seth do? Please, if they have anything to do with where he might be now, I need to know.”

  Colin licked his lips and looked thoughtful. Finally, though, he just shook his head. “Seth wouldn’t go back there… I’m sorry. I just don’t know where he might be.”

  “What do you mean ‘back there?’ Please just tell me what you’re talking about.”

  “I just told you he wouldn’t do it, didn’t I? So, it doesn’t matter. Seth’s gone off somewhere, probably to find himself or something.” He stood and walked toward the door.

  “Do what? What wouldn’t he do?” I shouted after him. All the heads in the bar turned toward me as the door slammed behind Colin.

  “What happened?” Rory appeared behind me, a basket of fries in one hand.

  I turned back toward the table so the strangers still watching wouldn’t see the tears in my eyes. “More questions, that’s what happened.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  I settled into a barstool to be closer to Rory and considered my next move. Right on time, my phone rang. I whipped it from my purse. A strange number showed on the display. “Hello?”

  “Quinn, it’s Phil.”

  I sat up straighter. Rory glanced at me from the other end of the bar, and I gave her a thumbs up. “Hey. Seth is missing. He’s not in Afghanistan. He’s not deployed. He’s—”

  “Okay, slow down.”

  I sucked in a breath. “I’m calm.”

  “He’s missing? You’re sure?”

  Irritation pricked at me. He was wasting time with all these questions. “Yes. When did you talk to him last?”

  “Okay. Wow. I haven’t heard from him in almost three weeks. When was the last time you saw him?”

  “When I dropped him off at the recruiting station. But I spoke to them, and he wasn’t called in! He’s not deployed. I just talked to his dad, and he either doesn’t know where Seth might be or he doesn’t want me to know. I think there’s something he doesn’t want to tell me. He talked about…” I shook my head. “I don’t know. He said some random things. He mentioned that Seth would never ‘go back there,’ but he didn’t say where there was. Do you know?”

  “No, I don’t… damn,” he quietly cursed.

  “I have to find him.”

  “Blaire’s in town for a few days. Do you remember her? You met her at that rooftop bar.”

  “I remember.”

  “She and Seth are close. They served together in Afghanistan.”

  “Can you give me her number?”

  “How about this? I’ll call her and get her to meet with the two of us. I’ll text you the details.”

  “All right,” I agreed haltingly, not eager to concede control of the situation. But at least Phil seemed as worried about Seth as I was. It would be good to have someone on my side.

  “Don’t worry,” he said. “I’ll call her right now.”

  “Okay. Call me back right away. Please.”

  I stared at a bamboo plant on the end of the bar while I waited. Even a minute of inaction was torture. Seth was somewhere in the world — possibly going through hell right now — but I didn’t even have a clue what continent he was on.

  My phone rang within five minutes.

  “Blaire can meet us this afternoon,” Phil said. “At a coffee shop in Lake View. The Canyon. Four o’clock.”

  I tried not to think about all the minutes that would be wasted in-between now and then. “Okay. Thanks.” I hung up and buried my face in my hands.

  Rory’s touch on my shoulder brought me back to the moment. “You need to eat.” She pushed a basket containing a burger and fries in front of me.

  I choked down what little I could, then passed the time by staring at the wall, going over every minute with Seth that I could remember. There had to be a clue in our past. Or maybe in one of his emails. Or somewhere in his home.

  I didn’t have time to run over to his building though. Not if I wanted to get to Lake View on time.

  ***

  Blaire sat at one of the little iron tables in front of the coffee shop, her blonde hair whipping in the breeze.

  I plopped down across from her. “Hi,” I said breathlessly.

  “Hello,” she smiled slightly, with an expression that said she was just as on edge as me.

  “Seth…”

  She nodded and closed her eyes briefly. “Don’t worry, Quinn. I think I know exactly where he might be.”

  I gulped and stared at her. “Where? Where is that?”

  “Don’t worry. If I’m right, he’s not in danger. Not in… immediate danger. Let’s wait till Phil gets here, so I can explain it to you both.”

  “Okay,” I grumbled, barely able to control my urge to force the information out of her immediately.

  “Do you want a coffee or anything?”

  “I can’t even think about drinking anything right now. I barely got some French fries down earlier.”

  Her lips drew tight together. “I understand.”

  Her large ring caught my eye again. “What’s it like being engaged?”

  She looked surprised by my question, but after a few seconds smiled. “Since it’s to the right person… it’s amazing. The only thing better will be making him my husband.”

  Phil coming up the sidewalk caught my eye. I waved him over, and he settled in the seat next to me.

  Blaire took in a long breath. “So…”

  I nodded for her to go on. “So?”

  “Seth and I served together in Afghanistan.” She looked at Phil. “Do you know about this?”

  “Yes.”

  She tilted her head. “Which part?”

  “The serving together in Afghanistan.” His eyebrows bunched together. “Come on, Blaire. What are you getting at?”

  Blaire’s shoulders drooped. You could almost see the sudden weight press them down. “Seth’s sister also served there with us.” She looked from me to Phil.

  I exchanged a glance with Phil. “I didn’t know he had a sister.”

  “I didn’t either,” Phil said.

  Blaire shook her head. “That’s because Seth doesn’t talk about her a lot. Well… maybe never. Her name was Emmy.”

  Was.

  “She died?” I could barely hear my own voice.

  Blaire nodded.

  A sister. All this time and I’d just assumed Seth was an only child. When talking briefly about his family, he never, never mentioned another kid. It was always just him going on skiing trips with his grandfather… him playing basketball in high school.

  Ellen’s house. When we got there that night, he’d wanted to go in first. It seemed crazy at the time. He had no real reason to do that. But now I understood. He wanted to go in so he could do something without me seeing… so he could hide Emmy’s pictures from me or ask his mom not to talk about her.

  It was why he freaked about the boxes of photos in the basement, why he put his hand on my back and basically pushed me out of the house the moment his mom got even close
to reminiscing.

  “No,” Phil vehemently said. “I’ve known Seth for two years. I would know if he had a sister.”

  Blaire interrupted. “This happened four years ago. In Afghanistan.”

  Phil and I waited for the rest.

  “So he wouldn’t have mentioned it,” Blaire said. “He and I never really talk about it, and I knew Emmy. I met her and Seth at the same time.”

  “But why?” Phil asked. “Why wouldn’t he tell anyone about her?”

  My head was spinning. “It must be too painful,” I whispered, feeling close to tears. “Maybe he’s just trying to forget.”

  Blaire nodded. “Yeah.”

  “What happened?” I was on the edge of my chair, leaning so close to the table that I was in danger of falling out of my seat.

  “The three of us were together in Afghanistan. We were deployed there for one year. We were at Camp Black Horse in the Kabul district. It’s a pretty decent size base that American and Canadian forces both operate on.”

  I swallowed hard, my throat burning. I was hanging on each of Blaire’s words, every syllable she spoke burning permanently into my brain.

  Blaire tucked a lock of hair behind her ear and hesitated. “Um… so anyway, the three of us were there for a year. It was a pretty good deployment, as far as they go. Emmy had a knack for people. She just connected with anyone she met. She kind of became friends with a few women in a nearby town. They were helping her learn more Dari, and she was helping them with English. And then one day, a couple weeks before the three of us were going to go home, Emmy came back to the base really upset.”

  My hands started to shake. I pressed them between my legs to keep them under control and glanced at Phil. He looked like a statue, absolutely still as he stared at Blaire.

  “One of the women Emmy had gotten to know was being abused by her husband. From what Emmy said, it was really bad. Not just getting pushed around. I’m talking bad beatings. Emmy went to our uppers to put in a complaint, but it was dismissed. She was told there was nothing we could do. It wasn’t a matter that US forces could involve themselves in.”

  My nose wrinkled in distaste. “Really?”