Total pages in book: 47
Estimated words: 45135 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 226(@200wpm)___ 181(@250wpm)___ 150(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 45135 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 226(@200wpm)___ 181(@250wpm)___ 150(@300wpm)
“There is nothing between myself and Adele. I hope you know I’m not that kind of guy. I may have let how she left me color my view on relationships but that’s all she is to me now. There is someone far more important to me in my life and I’m not ready to stop fighting for her.”
“She kissed you.”
“Yes she did. I didn’t kiss her and if you were watching I know you saw me push her away.”
“No,” she lied.
“I only have one woman I want in my life, Neha. That’s you.”
Her phone lit up beside her leg. She ignored it. Right now she couldn’t take anything else. She just couldn’t.
“Fine.”
“What’s that mean?”
“Simple word, simple definition.”
His lips brushed her cheek. “Give us a chance, Neha. Please.” Another kiss. “Give me a chance.”
She was being torn apart from the inside and she had to get away. “Where am I?”
“We’re in a hotel room.”
“I’d like to sleep now.”
She could feel it. He wanted to say something more but instead he lay them down and spooned with her. With her eyes closed, she could almost pretend nothing had changed, that this past six months hadn’t been hell.
Even so, she did fall back asleep. When she woke, he was in the shower and she could hear it running.
And that’s what she did. Ran.
* * *
Davin rushed through his shower not wanting to leave her alone for long. But in truth, he swore he could still smell the sharp scent of Adele’s overpowering perfume and that wouldn’t do. He needed to be clean for Neha. His woman.
There was something more going on here and he wanted to know what it was. He’d not heard any scuttlebutt from the cruise but then he also wasn’t on base to pick it up. Killing the streams of water, he reached for the towel and ran it over his face and upper body swiftly. As soon as he had it around his waist, he left the bathroom and froze.
She wasn’t there.
A low growl of anger boiled up and he stalked to his phone. Yanking it up he called her. Swearing again when it went straight to voicemail. He left her a message and sent her a text.
Then he called his brother.
“Get it all worked out?” he answered.
“No, she fucking ran.”
“Ran? Didn’t you go to her place?”
Davin walked to the balcony and stepped outside into the afternoon sun.
“I did. Then Adele showed up.”
“Jesus fucking Christ man. I got nothing for you other than fix this shit.”
“I’m trying. I took her to a hotel and she bolted when I was in the shower.”
“Did you run after her?”
“No. Not sure when she left, knowing her she’s already on the back of some fucking crotch rocket breaking all kinds of speed laws.”
“You do know Sugar is gay, right?”
“Doesn’t fucking matter. He’s got my woman and I don’t.”
“It was your ex who showed up, not hers, bro.” There was a loud banging behind his brother. “Hang on.”
“Where is she?”
Davin frowned as he recognized the voice. Renny.
“She’s not here. Davin and she were at a hotel, but she bolted. We thought she was with you, Sugar, or Cindy.”
“I suggest you tell your brother to let her call me. She’s not answering her phone. We don’t know where she is.”
“You’re on speaker, Dav. Tell Renny you don’t know where she is.”
“I don’t Renny. She left me here. I thought she would have reached out to one of you three.”
“None of us have heard from her since we left her apartment.”
Unease exploded within him. Dashing back inside, he shoved into his clothing in record time. “Don’t move, I’m going to check with the front desk.”
He bypassed the elevator and ran down the five flights of stairs. Hurrying to the front desk, he waited for the man to finish his call.
“Can I help you sir?”
“The woman I came in here with. Did she go by?”
“I’m sorry sir, I’m not sure.”
He pulled up a picture he had of her on his phone and showed the man. “I need to know and if you weren’t at this desk for the past thirty minutes, I need to speak to the person who was.”
“I recognize her, sir. She came down and got into a car. Uber, Lyft, friend. I’m not sure. She didn’t say anything when she went by.”
“Make and model?”
He dialed his brother as the man thought. “Hang on Tav. I’m getting a description of the car she got into.”
“Dark sedan. Newer model. I never saw the driver and I’m sorry but I don’t have anything more than that to tell you.”
He ran for the door and out into the lot. “Get the surveillance and let me know more,” he commanded his brother. Then he hung up and ran faster.
In his Jeep, he rushed to the base and moved through the area she typically parked, nothing there of her vehicle. He went to her complex and found her car where it normally sat. Even though he didn’t think it would result in anything, he made his way to her door and knocked. No answer.