SEVENTEEN
He bought her a new teacup. He knew it was stupid, silly. But the teacups she had had at her apartment were pretty, delicate, feminine things with floral patterns and thin handles. He had been browsing around the food store, getting stuff to restock his empty fridge and cabinets, when he saw a display. And his hand just automatically reached for a pretty porcelain cup with a yellow and white floral pattern. It made him think of her. So he bought it.
He knocked once then reached down to unlock the door, feeling a bit sheepish about giving it to her.
Xander walked into the kitchen, putting the bags down on the dining table, reaching into one to pull out the cup, wrapped in brown paper. It wasn't fancy, but she could unwrap it. Presents should always need to be unwrapped.
"Ellie," he called, looking around and realizing he didn't see her anywhere. He put the cup down on the table, walking into the hall and noticing the bathroom was empty. Where the hell was she now? He moved back in to the apartment.
And that's when he saw it on the bed. Her box of stuff. There was a letter on top.
He felt a spreading of dread as he walked over and picked it up. A part of him knew, knew what he was going to read, knew what happened.
He unfolded the yellow paper and felt his heart sink to his feet. He actually felt unsteady as he read, moving to sit on the edge of his bed.
So, she was gone.
It shouldn't have mattered. She was a client. Sometimes clients changed their minds. Sometimes he got fired. It didn't mean anything that he slept with her.
Even as he thought it, he knew it wasn't true. He fucking wanted her to stick around. He wanted to wake up with her and watch her make her tea. He wanted to watch her do her crazy little cleaning routine and feel her curl up next to him reading one of her books.
He reached into the books, finding the one from the note. Jane Eyre. He opened the front flap, looking at her handwritten quotes on the page.
"I have for the first time found what I can truly love. I have found you."
Xander slammed the book closed with a curse. He got up, grabbing his keys, and ran out of his office, not bothering to lock his door. He barrelled past Gabe who had tried to catch his attention. Maybe she went back. It was the only chance he had of seeing her.
He tore up her apartment staircase two at a time, stopping in the hallway, his heart frozen in his chest when he saw the door open, a long crack down the center. He was barely in the doorway when he was yelling her name, mindlessly, hopelessly.
"Who the hell are you?" a deep male voice asked calmly, coming in through the bedroom.
He was tall, somewhere around Xander's height, and strong-looking. His muscles were thick and coiled like a fighter. He wore gray slacks and a tucked in black dress shirt. He was bald-headed, dark skinned, with smart, deep eyes. Xander took a breath. "You first," Xander said, squaring his legs as he tried to gauge his opponent.
"I'm K," the man said, raising a brow.
"That means nothing to me," Xander said, looking around. "Is she here?" he asked, trying to look past him into the other room.
"No," K said, shaking his head.
"Fuck," Xander said, sighing, looking around.
"It's about damn time you showed up," Mary said, marching into the room, shaking a finger at him. "You know, I only promised her I would wait a half an hour to call you because I thought you would be smart enough to get here sooner."
"She ran away," Xander said, hanging his head.
"No shit," Mary said, rolling her eyes at them. "Who the hell is he?" she asked, nodding toward K.
"K, ma'am," K answered, looking between the two of them like they were crazy. "So, you both know E?"
Xander watched the man, drawing his eyebrows together. "If by 'E' you mean Ellie... then yeah. She was staying with me..."
"Why would she be staying with you?"
"Dude," Xander said, sounding frustrated, "for all I know, you're the dickhead she is running away from. I'm not telling you shit."
"Oh, for God's sake," Mary said, shaking her head. "Have a pissing contest another time. Ellie took off to the bus station. The men... the ones who make her face look like they kicked her puppy, were here looking for her. She was in my apartment with me."
"Why the hell was she still here?" K asked, his tone accusing.
"She asked for my help," Xander said, eying the man. He was someone from her past, someone who knew she was living her life on the run from her ex. "Okay," he said, waving a hand out. "I think you need to tell me exactly who you are now."
"You first," K said, looking completely comfortable, patient, like this was a normal, everyday kind of interaction.
"Oh, for God's sake," Mary said, rolling her eyes at them. "This is Xander Rhodes. He is the private investigator and security guy that Ellie hired because she was tired of running. I am Mary, the nosy neighbor," she said, smiling slightly at Xander. "Now you go," she told K.
"I've been helping Ellie since she first left her ex."
"So you're from..."
"Seattle," K supplied, "the second town she ran to."
Xander nodded, putting the pieces together. "You're the one who taught her self defense," he said and K inclined his head slightly. "She did a number on my friend. Twice. You did a good job."
K nodded. "What happened?"
"I don't know," Xander said, knowing his tone sounded vulnerable but not caring. "He found her. She came to me, black eye, split lip, bruised ribs. And she asked me for help with a stalker. She asked if she could stay with me. I knew she was hiding a lot from me. I was investigating, but..."
"She's a ghost," K supplied, sounding proud. "I made sure she knew how to stay hidden."
"Who is she hiding from?" Mary asked, making both of them look at her.
Xander looked back at K, raising a brow. "Sorry," K said, shaking his head. "That's her secret." At Xander's pained expression, he softened a bit. "Look. She will call me. We have a system. When she gets out of town, she grabs a burner and she calls me. I point her in a direction. She sets up a new life. I'll know she's safe."
Xander took a deep breath. That mattered. Knowing mattered. But he wanted her back just as much. "Why are you here?" he asked suddenly, his brows pulling together. If they had a system, then why did he show up?
"She missed two check-ins. We send letters. I send to her P.O. Box. She sends to a special address. I hadn't heard from her. She never misses a week."
"She went to the post office," Xander recalled. "She came back running. She was freaked out. Maybe she had been found there too."
K sighed. "Okay," he said. "Give me your card. When I know she's safe, I'll let you know."
It was something. It wasn't much, but it was something. He handed K his card and walked back out the building, trying to ignore the feeling in his chest. Like a cord snapped. But that quote was wrong.
He wasn't going to forget her.
He was bleeding inwardly too.