CHAPTER TWELVE
Evan
Henry’s an asshole and I was done with him. That was that.
There was no anger anymore. No recriminations. No hate.
I was just done.
Because it was all about the future now, and that meant Maggie. From this clusterfuck, something amazing had happened, and that was my beautiful brunette. With her by my side, anything was possible. It was gonna be tough for sure. I was going to put in long hours building my own empire, but better late than never. It should have happened a long time ago.
And with the right woman, the world was my oyster.
I squeezed my hand around the pink diamond in my pocket.
Oh shit, oh shit. Because I wanted to propose. I wanted to bend my knee not to my father, but instead for the sweet thing who deserved my love and loyalty.
Maggie.
“We’re here, sir,” my driver’s voice rang out.
The limo pulled to a slow stop outside the female’s place, headlights cutting through the darkness of her neighborhood. I levered myself out, pulling at the dark suit. Holy shit, was I nervous? Sure enough, my heart thumped hard, palms a little sweaty.
Fuck. The girl had me wrapped around her finger. No worries, this was gonna be the best day of her life.
And with several loud raps, I knocked on the door. But oddly Maggie didn’t answer. I checked my watch again. Yeah, she was already done with work at the pet store and should be home by now.
I knocked again, louder this time. Then called her on my cell phone.
Again, no answer.
Was she sick or something? Is that why she couldn’t come to the door? I grabbed the key she kept under the mat and unlocked the apartment.
My heart caught in my throat, before exploding with a series of deep, painful throbs.
Because it was completely empty.
No clothes. No signs of Maggie. Just the furniture that came with the place, the walls bare and plain. I spun around in the empty apartment with disbelief. What the hell?
Furiously, my hand scrabbled at my cell again. And this time, I left a message.
“Where are you, Mags? I’m at your place. There’s—” No, I couldn’t ask her something like that over the phone. “Just call me when you get this.”
The phone clicked off, leaving me with ominous silence.
What the hell was going on? I’d just seen the brunette yesterday. Why would someone vacate so fast? Did she break her lease?
The mysteries swirled, but I’d get a hold of her. No worries.
But then a flash of something caught my eye, and I bent, slowly retrieving the object from a corner of the apartment.
A diamond? No. A glass copy of the one in my pocket.
What the hell?
Oh shit! The jeweler completely fucked up and sent a glass diamond to Maggie. Why the fuck would he do that? Was this some sick joke?
The real gems are locked up safe at all times, insured to the hilt with security guards standing by. So why the hell had he sent a glass bauble to Maggie? For kicks?
I picked it up and the glass winked dully. No way Maggie thought for a second this crap was real.
I was going to kill Raul Lozano. Why the hell did I pay this guy all that money for if he was going to fuck up something as basic as this?
If his mistake made her run ….
A sharp pain sliced through my hand. I looked down. I’d squeezed the glass ring so hard that it cut into my palm. Blood dripped between my fingers and splashed on the floor. But the pain was nothing compared to what was going on in my chest. Now that shit fucking hurt.
Maggie. I need her back here.
I had to get her back.
I have no choice. I can live without Lincoln Conglomerate. Hell, money was practically growing on trees, cash hailing down on my head in hard pellets. Girls like Maggie are a different story though. No way would I find another treasure like the brunette. And I didn’t want to. She’s the only female for me.
The blood rushed from my head and I stumbled back into the wall, barely able to stand.
Maggie. No. I couldn’t lose her.
But where was she?
My mind spun furiously. I’d never met her friends or family. I guess it was self-protective on her part, she didn’t want to bare parts of her life that should stay secret.
So what did that leave?
Nothing.
Wait, the pet store. It was a long shot. It was late as hell and DoggyMart would be closed but I was desperate. I grabbed my phone, hands shaking like crazy.
“DoggyMart, this is Leah speaking. How can I help you?” The woman sounded hesitant on the phone.
My teeth clicked together, jaw tense from strain.
“Hey, Leah. This is Evan Lincoln. I’m looking for Maggie. Can you tell me where I can find her?”
“Oh, damn!” the saleswoman muttered. “I knew I shoulda let the phone keep ringing.” The last bit was under her breath but I heard every word loud and clear.
What the hell was this bitch smoking?
“Do you know where Maggie is?” I demanded.
A click sounded, and then buzzing dial tone.
“Hello?” was my demand. “Hello?” Shit, did that ho hang up on me? I dialed back, and this time the call went straight to voicemail, a recorded line telling me that DoggyMart was closed for the night.
Fuck! What the hell? In my mind, I was already at DoggyMart and beating some answers out of this stupid Leah person. But by the time I got there, she’d probably be long gone.
I stopped.
But what else could I do? What other options were there?
Her father. Maggie talked about her father once. What the hell was his name again? Oh yeah. Ralph Lake. My fingers felt as big as sausages as I typed the name on my phone.
Come on, come on!
And soon enough, some creeper service located Ralph Lake’s number and address. In a frenzy, I dialed the number and mentally crossed my fingers.
Ring. Ring. Ring. The tone buzzed through my ears for what felt like forever. But nobody answered.
God damn it! Furious with myself, I smashed the phone into the wall. It exploded in a dozen pieces, plastic and glass flying everywhere.
This can’t be it. I can’t lose Maggie like this over some stupid fuck up. What the hell was Lozano thinking?
Even worse were my thoughts about myself. I’m the biggest idiot in the world. I had a real gem in my hands, a treasure worth more than her weight in gold. And I let it slip through my fingers because of some stupid fuck-up at the jewelry store.
Because I let my dad rule my life.
I let my greed to be CEO overwhelm everything.
Maggie was there the whole time … and I just couldn’t see it.
Fuck me.
I stumbled back against the wall, phone pieces crunching under my thousand dollar Italian shoes. All the money in the world was mine. Endless possibility. Opportunity that others would give their right arms for. But the one thing I wanted wasn’t for sale.