Stella

 

Stella paced her kitchen. It had been a week since Rick had disappeared, and she hadn’t been able to figure out anything. Grandma had been evasive and cryptic, which just annoyed Stella. The pack had also come up empty-handed every place they had searched. Grandma had warned her that they would, but that just made Stella even more anxious to find Rick.

Her cell phone rang, making her jump. She sprinted across the kitchen into the living room where it sat on her couch. Emma’s picture covered the screen, and Stella deflated. She didn’t know why she jumped every time the phone rang. It wasn’t like Rick would just call her and tell her exactly where he was.

“Mom, what are you doing?” Emma asked.

“Nothing. What’s wrong, sweetie?”

“Nothing. I hate to ask, but I need a favor.”

“Sure, honey, whatever you need.” Stella really didn’t know if she could focus on anything besides finding Rick, but she probably needed to try. Obsessing over the problem wasn’t helping in the least.

“Well, with Rick gone, the guys are trying to manage the casino, but they all have their own companies to run. The managers there are doing great, but we’re trying to keep somebody there at all times in case any information on Rick comes up. Would you care to cover the casino today?”

“Sure, honey. I can do that. Should I go over now?” Stella asked. Maybe being at the casino was what she needed. Being around Rick’s things, in his world, would help spark something to help her find him.

“Yeah, just whenever. I’ll tell the manager you’re coming. If there’s anything he needs Austin or the others to handle, he’ll let you know. Just make note of everything going on, and one of the guys will check in with you when they can. I appreciate it.”

“Of course. Any time, honey,” Stella said.

The women said their goodbyes and hung up. Stella raced upstairs to change her clothes. Once she felt she was presentable enough to represent Rick at the casino, she drove over. He owned several casinos, but his office was at the Treasure Island Casino, which was on a makeshift boat on the Mississippi River.

When she arrived, security took her to the manager, Dave.

“Hello, Stella, thanks for coming down today. Hopefully it’ll be a smooth-running day, but it’s always nice to have someone at least stand in for Rick. Do you know when he’ll be back this time?” Dave asked.

“No, I’m not sure,” she said nervously. She just assumed the manager knew what had happened with Rick. Dave’s questions seemed like they just thought he was away on a vacation or something.

“Well, anyways, follow me. I’ll show you to his office. There are a few invoices on his desk that need his approval. Other than that, I think you should be good,” he said, leading her down to Rick’s office.

Dave unlocked the door and opened it for her. She waited until he walked off before she stepped inside. Stella shut the door behind her and took a deep breath. It smelled like Rick had just walked out of the room, his scent was so strong. Stella stumbled a bit as she made her way to his desk. Her head started to hurt, but she fought through the pain. Then she ran her fingers across his desk. The smooth surface sent shivers down her back. It felt like she was touching him. Then she sat in his chair and closed her eyes. She imagined him sitting in that chair and touching the desk in front of her.

Stella started to shake. Her body was convulsing and she was afraid she was going to be sick. Grandma had said she needed to seek Rick out in her mind. She had also warned her that another woman’s presence would try to fight against it. Maybe this was that other woman trying to block her from fully reaching through to Rick. Was the other woman Rick’s mate? If she was, why wasn’t she by his side? Stella felt a stab of jealousy and anger at the thought of another woman being Rick’s mate. She slammed her fist on his desk.

Stella realized she was wasting time being angry. She focused her energy back on Rick. The way he smelled, his deep blue eyes, his calloused hands. Stella’s breathing started to become labored, and it was as if she could feel Rick standing beside her.

“Rick, where are you?” she whispered.

“While I breathe, I hope,” Rick’s echoed voice sounded in her ear.

Stella jumped up and looked around the room. She knew she had heard him, she had felt him. She ran from his office and out into the casino, frantically searching. It was a lost cause; she could already feel his absence. Tears threatened to fall, and she realized several of the casino workers were watching her. She retreated to his office. The tingle she had felt before was gone.

“While I breathe, I hope,” she repeated to herself.

A knock on the door pulled her from her concentration. It was Dave.

“Hey, here’s a few more invoices we need Rick’s approval on. I don’t know if you’re authorized to give it or not, but we really need to make some of these purchases today,” he said helplessly.

“Yes, I can approve them for you. Give me some time to look them over.”

“Great. Thank you,” he said, handing her another handful of papers.

Rick’s business was his life. She knew he wouldn’t want things to be left to fall through the cracks, so she set about handling the invoices. Having never ran a company, she wasn’t sure where to start, but she figured there should be old invoices or something in his office to help her figure it out.

Stella spent the rest of the day learning all she could about the casinos and approving Rick’s invoices. True to his form, she had found copies of all the past year’s invoices he approved in a file cabinet in his office. They were always for approximately the same amount, and the same vendor. It seemed weird that he continued to approve them, but she was sure he had his reasons.

By the time she looked up at the clock, it was closing in on eight o’clock. Her phone had several missed calls and texts from Emma. She decided she’d better call her back.

“Hey, Mom. How did your day go at the casino?”

“It went great. I was able to handle everything so you can tell the guys they’re off the hook. I can continue to help out over here if it would take a load off of the guys.”

“Really? That would be great! I’ll tell Jasper.”

“Have they got any updates on Rick?” she asked hesitantly.

“No. We’re all just sick about it,” Emma said, her voice cracking through the phone.

“I know, baby, just hang in there. We’ll find him.”

“I hope you’re right, Mom,” Emma said.

Stella started to tell Emma what had happened to her in Rick’s office, and then decided against it. Nobody believed her the other night when she told them he was gone based on her feelings alone. They definitely wouldn’t believe she had been able to somehow communicate with him. Maybe if she lied and told them she was his mate they would, but that wouldn’t be fair to Rick. If he had left to be with his mate maybe he just wanted to be left alone.

She immediately felt sick at the thought of Rick with another woman. Whatever connection they had, Stella felt a claim on him. She didn’t plan on giving up that claim to just anybody, not until she found Rick and heard it from his own mouth.

Then she pulled out her phone and googled, “While I breathe, I hope.” Nothing popped up that was worth anything to Stella. Frustration continued to build. Every time she thought she was close, she always ended up hitting a brick wall.