But was it selfish to try and make a place for herself in his life? His future was a wide-open highway, and with her history and baggage, she’d only be a roadblock.
Maybe loving James meant she had to let him go. Cut herself free, because she was the anchor that would always weigh him and his career down.
Tori went to the bedroom to grab her purse and keys.
When she came back, the officer was taking James’s statement, and Kris and Blake were talking in the corner with their backs to her.
Using their distraction as cover, she slipped past them and out of the apartment.
*
This was déjàvu.
How was this happening again?
James dropped his phone on the bed and let out a guttural yell.
His stomach was in knots and his heart ached like Ryan had broken a bottle there instead of over his head.
Tori had disappeared. Somehow left his apartment when no one noticed and vanished.
It’d been twenty-four hours, and she wasn’t answering calls or texts. She hadn’t even shown up at work this morning.
She wasn’t at her apartment. He’d already checked. Kris had tried to find her on the location-sharing app, but she’d turned it off.
Tori had vanished and clearly had no intention of being found.
Even though he was mentally and physically exhausted, he couldn’t give up trying to find her.
Maybe he’d drive to her apartment again and see if she’d returned.
James had just grabbed his keys when there was a knock at the door.
He stilled, hoping like hell it was her, but not overly optimistic.
With a deep breath in, he opened the door and blinked in shock.
“Hey,” she said softly. “Can I come in?”
“Tori.” He breathed her name, then stepped back to let her inside. “Yeah, come in.”
She gave him a small smile and stepped into his apartment. Her eyes were red and had bags under them. She seemed just as exhausted as he was.
“Are you okay?” He shut the door behind her. “I’ve been worried to death about you.”
“I know, and I’m sorry.” She went to sit on the couch.
The fact that she hadn’t touched him—no hug or kiss—sent a sliver of unease down his spine. Actually, she seemed to be doing her damndest to keep a bit of distance between them.
“Come sit down.” She gestured to the spot next to her. “We should talk.”
The unease grew even as he sat down next to her.
“I called in to work and told Grace I needed a mental health day after all the Ryan stuff. She was more than understanding.”
“Probably because she thinks you’re going to sue us.”
Tori pressed her lips together and shook her head. “I’m not going to hold the entire firm responsible for one asshole.”