REESE
Ileaned against the smooth leather seats in the back of the hired car. I wasn’t driving tonight. I was going to enjoy a few drinks and wasn’t about to risk wrecking my Porsche. I poured myself a drink while my driver smoothly navigated the city streets on the way to Thea’s house. It was probably not a good thing that I was actually looking forward to spending time with her. Nothing could ever come of this. The bridge had been burned long ago. I was just glad she was letting me into her life again.
When the car pulled up to the townhouse, I took a minute to take it all in. Rich had told me she bought herself a house. I was happy for her. I knew she’d always wanted a place of her own. She got it. I was glad her dreams were coming true.
I pulled my phone out to text her, but she was already coming out of the house. I heard dogs barking as I opened the car door. I wasn’t planning to go to her front door, but I could open the car door for her. I wasn’t a total asshole. She turned to face me. I got my first look at her under her porch light. She looked better than she had on our last date. She obviously knew what looked best on her.
The dress was ruby red with black spaghetti straps. It was tight, short, and sexy as hell. How could a man not react? She was wearing a pair of black strappy heels that made her legs look so much longer. A black lace shawl was draped over one arm with a little black purse dangling from her wrist. She strutted toward me on the cracked and bumpy pathway like she was on a runway.
“Hi,” I said with a lump in my throat and my dick desperately trying to react.
“Hello,” she said. “I guess I should be flattered you got out of the car at all.”
“I was just going to go to the door,” I lied.
“Liar,” she said and climbed into the backseat.
I jogged around the back and took my own seat. “You look nice,” I said.
“Nice?” she asked with a brow arched. “This dress is smokin’ hot. I purposely wore it to piss off your fan club.”
“I think it will be a very successful mission,” I said, laughing. “No one is going to be thinking about Jana what’s-her-name.”
“That’s the goal, right?” she asked.
I bobbed my head up and down. “Absolutely. I’ll make sure you have a check on your desk Monday morning.”
“Thank you,” she said.
I said it because I needed to remind myself this was all business. This wasn’t a date. We weren’t a couple. She was being compensated for her time. That was all this was. But damn was it going to be hard to keep that in mind when she looked so good. She smelled amazing as well. I knew the perfume. It was Chanel. I used to buy it for her when we were together. I didn’t know if she wore it on purpose tonight or if she wore it because she liked it. Regardless, it was making it very difficult for me to stay focused on the fact this was business.
When my phone vibrated in my pocket, I considered ignoring it but then remembered I was expecting any number of calls. No one had called me back. Not the police. Not my brother. And not my dad. When I saw Clark’s number on my screen, I cursed his timing. The one time I couldn’t find some privacy, he decided to call.
“I’m sorry,” I said. “I really need to take this.”
“Go ahead,” she said. “I’ll do my best not to eavesdrop.”
I wasn’t hiding anything. “Clark,” I answered.
“What the hell is going on?”
I should have known he wouldn’t be happy. “You got my message?”
“What do you mean Dad’s missing?” he growled. “Why in the hell did you wait so long to call me?”
“I called you days ago,” I reminded him.
“I’ve been out of the country,” he replied. “What happened? Are you sure he’s actually missing?”
“Yes,” I answered confidently. I had already accepted it and I was ready to move forward. Accepting the fact was the first step in actually doing something about it.
“Why?” he asked. “Tell me everything you know.”
I took a deep breath and glanced over at Thea, who was looking out the window. I downloaded all the information I had, which was pretty minimal. Once I was done, he was silent. Thea was looking at me with shock and confusion.
“Did he get on the plane in New York?” Clark asked.
“I don’t know,” I answered. “I don’t have any idea when he was scheduled to fly home. I expected the police to dig into it.”