Chapter 1

CHAPTER ONE

Owen

Some people only had to look at a person once to know they would protect that individual at all costs. It happened to parents all the time. That little bundle of joy was placed in their arms and poof, everything changed. I believed in love at first sight but figured it was a rare phenomenon.

But love at first sound ? Okay maybe not love, but it only took one time for me to hear her voice and everything clicked.

Who was this “her” I’m referring to?

Annalee Bruce. Our only interviewee for the receptionist position at Willow Creek Security. The same woman who ghosted us.

Now, most employers would take that as a sign that the person interviewing for the job changed their mind. But those people didn't speak to her. They didn't hear the desperation in her voice for a fresh start.

I did. And I knew deep in my soul something was wrong.

Thankfully I had an understanding boss who listened to the instincts of the men in his employ. We had been together long enough that we considered each other family more than anything.

Maverick didn't hesitate when I told him I was going to track down Annalee. He wished me the best and told me to call him as soon as I learned anything.

That was how I landed in the bustling city of Baton Rouge, staring up at an apartment building that looked to have been built in the last fifteen years. It was located in a decent neighborhood with a constant flow of people coming and going. Based on the pictures I was able to pull up online on my way here, each apartment had a patio or balcony overlooking the garden and pool area. It wasn't the type of place I would live, due to the lack of privacy, but I could understand the appeal for others. Especially the elderly or those who worked a lot. Very little maintenance was required.

Annalee's apartment was on the third floor. While the place required access from a resident to enter, a young gentleman walking out held the door open for me without so much as a questioning look.

There was no front desk or bellhop to question why I was there, and I was able to walk straight over to the elevator and gain access to the entire building. The lack of security was concerning.

I had a feeling something was wrong before I found the apartment number that was listed on Annalee's résumé. Her door was left ajar which meant she was either entirely too trusting of her neighbors or something bad had happened.

"Annalee?" I knocked once before pushing the door open the rest of the way. I wasn't surprised when I was met with silence.

However, I was a little concerned with what I saw.

I walked through the small apartment and did my best not to step on anything. Not that it mattered. There wasn't a single piece of furniture or item in the place that wasn't destroyed. Couches, pillows, and even the bed had been shredded with a knife. Drawers from the dressers had been yanked out and the contents dumped all over the floor. Picture frames lay smashed. Hell, even the food in the fridge and cabinets was thrown around. It looked like whoever destroyed the place had been in a fit of rage. That, or they were looking for something.

I pulled my phone out of my pocket and dialed my boss.

He answered on the first ring. "Did you find her?"

"Nope, her apartment is empty." I looked around the small space. Maybe empty wasn't the right word. "Someone trashed the place good. I can't even tell if anything was taken."

I waited as Maverick let out a string of curses that could rival a sailor. It was rare for him to use profanity when it came to our job. Ever since becoming the boss of the company, Maverick had attempted to clean up his image. He wanted to be a good face for what we did.

"Lex isn't too far from your location. He called this morning to let me know he was ready to come down. I'll call him back and ask him to join you. Find out what happened and report back when you have something. I don't like that she was looking to leave her old life and now this."

I hung up the phone and put it back in my pocket. It was a good thing Maverick was okay with me following this lead because it didn’t matter what he said. I was staying either way. Something told me our possible new receptionist was in trouble and that didn't sit well with me.

I had only spoken to her once, but that was all it had taken for me to know I would help in any way that I could.

With one last look around, I left the apartment, this time closing the door. With that much damage, someone had to hear something. The chances of her neighbors being home in the middle of the day were slim, but it would be worth a shot to knock and see.

The first two apartments I knocked on were strikeouts. No one answered, despite me pounding on the door like I was prepared to bust my way through it. The third, on the other hand, was the lucky one. I almost felt bad about scaring the little old lady who answered the door.

"Can I help you?" Her eyes shifted from left to right as she looked at me through the chain still latched on the door.

"I was looking for Annalee Bruce, your next-door neighbor in 3F. Have you, by chance, seen her?"

There was that shift again. I knew even before the words left her mouth that she was lying. "No, I haven't. Not in a few days at least."

I was tempted to call her out on her bullshit. If there was one thing I’d learned over the years, it was that people were nosy. It didn't matter if it was a small town or a large city, people butted themselves into everyone else's business. Especially the elderly. They had too much time on their hands. I didn’t for one second believe she hadn’t seen Annalee in days. If that were the case, she would’ve called in a welfare check.

"Are you sure? What about other people? Have you seen anyone else go into her apartment recently?"

A nice place like this, someone would've noticed a door open for longer than a few hours. There was no way what was done to Annalee's apartment happened before today.

"No, I didn't." Her eyes gave her away.

"Mrs. . . .?"

"Mrs. Robbins. Betsy Robbins."

"It's nice to meet you, Mrs. Robbins. Did you happen to hear anything this morning? Anything loud or possibly banging?"

Betsy quickly shook her head. "The apartments are soundproof. That's why I chose this place despite the high rent. I liked that I wouldn't have to listen to my neighbors and I could keep my TV up loud at night when I take out my hearing aids without worrying that I'm bothering someone."

That was the first honest thing she told me since we started talking.

"It's nice you don't have to hear what your neighbors are up to." But it sucked for me. If no one heard what was happening, there was no way for me to narrow down a time frame. "Are you sure you haven't seen Annalee recently?"

"Nope, not at all." Mrs. Robbins was back to lying and it made me wonder if she was protecting her neighbor.

I pulled one of my new cards out of my wallet and handed it through the slit in the door. Mrs. Robbins was smart enough not to open the door all the way.

"If you do see her, can you please have her call me? She was supposed to interview for a receptionist position with my company, but she never showed. I just want to make sure she's okay."

Betsy squinted her eyes to get a better look at the card.

"You're from Willow Creek Security?"

That got my attention. "You know about my place of employment?" Maverick only recently started the company. We hadn't even been up and running for more than a few weeks, so there was no way this old woman in Louisiana could've heard of us already.

Unless Annalee told her about the job and possibly moving.

"Stay right there." Mrs. Robbins slammed the door and I was left standing in the hallway utterly confused as to what just happened.