2. Chris

2

CHRIS

G ray and I sit down in front of our plates of grilled cheese, Revv's favorite. It's half past six, and Revv still isn't home. He hasn't even texted to tell me he's running late. That isn't like him.

I pull out my phone to double-check I haven't received any kind of message from him. "Have you heard from Revv?"

Gray shakes his head. "Not since this morning."

I sent several text messages to him this afternoon that are unread, so I try calling him this time. It goes straight to voicemail.

Maybe his new boss, Terrell, will know where he is. I've been calling him daily since the doctor suggested that Revv might build his nest at work. I pull up his contact information and press Call. He answers on the second ring.

"Hey, Chris. How did the appointment go?"

"What appointment?" I ask.

"Revv's doctor's appointment this morning."

My stomach drops. "He had a doctor's appointment?"

"Yeah. He said you were going to meet him at the doctor. That's why he took an Uber."

An Uber. What the hell?

I cover the speaker of my phone. "Did Revv tell you about a doctor's appointment?"

"A doctor's appointment today? The only one I know about is tomorrow," Gray says.

"He didn't have an appointment today? That's strange. It isn't like him to leave in the middle of a workday."

I don't tell Terrell that it is absolutely like Revv to leave in the middle of a workday. I'm really concerned now. I figured he wasn't responding to my texts this afternoon because he was focused on his job.

"What time did he leave this morning?" I ask.

"Around ten. He had me load his suitcase into the trunk, so it was before my meeting with Cy at eleven."

"Wait, he had a suitcase? For a doctor's appointment?" That doesn't make any sense.

"Yeah. He said he needed it, so I didn't ask. The thing was heavy. Felt like it was full of bricks or something."

This just keeps getting weirder.

"Gray, have you checked around the bed yet today? Has he started nesting?"

Gray slips off the barstool. "I'll go check." He weaves through the boxes in the living room to the bedroom. "Nope. Everything is normal here."

"Thanks, Terrell. Let me know if you hear from him, okay?"

"Sure thing. I hope everything is all right."

I end the call and try to think of who else I should contact. Where would Revv go with a suitcase? I pull up our bank account on my phone, which doesn't show any irregular activity. He couldn't have gotten far.

Gray makes his way back through the boxes. "He might be nesting somewhere."

"I know, that's what I'm afraid of."

"Well, we just have to find him, then we can bring his stuff here, right?"

I don't think Gray fully understands the situation.

"Fairy penguin shifters do weird things when they nest. My omega dad built a treehouse in our backyard in the shape of a ship and sewed together life-size sails from emptied flour bags from the grocery store."

Gray's eyes widen. "Oh. That's… a lot. And Revv… well, he's Revv."

Meaning, he's a lot even when he's not nesting. He should not be left to his own devices right now.

"Where would he go with a bag full of something heavy? Do you think he went back to Rixton? Maybe we should call his moms," I suggest.

"Good idea. Why don't you do that, and I'll call Steve to see if he's at my old apartment. I'll also call Ansel to see if he's contacted any of the BBPS Squad and Jerry, just in case. You never know."

How did I let this happen? Revv could be anywhere in the world right now. He has a fucking suitcase for Christ's sake. If the area is not familiar with nesting penguin shifters, he could be in serious trouble. Penguin shifters often steal things when they nest. He could get arrested.

We have to find him before things get out of hand.