79. Zane

79

ZANE

Hollis slouches back in his chair, rubbing his fists aggressively into his eyes.

"Well?" I press. "How are you doing?"

"Oh, fine. Just regretting the night I decided to give up being an attorney so I could be a sports agent. How hard can it be? I said. Managing a bunch of jocks will be nothing, I said. Idiot."

I flip the folder on Katerina Costa closed and slide it back to my side of the desk. "I didn't know who she was. If the news comes out organically, I can claim I had no idea."

Hollis arches a brow and sends his voice skyrocketing into a hysterical falsetto. "‘ What kind of father doesn't know who is around his child? I'd know if a murderer was living under my roof. I'm sure he was harboring her. Who knows what else he's hiding?' "

"Some people will always think the worst. We can't make decisions based on the extremes."

"‘ Probably a drug deal gone wrong ,'" Hollis continues, dropping down into a false baritone. "‘ I bet he killed her dad for the money. They're in cahoots.' "

"No one says ‘cahoots' anymore."

"That's not the point, Z. The point is that, if this woman's crimes ever come to light before you're able to make a statement on it, she won't be the only one who suffers. You and Aiden will, too."

I know he's right. I wouldn't have shown him Mira's file if I thought for even a second that this could all blow over and disappear.

I'm about to be cleared by CPS for custody. If Peter Morris finds out my girlfriend was a murderer, they might take Aiden away. For good.

I drag a hand through my hair. "What do I need to do?"

The line rings for a full minute before I hang up and try again. I'm supposed to be going back to my condo to relieve Daniel. He was on babysitting duty so I could talk to Hollis.

But I need to see her.

"Pick up," I grumble as the line continues to ring.

The statement Hollis and I drafted took less than a minute.

Recently, I became aware of a situation involving a personal employee. The employee's position was terminated as soon as I learned about the alarming nature of their actions. I've handed the case over for the police to handle from this point forward. There will be no further comment at this time. Please respect my family's privacy.

It's vague, but it covers my ass if people ever find out who Mira is and what she's done.

According to Hollis, it's the easy way out.

"What if I don't want the easy way out?" I asked, leaning across his desk. "What would you do if Mira was your client? How would you help her?"

"Mira isn't my client. You are."

"How would you help her?" I repeated through gritted teeth.

He narrowed his eyes warily. "As an attorney or an agent?"

I thought about it for a minute. "Both."

Mira doesn't pick up again , so I hang up and call again . "How do you not even have a voicemail?" I hiss under my breath.

There's no automated voicemail. No personal outgoing message.

This might be a little more bearable if I at least got to hear her voice each time my call went unanswered.

What if I never hear her voice again?

I turn into the cracked asphalt of her apartment parking lot and kill the engine. I'm not here because I want to hear her voice again.

I'm here because Mira deserves someone who cares about her enough to not let her run away.

Hollis thinks it's possible. There's more than enough evidence that she was abused. If she comes forward, they might take mercy on her. Especially if she has a good attorney on her side. Hollis agreed to dust off his law degree and help her out if she wanted.

Now, I just need to talk to her and convince her to want it.

Mira gave me her resident code to her apartment building's front door the day I helped her move. I punch it in now, but nothing happens.

It's dark and the light above the door only flickers on once every thirty seconds, so I try again in case I punched it in wrong. Still nothing.

Finally, I just tug on the door and it opens.

So much for that security measure.

I don't think anything of it until I make it to Mira's front door…

And find it kicked in.

Actually, it looks like someone strapped C-4 to it. The thing is in tatters. Big hunks of wood cling to the cheap hinges, but the center of the door is gone. The face plate and most of the trim are lying in tattered pieces on the entryway.

"Mira!"

I lunge through the hole without thinking. Someone wanted inside her apartment badly, and I don't think it was to steal her lawn chair.

The bean bag in the living room is shredded. Beans crunch under my feet as I storm down the short hallway to her room.

"Mira?"

The bed is still stripped down to the bare mattress. She told me her mother's photograph is the first thing she packs and unpacks anytime she moves, but I don't see it anywhere. The dresser is empty. So is her nightstand. It doesn't even look like she's been here…

Except for the open window.

I lean over the waterlogged frame. A rusted metal fire escape barely hangs to the side of the building. The alley is dark and empty below.

Maybe she hasn't even been here yet.

Maybe her place was ransacked days ago while she wasn't living here.

I pull out my phone to call her again. This time, when her phone rings, I can hear it.

I follow the vibration down the hall and back into the living room, clinging to any other possible explanation for what was happening until I see her phone, cracked and flashing, in the corner of the living room.

Then there's nothing left to cling to. It's just a freefall into horrible reality.

The screen is cracked, but it's still working. Enough that I can see my string of missed calls… along with a call from a number I recognize.

Dante.

He was looking for her. Hunting her.

Mira wasn't running from the law or her sins; she was running from her brother.

I have no idea if Dante already caught her or if she got away. I don't even know where Mira would go if she did escape.

What I do know is that it doesn't matter whether she's my nanny or my girlfriend. It doesn't matter whether she's Katerina or Mira.

She is mine.

I love her.

And I'm going to find her.

TO BE CONTINUED

The story continues in Book 2 of the Phoenix Angels Hockey duet, OFFSIDE ANGEL .