4. Hugo

Hugo

I shook my hair from the drizzling rain outside and stomped my feet on the huge black doormat at the vendor’s entrance.

“Bye, Hugo!” “Hey, man!” two vendors called, and I waved goodbye. “See you Wednesday!” The other called, and I nodded.

It was obvious that not only was this space pretty cool, but the people were as well. From what I could see, most of the vendors at the market were polite, if not, dare I even say, friendly. Maybe even a tight-knit community.

From the way Kari’s things sold, I wondered if she would contemplate getting a booth for the Valentine’s Day Craft Fest I’d heard some of them talk about. I stepped back into the old warehouse that had been gutted and converted into a huge market space. With the economy as it was and being in the heart of LA, it made sense for whoever owned the spot to convert it into something like this. I rolled my neck while looking around, slightly surprised by how empty it seemed.

Kari’s booth was toward the back, and as I made my way over, I heard the big doors in the front shut loudly. Then another set in the back. I frowned but made my way to the booth. After I helped Nicole, Piper had been nowhere to be found. But that wasn’t unusual. The only thing that helped bat away the anxiety that she had left was the fact her car was still parked next to the truck I was driving today.

When my booth, along with Piper’s, was within my sights, my brows drew together. There on my table lay the yellow- and black-striped cardigan. Shit, I mumbled under my breath, moving my ass over to my table a little faster. I looked at the pretty sweater. A bright teal envelope sat right on top. I picked it up and took out the paper inside. Feminine handwriting greeted my eyes.

Hugo,

Here is the sweater for your sister. Consider it a gift. Hope her arm heals soon.

Always, Piper.

P.S.

Hope you have a great two days off.

Shit. Damn it. That meant she had slipped out of the place without me noticing. Just when I thought I made some progress! Now I had to wait around for forty-eight hours to see her again. I didn’t even have her number to call or text her a thank you. Wasn’t that just my luck?

I slipped the paper back into the envelope when something on the back of it caught my eye. In ink just a little darker teal than the paper was her business logo. Beneath that was an email address and a phone number.

Maybe I could see her before we had to get back to working at the craft fair? Maybe I had a chance after all? That was all I could think about just moments before the whole building turned pitch black.

“What the fuck?” I wondered out loud. The hair on the back of my neck stood up. The lights were out, and it didn’t seem like there was anyone else in the building. No way, no how was I fucking stranded all alone in an empty building! Was I? I patted my pants pocket and winced.

“Shit,” I whispered to myself before rubbing my face. I’d left my phone in my truck. Just my damn luck!