food long forgotten, he searched the other five bedrooms. She wasn’t anywhere in the upstairs. He rushed to the sweeping staircase, which faced the wall of glass overlooking the front lawn and the drive. That was when he noticed the SUV was gone.
She’d run out on him!
But why?
Was she that upset about the kiss last night?
Did she feel guilty for cheating on Charlie?
His chest tightened. The doctor said she was supposed to be resting. What if she made her injuries worse? A knot formed in his gut. Or what if that thug caught up with her again?
He had to find her, but where did he start?
* * *
Cleo wished she hadn’t been so spontaneous. Trying to get about with the aid of crutches was more work than she’d imagined. And now Jax had made her paranoid about the ape man staking out her place. She’d driven around the block three times looking for anyone or anything unusual, but nothing appeared to be out of place.
She pulled to a stop in a handicap parking space in front of her unit. She figured due to her unusual circumstances, she could park there for ten minutes—long enough to grab a few essentials and scoop up Charlie.
She’d just opened the driver’s-side door when Robyn came up the walk, pushing a pink polka-dotted stroller. “Hey, girl, where have you been?”
Robyn was a good friend, but she was known for staying on top of the latest gossip in the complex. And this place was always rife with juicy stories. Cleo just hoped she wouldn’t make a big deal over her injury.
Cleo reached over to the passenger seat and grabbed the crutches. With the crutches positioned outside the door, she carefully lowered herself to the ground. Her ankle pulsated with pain. It probably didn’t help that she didn’t take any of those pills the doctor prescribed for her. But she needed to be clearheaded for driving.
Cleo swung the door shut, almost losing her balance. She really did have to get the hang of the crutches since she was going to be on them for a while. “Sorry I didn’t call again, but I didn’t have my phone.”
“I was hoping you were off with some hot guy, but by the looks of you, I guess that’s wishful thinking. Unless you had a McSteamy doc taking care of you.”
At the mention of a hot guy, her thoughts immediately went to Jax. He was definitely sexy in anyone’s book. But she wasn’t about to open that can of worms with Robyn, who was far too eager to help her find a “forever” guy. No matter how many times Cleo told her she wasn’t interested, Robyn would still introduce her to any hot new tenants.
“Sorry. No hot doctors.”
“When you called yesterday, you didn’t say anything about it being this serious.” Robyn frowned at her injured leg.
“I’m not that bad off.” Cleo forced a smile, wanting to ease her friend’s worry. “And the doctor said I was fine to go home.”
It wasn’t exactly a lie. She just left out the part about needing to be supervised for forty-eight hours. Come to think of it that probably meant she shouldn’t be driving. But this was important.
“I don’t know.” Robyn gave her a hesitant stare. “You look about as appealing right now as Stephie’s mashed peas. Definitely a bit green around the edges.”
“Thanks. You really know how to cheer up a person,” Cleo teased.
Robyn wasn’t the type to mince words. And right about now, Cleo did feel pretty rotten. She hoped she never saw that ape man ever again. If it wasn’t for him, she wouldn’t be in this mess. The memory of him had her glancing around.
“You’ll be back to normal after you get some rest.” Robyn kept pace with her as they headed for their side-by-side apartments.
“You haven’t seen any strangers lurking about, have you?”
“No.” Robyn raised her brows. “Should I have?”
How much should she say? Probably as little as possible. Robyn had a good heart, but she had a habit of saying too much.
“There was just this creepy guy hitting on me at the casino. You know, the kind who won’t take no for an answer.”
Robyn’s brunette bobbed hair swayed as she nodded. “Sometimes guys can be such jerks. And with you being so pretty, I’m surprised you don’t get hit on more often.”
“So if you see some tall guy with dark hair lurking about, call the cops.”
“But what do I tell them?”
“Hmm...let’s see.” She stopped and thought for a moment. “I know, tell them that he’s trespassing.”
“Consider it done.”
Luckily she lived on the first floor, saving her the task of going up and down more steps. They stopped at Cleo’s door and it was then that she realized she didn’t have her purse or her keys. Everything was back at the casino in her locker.
She turned to her friend. “I’m afraid I forgot my key. Would you mind letting me in?”
“Oh, sure. Let me grab the spare one. It’s a good thing you gave it to me. I’ll be right back.”
Cleo hobbled around until she could lean against the wall. She wondered if Jax was awake yet. She’d considered telling him what she was up to, but when she’d gone to his room, the door was open and he was out cold. He was sprawled across the bed on his stomach while wearing nothing more than a pair of boxers.
He’d looked good—real good. She also remembered how he didn’t want her—how he’d withdrawn from her. The memory dug at her heart.
Before turning away from his sleeping form, she’d noticed how the sheet had been pulled loose and kicked about. The pillows had been tossed off the bed as though he’d had a rough night. At least she had the satisfaction of knowing that he hadn’t had a good sleep, either.
In no time, Robyn returned with the key in one hand and a baby monitor in the other. “If you lost your key during your accident, I can call the manager and have them change the lock. Of course, you know they’re going to charge you for it. Like we don’t already pay enough in rent.”
“Thanks. But I know where it is. I just didn’t have time to grab my things before they took me to the hospital.” She wasn’t about to add that she’d blacked out.
“Okay. But if you need anything, just phone me. By the way, Charlie wouldn’t eat last night. I don’t know if he’s not feeling well or if he just missed you.”
“I was worried about that. After his surgery, I want to keep a close eye on him. He didn’t react well to the anesthesia.” Cleo made her way over to the couch, where Charlie was curled up. He eyed her up but didn’t make any movement. “Hey, buddy, it’s okay. I’m here.” She ran a hand down over his striped fur before scratching beneath his ear. Finally a faint purr started. “I’m sorry I wasn’t here last night.”
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