Page 75 of Keeping Collette

A sinister smile crossed Jim’s face. “Time to come with me, sweetness.”

Chapter Thirty-Six

The mission was a success, and Deal held no remorse for the fuckers who thought kidnapping and selling humans was a noble business. They were all scums, and there would be repercussions, but hopefully they wouldn’t touch Alliez.

Julian and the FBI could deal with that. Their friend and contact was more than happy with what they’d done. He’d all but sanctioned it, in a roundabout kind of way.

Now all he wanted to do was get home to Collette. He’d sent her a text when they’d gotten back to the office, but she hadn’t responded. She’d told him she was going to wait up, but it was likely she’d fallen asleep.

The thought of her all curled up and warm in her bed had him pressing the gas pedal down a little harder, eager to get home to her.

He parked his car in one of the guest bays and made his way up to Collette’s apartment. As he walked toward the front door, a sense of foreboding crept up, like a fog rising over the mountains. Deal paused and looked around the hallway, not seeing anyone or anything out of the ordinary until he looked at Collette’s front door. There was a sliver of light coming from the side of it, as if it was ajar.

Even though he already knew it, he checked his phone to see if he’d missed a message from Collette while he’d been driving. There wasn’t one.

Had she heard the ding of the elevator as it arrived on the floor and decided to open the door for him?

No, she wouldn’t do that. She’d never done it in the past, so why would she do it tonight?

Deal wished he had someone watching his six, but he didn’t. He was alone. Not that it mattered, he could take down anyone who came at him should it be necessary.

Unholstering his sidearm, he kept his back to the wall as he crept the remaining distance to the door. As he got closer, he heard canned laughter coming from the apartment, as if the television was on.

With careful movements he used one hand to open the door while he raised his gun, ready to use it if necessary.

He entered, a feeling of emptiness hitting him immediately. Scanning the living room, he noted the blanket Collette sometimes tossed over her legs in the evening. The television was on, and one of Collette’s favorite shows filled the screen. What he didn’t see was Collette asleep on the couch.

The kitchen counters were clean, like they always were. After they ate, Collette was meticulous in putting the dishes in the dishwasher and wiping down the counters, so they were clean for the morning.

The microwave door was partly open, and the mug Collette used sat on the glass turntable, as if she’d been going to heat it up to make some tea—something she did nightly.

“Collette?” he called out. “Babe?”

There was no answer, so Deal made his way to the bedroom, already expecting it to be empty. A glance through the door showed the bed still made. Low light came from the lamp on the nightstand.

Deal checked the other rooms, but he didn’t expect to find her hiding from him. He made his way back to the living room and studied it carefully. There was no sign that anything was out of place.

A chill went down his spine when he saw her handbag sitting where it always sat, on the shelf beneath the hall table.

There’s no way she’d go anywhere without her bag. He pulled out his phone and called her number. A second later the familiar sounds of her ring tone came from the couch. Cursing, he disconnected before calling up Hound.

“What’s up, Deal?” he answered on the first ring.

“Collette’s missing.”

“What do you mean, she’s missing? Has she gone to someone’s house?”

The urge to bite his friend’s head off was huge, but he didn’t, because if he’d received a similar call from any of his teammates, he’d have asked the same thing too. “No, her bag and phone are still here, and the door to the apartment was ajar when I got here. She’s gone, and I have no fucking idea where!” His voice rose on the last word. The calmness that had gotten him through searching the apartment, gone.

“Okay, I’ll be there in ten. I’m going to get in touch with the rest. Don’t touch anything.”

“There’s no indication of a struggle. The apartment looks as neat as it always is. Wherever she went, she did so without a fight.”

“Right. Call Cass and see if she can hack into any cameras in the area to see if we can see which direction she went in.” Hound’s calm demeanor managed to soothe some of Deal’s frayed nerves.

“It’s after eleven, she’s bound to be asleep. She’s also pregnant. I can’t call her now.”

“Deal, we need her, and you know what she’ll do if she finds out you didn’t get in touch with her.”