Ruthless, Part 4

Chapter 4, Interruption

Without looking at his phone, Martin placed it in his back pocket and grabbed his car keys off the counter, where he tossed them last night. He was too busy whisking Elana off her feet to pick up his mess when they got home from dinner.

A little smile surfaced on his face as he thought about where they fooled around before they made it into her bedroom. He muttered, "Naughty." several times as he tossed his backpack on the passenger side and got in. Before he started the car, he closed his eyes and imagined her sitting next to him. Oh, the way she touched him.

Hitting the start button, he laughed as he backed out of the spot and turned onto Highland Avenue. He needed to get her out of his mind before he made it into the office. If he let his mind wander, his father would see right through him.

Just as he turned into the parking garage, his ringtone jingled Elana's private ring. He would have ignored it since she knew he had a high-stakes meeting with his father, but then again. Why was she calling?

"Elana, I just pulled in. Can I call you back?"

She didn't even listen to him. Her voice had an edge, and she shouted into the phone, "We have a problem. You need to come home."

"Elana, what's going on?"

In the silence, he realized that she hung up. He was shocked. What the hell was up with her?

Martin dialed her again, but the phone went directly to voice mail. He scrolled through his contact list, found her other cell number, and dialed that. Nothing. She wasn't picking up. He could feel his stomach turning. What if she was hurt? Or was this a game? Why would she want to hurt his chances with his father?

Unable to decide what to do, he pulled into his assigned parking space, stepped out of the car, and paced back and forth while trying to call her for another five minutes. When she didn't answer, he dialed his father and waited for him to answer.

"Dad."

"Martin, where are you? You are late for our meeting. This doesn't bode well for you." Lord Stanely snarled. Martin's stomach lurched as he registered his father's words, but he explained, "Dad. Elana just called. There's some sort of emergency, and she needs me to go home. She's not answering her phone."

Lord Stanely replied, "Is she playing games, or do you think she could be hurt?"

"I don't know. She knew that we were meeting, and we had plans to meet for lunch. Why would she derail our meeting?"

Martin heard his father sigh before saying, "Very well. Go back home and make sure she is safe. For both of you, this would be good, or you would both be trolling the internet and submitting your resumes. Do I make myself clear?"

"Understood. I'll call you in a bit."

After hanging up with his father, Martin drove home and let himself in, calling, "Elana? Where are you?"

When she didn't respond, he walked into the kitchen and saw the lamp that had been shattered with her phone on the ground next to it. He started to panic, fearing that someone harmed her. "Elana? Answer me!"

He raced up the stairs and threw the door open to their bedroom, continuing his search for her. "WTF, Elena!"

Turning around, he bumped into her. Stepping back, he asked, "What is going on?"

Her mascara was running; black lines were weaving a path down her face. Her lipstick was smudged, and he watched as she covered her mouth, fearing to speak the waloudtin placed his hands on her shoulders and looked her in the eyes, saying, "Elana, whatever it is. You need to tell me. Then we can deal with it."

"Anders escaped."

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Be on the lookout for Part 5