Chapter 5 No Guns

Jayce

"Repeat that."

I move closer to Kai, who stands in the doorway to my apartment, because I know I couldn't have heard him right. He glances at the clock on the wall then drops his gaze back to the floor.

"I don't know where she is yet," he says.

I don't say anything. I've learned that most people can't handle silence when they're in a stressful situation. Considering the fact that he was supposed to keep an eye out for Cali and let me know if she left her room and he didn't, I'd say this is stressful for him. It's well after one in the morning and he woke me up to tell me he couldn't find her. He only noticed she was missing when she hadn't ordered anything for dinner. Seven hours ago. Instead of immediately notifying me, he tried and failed in finding her.

"I'm not sure when she left, but we've managed to find out that she spent most of the day in a bar before leaving in a taxi to come back here, but she never made it," he says.

I can't exactly pinpoint what sets me off the most. Him admitting she's been gone most of the day or him saying she never made it here. All I know is that's when I hit him. How are you part of my security detail when you can't even manage to secure the whereabouts of a woman who probably isn't even trying to hide?

"We have a lead, sir. I have my guys investigating it as we speak," he mumbles from the floor as he tries to staunch the flow of blood from his nose.

"No, we have a lead," I say, gesturing between myself and the three other men standing in the deserted hallway. "You no longer have a job."

Without waiting for a response, I wave one of the others forward and tell them to get him out of here. That'll most likely be another lawsuit I'll have to pay an exorbitant amount of money to settle. I gave him one simple task. He didn't have to follow her or make her stay in the hotel. It's not like I asked him to sit outside her door and report her every move. He only needed to let me know if she left her room. Hell, he could've had the front desk alert him if they saw her leaving.

As we make our way to the lobby, I keep my distance from the other men, ensuring they don't accidentally touch me. They seem to know not to get too close and for that I'm grateful. They never even made any attempt to get closer to my apartment door while they spoke to me. I'm not around often, but when I am, most of the employees know to keep their distance from me. Personal space is very important to me. I need a lot of it.

We don't have far to walk to get to the lobby since I always stay on the first floor. Most people would assume that I live in one of the penthouse suites when I'm here, but I don't. I don't like heights and I hate elevators. There aren't many things I do like, which I why I stay in my own little bubble and let Landon handle the overall management of the business. He's a people person. Always an easy smile and goes out of his way to make sure that everyone is happy. I wouldn't even be here right now if him and his fiancé, Samantha, hadn't conned me into being the best man in their wedding before telling me they were taking an extended honeymoon. Who does that? Two months of honeymooning. My threats to fire him fell on deaf ears and then Sam started crying. Crying women give me that feeling of having a thousand invisible spiders crawling down my spine. In the end, I came out as the best man, paying for the entire ceremony here at the resort, and letting him have three months of vacation.

They conned me into this knowing I hate being in the public eye. I've been known to be reclusive. In all actuality, it boils down to the fact that I generally hate people. I have a very small circle and I like it that way. I tolerate the people I have to interact with and ignore the rest. For most of my life I've been called rude, unapproachable, and detached. I won't go into the other things. I'm okay with all of it. At least, I was okay with that. Cali burst my personal bubble and has managed to stay there. For the life of me, I can't figure out how or why. I thought I just felt sorry for her because she's set on making the most of a relationship that's clearly nonexistent. But now . . . now I feel like maybe I can stretch the bubble just a little more.

"Sir, this is the cab driver," Dennis, another security officer, says.

I drag my gaze over the driver who shifts nervously from one foot to the other, his potbelly swaying with his movements. Sweat beads on his brow, being soaked up by thick eyebrows. He doesn't look directly at me, just in my vicinity. He's speaking before I even ask any question.

"She said she wanted to go to the falls, so I thought she just got her places mixed up. I thought she was with the rest of the women I'd been dropping off at the lake by the cabins. She'd been drinking, but she was coherent and she wanted to go to the party so I didn't think anything was wrong. Then these guys show up asking me all these questions about her. I don't want any trouble, I was just doing my job," he rambles. It's obvious he's been interrogated by the cops before. There's no other explanation for him giving so many details and excuses.

I turn to Dennis who nods his head toward the front entrance. Through the glass doors I see two SUVs already waiting. He just got a raise. They pile into one car while I ride solo in the other, Dennis in the driver's seat. Dennis has been with the casino for over five years. He signed on to be my driver, but proved himself to be worth a more prominent position. He always resisted being moved to full security. He insisted on being my driver whenever I was here, so he wore both hats. With Kai officially fired, he'll have no choice.

We head to the only lake that he could be speaking of, Lake McCoy. Cabins surround it and it's essentially private, so most people go there to have parties. Some go to relax and with the size of the lots, even if there were a party happening at the next cabin, the noise wouldn't bother anyone.

It takes us no time at all to get there and when we do I have to bite back a groan. She couldn't have picked anyone else's party to crash? Alcohol, loud music, half-naked women, and bikers do not make a good combination. Yet, this is where she is. Exhaling a deep breath, I climb from the car.

"No guns," I tell my entourage.

Dennis opens his mouth as though he wants to protest, but thinks better of it. His shoulders slump and his lips purse as he sullenly makes his way to where I'm standing. I almost smile at his crestfallen disposition.