{PART ONE}

I swung the door open to my penthouse and was greeted with the silence of the chilled air. The placidity of my home gave me solace as I walked upstairs to my bedroom.

My bedding was still neatly made, with each piece of industrial-style furniture without a speck of dust. Everything was in its desired location, exactly how I had left it two nights ago. The only thing that stood out of place was the Polaroid photo that leaned against the metal lamp.

I flicked on the light and picked up the faded white bordered vintage print. Sitting on the edge of the mattress, I reminisced on one of the most unforeseen moments of my life.

Scarlett didn't intend to kiss me, to be perfectly honest I had no idea what her intentions were when she settled herself on my lap. The gesture was bold, in the midst of varying individuals who were enjoying their favorite Italian dish. I ceased to care, we could have been in a stadium and I would still revel in her being on my lap. It was a memorable moment, but every moment with her was.

Setting the photo back against the metal lamp, I gently pulled the knot on my tie side to side. Unfastening and unbuttoning with haste until I was left in my briefs.

I laid my back on the mattress and stared at the blades of the fan that rotated in a clockwise direction. Exhaustion didn't even begin to describe how I felt. Nonetheless, after the day I had, a workout was needed to release the pent-up frustration that accumulated in my chest.

Fighting against the pull of gravity, I reluctantly sat up and got dressed in workout attire. Before I made it back downstairs, I adjusted the thermostat to 70 degrees.

The chemical-like odor of the newly installed black rubber tile overpowered the air in my in-home gym. Ignoring the stench, I stepped onto the treadmill and slipped in my headphones. I set the speed to a medium intensity and felt the steady thumps of my footsteps tremble in my chest. The thundering melodic and rhythmic music blasting through my eardrums did nothing to drown my thoughts.

In spite of everything, Scarlett stayed at the forefront of my mind like a permanent fixture.

They say actions speak louder than words, in my situation that couldn't be more than the truth. I had told myself to stay away and yet instead I kissed her? Frustration mixed in with the sexual tension from the night before was a deadly combination. Public sex wasn't my thing but I would have gladly fücked her in that elevator.

The scene of when I hired her played in my mind like a record. Over and over.

Are you afraid that I will kiss you again? Because I can assure you I won't.

That was my intention. I was a man of my word. When I first saw her walk into my office it was bittersweet. I had beat myself up for not getting her number that night, then to have her walk into my office two weeks later... I didn't know if it was fate or a mere coincidence.

Regardless, I had eliminated all thoughts of pursuing when I hired her or tried. It was an impossible situation to begin with. What could I have said... Sorry, I can't hire you, even though you're qualified because I would rather take you out? At that time, I thought it would be easy to look past the kiss we shared and have a strictly professional relationship.

I was wrong about that.

Clearly.

Sweat trickled from my forehead down to my abdomen as I pressed the button on the treadmill for a higher intensity. I felt a surge of adrenaline pulse through my veins as I pushed my legs to move faster.

From the start, we moved fast. Kissing before I knew her name. Subtle touches here and there. Accidental kiss to not so accidental kisses. It's like each time we spent together we would escalate a little further than before. The further we went the harder it was to separate.

That woman couldn't make it easy for me either, she just had to have it all beauty, wit and sharp as a knife. How she made cost-benefit analysis sound sexy was beyond me. Such a damn tease too. Little did tigre know, she didn't have to do anything. The smallest of gestures drove me crazy. Like when she licked her lips— or that heated lust-filled gaze she would give me every time we kissed. She had no idea of what pleasure I could give her. A relentless man I was, I would not stop until she came undone more than once, screaming my name after each release.

I used to find it laughable when I heard people say they couldn't 'control themselves' or that they got 'swept away in the moment'. Never understood it... until now, finding it the only way to describe how I felt around her. But being swept away didn't silence logic. After we lost control, logic would always rear its ugly head.

Reminding me, we were less than ideal. Filling me with confliction. No matter how many times I calculated and wade through the different outcomes, it always came down to that conclusion. Bringing back to mind that we had more than just one complication.

From being an employee, the constant drama that her Ex brought— the fact she lied to my face about Cain. It would take someone as brainless as Thomas to not see that something was off between them. The more I thought about it the more I was convinced that everything seemed a little too coincidental. Whatever the situation may be, it was only a matter of time before I figured it out, I would make sure of that.

But in defiance of the ever-pilling list of complications my heart and body didn't seem to care— it always reacted to whenever she was around pulling me in closer instead of away.

If it was up to me, I'd say fuck the complications.

Even if it went against logic.

Better judgment.

Rhyme or reason.

Because sometimes the biggest risks... reap the biggest rewards.

As the treadmill came to a halt, air rushed in and out of my lungs. My heart pounded in my chest while I grabbed the white towel from the cabinets beside the bench-press and wiped the sweat off my forehead. My parched throat desperately needed the relief of the water that slithered down my throat. Setting the water bottle aside, I stretched again letting my heart rate slow back to normal. I exhaled a relaxed breath, as expected the workout was the alleviant I needed.

I made it back upstairs and into the master bathroom. Taking off my joggers, I turned the faucet to a hot temperature. The water sputtered from the three showerheads and onto the marble floor. I slid the glass door more open and submerged myself underneath as the shower filled with steam. My body felt unwound while I lathered the shampoo in my hair.

My phone vibrated on the granite countertops. I groaned it can wait. Five more minutes is not asking much. Three at the very least. The phone rang and rang again. I finished rinsing and hit the faucet turning off the water.

Of course, it couldn't wait.

Whatever it was, it better be good. My biggest pet peeve is when people called with urgency for an insignificant reason.

I grabbed the towel and wrapped it around my waist. My eyes squinted at the screen as a smile graced my lips.

Scarlett.

It was in my plans to call her after my shower, I had felt guilty for not being able to walk her to her vehicle tonight. "Hey, I'm glad you called, I got wrapped up in a— "

"Elias, can you please give me Mia's phone number. I need to know exactly when she saw Isabella" Scarlett said with a shaky voice permeated with distress.

I heard several loud bangs finished off with an ear-piercing thud like If she had kicked something. "Fück, fück, my fücking piece of shit car never fücking starts when I need it to!"

The despair in her voice caused my chest to tighten." Scarlett, listen to me. I want you to look at the sky and take a deep breath for me. Can you do that for me, Amor? "

"I can – can do that for you," Scarlett replied with a croaky voice.

"Good, breathe in and out. Tell me what do you see?"

Scarlett spoke in a low and gravely tone, "I see clouds tinted with light blues hues with hints of orange mixed in, birds flocking into obscurity Or maybe north fück... Elias, I can't— "

I leaned against the bathroom counter. "You will and you can. Dime, what's going on?"

"Isabella is not home, could be nothing but I just have this sickening feeling that... that...something is wrong. Very wrong. I keep calling but she doesn't answer me, it goes straight to voicemail. My dad was drunk and coked up, fücking plastered on the living room floor when I got home. And If.... if Isabella saw... him this way. It could— just please I need Mia's number to gauge... fück I don't know.... I need anything. Anything that helps me figure out what direction or what the hell to do. Maybe Mia noticed something I.. I don't know."

I dried myself quickly and entered my closet. "Stay in your jeep, I am on my way." I heard Scarlett groan into the speaker before she refused my help, I stopped her. "This is not a time to refuse my help. I will send you Mia's number. Take another deep breath for me, please. "Scarlett huffed, then followed with a deep breath. "Good, you need to stay as calm as possible. Everything will be okay. "

"God, I hope your right. I can't shake this feeling that something is terribly wrong." She uttered choking back her sobs.

"Escuchame, whatever the outcome, you will get through it. But try to not think of the worst right now. Call her friends, maybe her phone died. Call everyone you think could help. When I get there, we will take it from there. Understood?"

She took a long pause. "Understood."

****

Droplets dripped from my hair and seeped through my white cotton V-neck as I drove past the familiar palm trees that lined the small beach town. The waves crashed violently upon the shore under the setting sun, creating a beautiful mixture of pinks and oranges. But even with the beautiful scenic view, I was still on edge. I couldn't begin to comprehend what Scarlett must feel at this moment. The fact that she didn't have peace in the comfort of her home was disheartening.

Scarlett exited the jeep even with messy hair and mascara smudged under her eyes she looked beautiful. I slammed my door shut and quickened my steps to meet her halfway. Without hesitation, I embraced her in my arms lifting her feet off the ground. Settling the loose strand of hair behind her ear I ran my hand across her cheek. She took my hand into the palm of hers and settled it between us. "You didn't have to do this. This is too much."

"Scarlett, I wouldn't be here if I didn't want to."

She wiped the black-streaked tear that fell across her cheek and fixed her eyes at the sky. "I've never had anyone be there for me. I've always dealt with these sorts of things alone. Thomas was always inconvenienced by my 'family drama' and my mother was always working. Both my parents were never home much, but when my dad came home from a business trip, I always braced myself for his usual binge-drinking session. I became hardened and unaffected – just used to it you know...used to him getting drunk and telling me off for whatever reason. My sister, on the other hand, it unravels her, so I always made sure to protect her from seeing him that way. "

Scarlett's hand trembled as she pointed to the front door. "If I was traumatized and disgusted by what I saw in there... then I can only imagine what Isabella felt if she saw it." She furrowed herself into my chest."Elias, I've failed her. I didn't protect her like I was supposed to. I shouldn't have ever left her with him."

I ran my hand up and down her back. "You're not alone now, we will find your sister. I'm sorry that you had to come home to this but it is not your fault. If there's anyone who failed today, it's your father." I locked our hands together as we walked back towards the car. "Did you have any luck getting ahold of Mia or any of your sister's friends?"

Scarlett defeatedly got in, I clicked in the seatbelt. She smiled, but her smile didn't hide the sadness behind it. "Mia was apologetic that she couldn't be more of a help but said Isabella appeared fine and on her way to school. As for friends, my sister only has one, Lucy. She had no idea where she could be but disclosed that Isabella has a new boyfriend who is a guitarist in a metal rock band. Which is fantastic another thing I failed to know, just add being a terrible sister to the list of my shortcomings."

We spent the next thirty minutes driving endlessly towards every hangout that she could possibly be at. I saw Scarlett's hope dwindling after we left each location with no sign of Isabella. I was at a loss for words. What could I say that would console her? I had never dealt with a situation like this before.

My family lived in Madrid so we rarely saw each other. The closest thing I had to family drama was when I and Alexander fought for no reason. But even that was playful and not to this extent.

Since the day I met Scarlett, she had broken the monotony of my life. Making me conscious of the emptiness I had prior to meeting her. In this instant, I wasn't conflicted. The only thing I wanted was to give her comfort.

Scarlett's phone rang interrupting the hush silence of the car. We both looked at each other critically, before she answered putting the call on speaker.

"Hello this is Sarah from Redbrook Memorial Hospital may I speak to Scarlett Delacruz?"

"Yes."

"Yes this is Scarlett Delacruz?" the woman questioned.

Scarlett's voice heightened through the speaker sounding detached and clinical. "Yes, I am Scarlett Delacruz."

"We are calling to inform you that Isabella Delacruz has been admitted. We recommend you to come. She is on the emergency room floor, tell the receptionist Isabella's name and she will guide you to her room."

Scarlett dropped the phone as she buried herself in her hands. The woman's voice is heard over the speaker. I caressed Scarlett's back and picked up the phone with the other.
"We will be right there. Thank you."

I put the car in drive and pressed down on the gas pedal. Scarlett kept her head buried in her hands the entire drive to the hospital. I refrained from asking imprudent questions. Like if she was okay? It was obvious that she wasn't. Yet my brain persisted with the thought.

When we walked towards the sliding doors of the hospital, Scarlett's face lacked the warmth that she usually had. She seemed as if she had shut down completely.

As we entered through the hospital doors the undertone of bleach infiltrated my nostrils. Nurses and doctors paced and back from patient to patient. The corridor walls were riddled with black scrapes where trolleys had bumped into them.

We walked towards the receptionist wooden desk that had a big framed picture of the sunset over the beach. The petite woman made it back to her desk handing the blonde nurse a stack of files.

I spoke to the receptionist briefly, before she led us through the bright fluorescent-lighted hallway. I stopped next to the waiting area and looked at Scarlett. "I'll be here if you need me."

Scarlett hung her head in embarrassment. "Do you mind coming with me?"

I moved my palm forward for her to continue walking. "No Amor, I don't mind."

The receptionist looked back at us and smiled. We turned left into another hallway. Three rooms ahead of us, we heard a man yell, "Code Blue, starting compressions!"

The alarms blared through the hospital with a robotic voice speaking through the loudspeaker "Code Blue. Room 248. Medical assistance needed."

A young woman in blue scrubs ran into the room. "I'll start ventilating! "

Shortly, two more nurses sprinted as they pushed a crash cart into the room, followed by two men in white lab coats. The sense of urgency in each of their eyes confirmed this situation was dire.

The man voiced echoed through the hallway as he shouted, "She's in V-Fib, Charge to 150, clear!"

"Still no pulse! Resuming compression, Push one of Epi!" A shrill voice bellowed.

A gripping pain traveled to my heart. Our movement faltered, with a look of horror painted on our features. Scarlett's hands trembled at her sides. Any bleak optimism she had vanquished into thin air. No words were needed to be said. We both thought of the same dreadful scenario.

That Isabella was in that room.

With the little hope I had, I wished she wasn't.

Author's Note

This chapter made me want to pull my hair out. I have a feeling by the time I write this book I'll have none left. So who's going to chip in and buy me wig if that happens??

Needless to say, this chapter was hell to write. I changed the direction, I want to say about 10 or more times.  Rewrote and rewrote.

            Not sure if I'm happy with it still.
                                      Sighs.