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Chapter Thirty-Four
DEKKER
“Areyou sure you have the right place?” Xayden looks at me and Seven as we stand outside of a Motel Sunrise that isn’t in the greatest area of the city. This place looks like a complete dump. There’s trash littering the parking lot, the outside looks rundown as fuck, and God knows what diseases are crawling on the mattresses. I look back at the busy highway that it sits right outside of and then turn back to the place that shows where Rory last used her debit card from her own checking account. The one that the money from her father sits.
“I’m telling you man, this is it. This is where the card leads us. That and the Walmart down the street. She has to be here.” Seven types something into his tablet and looks up at me. “What are we waiting for? Let’s go find her.”
I let out a grunt as I push off the rental car and walk toward the door of the office. I yank it open and let the other two go in first. All three of us walk up to the front desk and are greeted by a man who looks like he hasn’t showered in at least two weeks. His hair is greasy, and his skin is dirty and oily. The smell coming from behind the desk assaults our noses, and I see Seven take a step back the minute he smells it.
“Hi, welcome to Motel Sunrise. How many nights are you staying?” the front desk clerk asks us in a monotone voice.
“We aren’t. We’re looking for someone. A girl. Name is Aurora Dawson,” Xayden tells him.
“I’m sorry. I can’t give out guest information.” He scratches his head, and I can see the flakes coming off with each scratch. It’s revolting.
“Look, I don’t give a fuck. We need to find her, and this was the last place she was seen. So what room is she in or we go kick in every fucking door.” Xayden steps up closer to the counter.
“I can’t give out guest inform?—”
I grab the guy by the shirt and drag him over the counter before dropping him to the floor. “Here’s the deal. You either help us with your eyesight intact, or I start hitting until you can’t see out of those little fuckers anymore. So, you want to do this the hard way or the fun way?”
“Okay! Okay!” The man innocently holds up his hands in front of him. His entire body is shaking. I yank him upright, helping him stand.
He steps back slowly as he grabs the keys from his pocket, never taking his eyes off of me. He walks backward toward a door across from us that says “office” on the outside and then turns at the last minute to open it and runs inside, slamming it shut.
Not that it would stop me from hopping this counter and beating him, but I’ll let him think he’s safe.
“W-What was her name?” he asks shakily.
“Aurora Dawson,” Seven answers.
“Room 210.” He points to where we need to go toward and without a second look back the three of us take off.
When we get to the room, Xayden knocks on the door. We wait a minute, but there’s no answer, so he knocks again.
“Rory! It’s us. Let us in. Come on, Rory. Come to the door and let us know you’re okay,” Xay begs.
Still no answer.
I try to peek through the window, but the curtains are pulled shut. It’s four in the evening, so it’s still bright out. There is no way to tell if maybe there is a light on inside to give us an indication that she’s in there. With a huff, I walk up to the door and take my foot to it.
The sound of the door jam splintering and the wood breaking cracks through the air. I give the door another kick and it flies open.
To an empty room. Her stuff is everywhere, but no Rory. I walk in and about three feet from the entrance, I step on something that crunches under my foot. Looking down, I see broken glass and glitter on the floor. I look up and see a few snow globes on top of a dresser, knowing now what I stepped on.
Walking further into the room, I head over toward the bed and see a cell phone. I pick it up and toss it to Seven. He can crack it and see if he can figure anything out.
“Where is she?” Xayden peers around the room. “Where the fuck is she?”
“She was here. But something tells me she didn’t leave of her own volition.” I point to the towel on the floor and lights still on in the bathroom. “And somehow that snow globe got shattered on the floor.”
“And she left her phone.” Seven holds it up. “Doubt that was intentional.”
“So, where the hell do we look for her?” Xayden runs his hands through his hair and pulls on the ends of it. We all feel the frustration.
A buzz goes off in my pocket. I pull out my phone and see I have message.
Sperm Donor: