Page 16 of Bad for Business (Pembroke Hills #2)

SIXTEEN

CAMILLE

I’ve never contemplated murder before, but I guess there’s a first time for everything and I might just kill Ryker Davenport.

I’m a publicist. My job is to cover up people’s mistakes. Could I get away with murder?

My phone vibrating on the counter pulls me from thoughts of committing a felony. I let out a loud groan when I see the caller ID. I want to ignore the call, but I know if I do, my dad will just call back. I have no option but to answer.

“Hello?” I answer, pressing the phone to my ear. My heart races. Does my dad somehow know that I haven’t seen Ryker since yesterday afternoon? Surely not.

“Camille,” he begins, his voice calm and composed and not giving anything away. “How are things going there?”

I bite my lip as I shift anxiously in the chair. I can’t quite tell my dad that somehow I lost Ryker and haven’t seen him in almost a day. The one time I let him out of my sight, he goes and disappears.

Rage flows through my veins all over again as I consider plotting his murder once again.

“Things are going according to plan,” I lie.

The plan was definitely not to lose my client, but I know I’ll find him.

I’ve been scouring the internet for any traces of him getting into trouble yesterday or today, but whatever he’s doing, he at least hasn’t left a digital footprint of it.

Yet . All I can really do until I find him is hope that he isn’t dumb enough to ruin the progress we’ve made with his board.

“I talked to Ryker’s father this morning. He actually seems mildly impressed with his son. Whatever you’re doing, keep it up. We’re getting paid, and he’s happy for now.”

My shoulders sag with a sigh of relief. “Ryker’s been doing great.

I’m happy with our progress.” Until the fiasco yesterday, that is.

I know Ryker isn’t his normal happy-go-lucky personality for me the way he is with everyone else.

He hates that he’s forced to be with me for the summer, and I understand it.

But yesterday was different. He was angry.

Upset. Two things I didn’t expect to see from him.

And now he’s disappeared. Whatever’s going on with him, I need to figure out. We’re making progress. Even my dad thinks so. I don’t want to backtrack.

“I’m actually about to meet with Ryker to talk about plans for the next few days, so I have to go.

Let me know if you need anything from me,” I tell my dad, attempting to keep my voice cool as I try to get him off the phone.

I have to find Ryker, and sitting here talking to my dad doesn’t help me do that.

“Bye,” he responds, hanging up the phone without asking any more questions.

I set my phone back on the counter, allowing myself a moment to take a deep breath. When I first saw my dad’s name on my phone, I wondered if he somehow knew I lost Ryker. I didn’t expect him to be calling me with good news…well, as good as news can be when it comes to my father.

I set my elbows on the counter and let my head fall into my hands as I try to think of what to do next. I’ve planned for a lot of different scenarios this summer, and none of them included Ryker disappearing.

I don’t even know how I lost him. I waited outside the men’s locker room for almost three hours. Many people walked by and gave me an odd look, but I didn’t move from my spot in an upholstered green chair that wasn’t the least bit comfortable.

Finally, I gave up and sent him a text to meet me back at the house. I was up past midnight, just waiting for him to walk through the door. He didn’t. And the number of texts I sent him might beat a world record.

When I woke up this morning, I thought he’d be fast asleep in his bed. I threw open his bedroom door, ready for a fight, only to find his bed still neatly made.

And now it’s almost one in the afternoon, and there’s still no trace of him.

I weigh my options. I could keep waiting for him here, but something in my gut tells me he has zero intention of coming back to this house.

Which means…I have to find him.

With an angry sigh, I push myself off the counter and head to my room. It doesn’t take me long to gather my things and toss them into my purse. If I had to guess, Ryker’s back at the club, which means it’s time for me to head to Pembroke for the day.

My eyes land on Ryker immediately. He stands outside the golf pro shop wearing a wide grin as he talks to two women I don’t recognize.

They both laugh at something he says. He wears a different outfit than what he had on yesterday, making me wonder where he slept last night and where he got the clothes.

I stomp down the backstairs of the club and head right for him. He’s too deep in conversation with the women to even notice me coming. Luckily for me, he doesn’t see me until it’s too late for him to escape.

His eyes connect with mine, and the wide smile he was giving the girls slips at the sight of me.

Something like fear might even flash through his eyes.

Good. I hope he’s scared. I’ve spent the last day wondering where the hell he is.

Apparently, he’s got enough time on his hands to flirt but not to send me a simple text back letting me know that he’s alive.

“We need to talk,” I say, my voice void of any emotion. I’m actually shocked by how composed I keep it despite the way my blood boils with rage at seeing his face.

“I’m busy,” he immediately responds. He gestures to the two girls, as if I care at all that I’m interrupting his conversation.

I look at one of them, a blonde with a bob who looks about my age. I’ll give it to her. She gives me a warm smile despite what I’m sure is not the nicest look she’s getting from me.

“Ryker can’t talk right now,” I explain. “He’s in trouble, and I need to talk to him.”

Ryker scoffs. “I’m not a child. I’m not in trouble. You can’t just barge over here. I’m busy .”

I roll my eyes. “Flirting isn’t busy . We need to talk. Now.”

“Is this your girlfriend?” the blonde asks, her voice hesitant as she looks from me to Ryker.

I laugh.

Ryker coughs.

“Oh God, no,” I hurriedly get out. “Can you imagine? What an absolute nightmare that would be.”

Ryker stares at me for a moment. His lips turn down in a frown as he watches me with an unreadable expression for a moment. Just when I’m about to try and decode the look in his eyes, he blinks and shakes his head, completely wiping away the solemn look I swear he was wearing.

“She works for me,” he answers, his voice completely monotone.

“Okay, well, we were going to the beach anyway. See you around, Ryker.” The blonde grabs her friend’s wrist and leads her to the private beach.

I watch them walk away for a moment, making sure they’re out of earshot before I turn my gaze to him.

“What the fuck, Ryker?” I seethe. “Where have you been, and why haven’t you been answering me?”

“Why do you care?” he responds. The charming, smiling golden boy that was on display for the two girls he was talking to is all but gone. On his face, there’s only coldness and detachment as he stares back at me.

My mouth opens and closes for a moment as I try to think of a response. “Why do I care? Because we’re supposed to be working together this summer.”

He’s a grown man, but I swear he rolls his eyes at me. “I hung out at the club and then spent the night at Jude’s. I was on my best behavior, and you don’t need to worry about anything.” He sidesteps me and heads toward the club. “Now, leave me alone,” he tosses over his shoulder.

I close my eyes for a moment, trying to take a calming breath. I want to fight with him and tell him he’s being childish, but I know it won’t go anywhere. I need him to work with me, so lashing out probably isn’t the best idea.

“Wait,” I call after him.

His steps pause for just a moment. It’s long enough for me to have hope he’ll maybe listen to me.

He doesn’t. He continues to walk back up to the club, forcing me to chase after him.

Luckily, I wore a comfortable pair of heels. His strides are long and hurried, but with a jog, I’m able to catch up with him.

“Look,” I say, a little out of breath as I come to a stop in front of him.

Back home, I often worked out. I had a strict regimen.

Here, I haven’t been able to go for a run or do any kind of strength workouts, but I’m hoping to find time soon.

My hands land on my hips as I take a deep breath in.

My all-black outfit makes it feel like I’m cooking in the sun as I stand in front of him.

“You’re stuck with me. I will keep showing up and annoying you until we have the approval of your board. Get used to it.”

Ryker’s eyes flick down to me. I hate that he looks totally disinterested.

This doesn’t seem like him, and I can’t help but wonder what I can do to change things.

I know he wants me to leave him alone, but I can’t.

I need him to prove to my father that I’m worthy.

I need to make partner. And to do that, I need Ryker to stop looking at me like I’m his least favorite person on the planet.

“I’ll be inside. I told Beck I would meet him for lunch.” He steps around me once again, and this time, I let him go inside without me trailing behind.

I’ll let him have his lunch. Maybe then he’ll feel like he’s won. And after that, when we get home and I can keep better tabs on him, we’ll have an extremely lengthy talk about him never disappearing on my watch again.