Page 124 of Beautiful Secrets

When Derek waves at me to sit again, I do—but reluctantly.

After a few seconds, Derek lowers the phone and studies the screen. He taps, taps, and then lifts it to his ear again.

“Hey, babe. Can you come through?” Derek stares at me the whole time, like he is trying to figure out a puzzle. “Won’t keep you long. Yeah, it’s important. No, I’m not being mysterious. Just…come over please.”

Then I assume he tries Cole’s number again.

Without success.

I do not know how many times Derek tries Cole’s number, but he doesn’t answer.

Maybe he lost it.

Maybe it was taken from him.

The longer I wait, the more my stomach twists. Thankfully, when I am sure I’m about to puke again, Sarah arrives.

I do not know why, but the moment I see her concerned face—a face that grows even more concerned when she spots me—hot tears flood my eyes.

She’s beside me a second later, and I cannot resist burying my head into her neck and letting out the raw emotion that feels as if it has been building up since I saw the sign to the airport.

I hear her speaking with Derek over my head, but I can only reel myself in minutes later when I am finally spent.

“Did you get hold of him?” I ask as I blot my face with a soggy tissue.

“Not yet, sweetheart, but we will. He probably just went off-grid for a while.”

I do not care for the way she says that, as if it something he has done before. And when Derek comes back and immediately shakes his head at her, I dread for him to speak.

Thankfully, it is Sarah who pipes up with, “Let me try his hotel. He might pick up a call from the front desk.”

Derek nods and hands her his phone. Sarah has a conversation with someone, but from the sound of things, they were about as cooperative as when I was there in the flesh.

Sarah turns to me, pats my thigh. “It’s late. Let’s get some tea in you. Maybe even a bath. I’m sure we’ll hear back in the morning.”

“Please, will you try again?”

She blinks at me, mouth opening, and then nods. “Okay, hon.”

We must be there for another two hours, with Sarah making a call every twenty minutes or so. The hotel refuses to put her through to Cole’s room, stating he’s not in. I guess they have no reason to lie…except if he told them he didn’t want to take calls.

By two in the morning, I can see Sarah is exhausted. I am too, but that doesn’t matter in the least.

We still haven’t found Cole.

But when she rubs her eyes and stifles a yawn, I touch her arm. “That tea sounds good,” I tell her.

I want nothing more than to sit here and keep trying his phone…but I cannot make her stay up so late for me.

* * *

The insistent trilling of a bird wakes me up. The moment light floods my eyes, I get a start and sit up in a rush.

Oh my God, how could I let myself fall asleep? What time is it? Why is it so quiet?

When I focus across the room on the other couch, I have my answer: Sarah is sleeping on the sofa opposite mine. Someone threw a blanket over both of us. That someone must be Derek, because I see him moving around in the kitchen.

“Did you find him?” I ask, wrapping the chemise throw around my shoulders as I pad into the kitchen. I’m still in my pink yoga pants and Cole’s suit jacket, but sometime last night I happened to kick off my shoes.