Page 26 of Believing in a Billionaire (Hearts and Holdings #7)

By the time they slipped into the car, Julia was glad to sit down. Alicia fired the engine and eased the car forward. “I really prefer the police cruiser.”

“You’ll be fine,” Julia answered as she typed in Kyle’s address on the GPS. “There’s a garage under the building, just pull in there when we get there.”

Alicia nodded as she glanced at the screen and aimed for Kyle’s place. “So, the doc is a habitual line-crosser, huh?”

“He is,” Julia said as the buildings filled in around them. “Kyle has never met a line he wouldn’t cross.”

“How in the world do people actually live here? There is traffic everywhere. There are more cars on this road than in Harbor Cove.”

“Very funny, Ally. Just take your time. But also hurry up.”

“If we find this kid laying on his couch watching reruns of Dexter with a bowl of popcorn, I’m going to kill you for making me drive this car through the city.”

“If we find Kyle eating popcorn on his couch, I will call James to come get us and drive us home. After he gets a long lecture from me.”

“Wow, you’ve really gone Mom mode with this family.”

Julia offered a sarcastic laugh before she pointed to a building. “There. That’s his building.”

Her heart thudded faster against her ribs as her sister pulled into the garage and found a parking spot. Julia scanned the garage for any signs of Kyle’s car. She found none.

Before Alicia killed the engine, Julia was out of the car. “Come on. Elevator’s this way.”

Julia poked at the button over and over until the doors opened.

“Relax, Julia. We’ll get there.”

Julia huffed out a sigh as the elevator rose to Kyle’s floor. Turning sideways, she squeezed out as the doors started to slide open and hurried to his door, banging on it. “Kyle?”

She waited, her pulse racing as she hoped he’d pull the door open. She tried again. “Kyle? If you’re in there, open up. Please.”

The last word came out more pleading than she’d intended, but she didn’t care.

“Well, either he’s not here, or he doesn’t want to talk to you.”

Julia frowned at the door, wondering which it was. She hoped it was the latter. And she was determined to find out.

“I don’t think he’s going to answer.”

Julia shook her head as she typed in the key code on his electronic lock and pushed into the apartment.

“Seriously?” Alicia said. “You know his lock code?”

“Yes. I’ve been here a few times.” She raised her voice, calling out, but the darkened apartment didn’t give her much hope. “Kyle?”

She flicked on the lights, checking the living room and kitchen before she crossed to the bedroom. “Kyle?”

The bed hadn’t been slept in, and the place looked unused. She checked the bathroom in one last ditch effort, but he wasn’t there. Her heart sank as she sucked in a breath, planning her next move.

Alicia studied her. “It’s a little disturbing that you know his code and his apartment so well.”

“I’ve been here a few times. He’s not here.”

“Obviously. So–”

“Let’s check the hospital. Maybe he’s in the on-call room.”

“Okay,” Alicia answered.

“Wow, really? No argument?” Julia asked as they left the apartment behind.

“Nope. I’m actually kind of impressed. Look at you like a little junior cop.”

Julia pressed the button for the elevator. “Ha! This is nothing. You should have seen me tracking clues when Grant got charged with murder.”

“Please do not remind me of the time you got your head bashed by a baseball bat, sis.”

“Bashed is too strong a word,” she said as they exited into the cool parking garage and crossed to the car. Within minutes, they were at the hospital.

Julia slipped into the back of the emergency room as the doors opened for someone else. She approached the nurses’ station and offered a nervous smile to the woman there. “Hi, I’m looking for Dr. Kyle Carter.”

“He’s not here,” she answered.

“Are you sure? Can you page him?”

“He didn’t show,” a frazzled doctor told her. “Never called off. We’re swamped. I hope whatever he’s doing is important.”

The words stung her. Kyle hadn’t shown up for his shift? That in and of itself was odd behavior. Despite the difficult family relationship, Kyle was a good doctor.

She twisted, her features scrunching as she tried to come up with the next step.

Alicia pushed past her. “Is it typical of Dr. Carter to do this?”

“You a cop?”

Alicia flipped open her badge and nodded. “I am. Has Dr. Carter ever missed a shift before?”

The doctor shook her head. “No. Kyle’s usually here. He’s one of our best doctors. Once he had a family emergency, but he told us. He’s never not shown up. Is something wrong?”

“That’s what we’re trying to find out,” Alicia said. “Thanks for your help.”

Julia shook her head as the realization set in that something was terribly wrong.

Alicia wrapped her hand around Julia’s arm and led her down the hall to a waiting room. “Okay, this doesn’t look good. But maybe he took off. It’s still possible that he needed a break.”

“No,” Julia said, a torrent of worry rushing through her. “It’s not like him, Ally. Not at all. I wonder if…maybe there’s surveillance that shows him leaving or…”

Heat washed over her, and she snapped her gaze up to her sister, a smile forming. “Wait. I can’t believe I didn’t think of this before.”

She tugged her phone from her pocket and scrolled through her contacts before she pressed the call icon.

“Who are you calling?”

Julia grinned at her sister. “Alex Stone. I’m going to ask him to track Kyle’s phone.”

The man’s voice filled her ear. “Hey, Sunshine, how’s it hanging?”

“Hey, Alex. I’m really sorry to call again, but I was wondering if I could tap your tech skills again for what I hope is a really simple task.”

“Tap away, kid. What can my legendary skills do for you?”

“I need to know the location of someone’s phone. Can you do that?”

“Kid, does your life have more drama than a soap opera?”

“Thanks, Alex. What do you need?” Julia gave her sister a thumbs up as hope shone on the horizon.

“What’s his number?”

Julia passed it along, her fingers tightening on the phone as she waited.

“Do you know what we’re working with here? Android, iPhone?”

“Uhh, Android, but I don’t know the kind?”

“Carrier?” The sound of keys clacking filled the airwaves between them.

“I’m not sure. I’m so sorry.”

“No worries, kid. The ace of cyberspace does not need all the deets, just the number will do. It’ll just take a second longer.”

Alicia perched on the chair next to her, leaning her head closer to the phone as they waited.

Julia chewed her lower lip, waiting for some word. She prayed he’d be able to find it and give them some clue as to Kyle’s location.

“Ooookay, just narrowing this down for you. And I’ve got it.”

“You do?” Her heart lifted as she shot a glance at Alicia. “Where is it?”

“Uh, just a second…and there. Sent a map to your phone. You should see his phone blinking in red. Just follow the trail of breadcrumbs. Say, what’s the skinny on the need to locate the little Grantling on the double?”

“We haven’t been able to get a hold of him. Just…making sure he’s okay,” Julia said as she pulled the phone away from her ear to find a map with a blinking red light. “This is perfect. Alex, thank you so much, again .”

“No prob, Sunshine. Call any time. Good luck with Grant’s sequel.”

She said her goodbyes and ended the call before she studied the map. Her heart dropped as she stared at it. “Wait…”

“That’s the hospital,” Alicia said. “His phone is showing up here.”

“Yeah,” Julia answered as a chill snaked down her spine. She rose and took a few steps toward the door. “Come on. This is taking us to the exact location.”

Alicia hurried after her. “Maybe he just pulled in. Maybe he was running late for his shift.”

“Maybe,” Julia said as they hurried into the emergency room waiting room. The blinking red dot came from the parking lot. She let a glimmer of hope shimmer through as she stepped into the early evening air.

She pressed forward, the evening light casting long shadows across the parking lot that turned ordinary cars into lurking monsters.

The distant sound of sirens and the metallic clink of a flagpole in the breeze filled the air, blending with her quickened breaths.

The chill of the evening air bit at her skin, a stark contrast to the warmth of the day.

She toggled into her phonebook and called his phone as she continued to move toward the dot. Distant ringing reached her ears. She hurried forward in search of the phone, dialing again when it went to voicemail.

Her heart pounded, and her head swam as she reached the red dot on the map. The sound of ringing floated to her but there was no Kyle. Alicia dropped to the pavement, glancing under a few cars before she reached under one.

Her eyes slowly rose to Julia’s as she held up what she’d found. Kyle’s phone, the display cracked, chirped with Julia’s call before it went to voicemail.

Tears blurred her vision. “Oh, no.”

She couldn’t shake the growing terror. Her worry, already a heavy cloak around her shoulders, morphed into a suffocating panic. The worry she’d felt up to this point melted into panic. Whatever had happened to Kyle, it couldn’t have been good.