Page 107 of Lawton

I'd been away less than five minutes. It was five minutes too long.

Wherewasshe?

Chapter 47

I moved through the crowd, searching and scanning faces. I saw no sign of her.

I told myself to not panic. Not yet. I knew from experience that it was easy to get lost in a crowd this size. One time, I'd losttwogirls at a club opening in Vegas, only to find them passed out on some balcony two hours later.

But this was Chloe.

My heart was beating too fast and too hard. Not in a panic. Not yet. But with every minute, my sense of urgency was growing. If I didn't see her soon, things were going to get serious.

I started working my way back toward the restrooms. Halfway there, I stopped dead in my tracks. Through a gap in the crowd, I spotted her.

She was standing near a railing, talking to some slick-looking guy around my own age. He wore a dark shirt with no sleeves, showing off a decent set of muscles and an obvious fake-and-bake tan.

I couldn't see much of Chloe's face, but I could see the guy's. He was laughing like she'd just said something funny. The way it looked, he wasn't a stranger.

The crowd between us shifted, and I saw something new. His hand was on her elbow. He leaned closer and turned his cheek, as if waiting for a kiss.

I moved toward them, keeping my eyes firmly on Chloe until the crowd shifted again, blocking my view of her. I moved faster, pushing my way forward. Finally, I broke through the mass of bodies and caught sight of her again, standing in the same spot with the same guy.

As if sensing my movement, Chloe turned her head in my direction. Our eyes met. On her face, I saw the hint of panic and maybe a little fear. Because of him? Or because of me? Either way, I kept on moving.

Following Chloe's gaze, the guy turned to look. When he spotted me in motion, he froze. His mouth grew tight, and his eyes grew uncertain. A split-second later, he turned and tossed a few more words at Chloe before disappearing into the crowd.

A moment later, I was at her side. "You okay?" I asked.

She nodded. "Yeah, sure."

I studied her face. It was a little too pale for my liking. I glanced behind her, seeking out the guy who'd just left. I didn't see him, but that didn't mean I couldn’t find him if I needed to.

"Who was the guy?" I asked.

She bit her lip as if giving it some thought.

I scanned the crowd. Funny, the answer should've been simple.

It was just some stranger.

It was a guy I used to date.

It was Bob from Accounting.

Finally, she said, "No one."

I wanted to believe her. But obviously, there was more to the story. I waited, hoping she'd tell it.

She flashed me a smile that didn't reach her eyes. "Just some guy who's had too much to drink."

I felt my eyebrows furrow. "So you don't know him?"

She glanced away. "Not really."

Not really? What didthatmean?

She leaned into me, a little unsteadily, and wrapped her arms around my neck. "I looked for you earlier." She gave me a smile, a real one this time. "You weren't trying to run off on me, were you?"