Page 51

Chapter Fifty-One

C assie was nowhere to be found, and I was playing like shit. I guess that’s what happened when you were too busy scanning the crowd instead of watching the puck.

Where the hell was she?

I missed two clear shots—because apparently, scouring the stands had become my biggest priority.

Maybe something came up.

Maybe she got busy.

Maybe she was in trouble.

“Get your head in the game, man,” Brody muttered, whirling past me to cover my mistakes.

But I didn’t. We lost by four points, and no one bothered hiding who they blamed.

I didn’t care. The second I hit the locker room, I grabbed my phone. Called Cassie. Felt my stomach drop when it went straight to voicemail.

I showered fast, then checked again. Nothing.

I waited as long as I could before trying again, which ended up being two minutes.

Phone to my ear, my knee started bobbing up and down as the sound of her voicemail filled my ear once more.

“Hey, Cass?” I said into the phone, trying to keep my voice even. “Just wondering where you are. Call me back, okay?”

The guys side-eyed me on their way out, but I didn’t give a damn. Panic was taking hold of me fast and I needed to get home. If I could just see her, I’d be fine. But damn it, why wasn’t she answering the phone?

“What’s going on with you tonight?” Brody came up behind me, drying his hair with a towel.

I ran a hand over my face. “Where’s Maggie?” I asked him, realizing she hadn’t been there either and feeling a thousand times worse about the whole situation.

“She sent a last minute text.” Brody shrugged, the picture of casualness. “Said something came up, and she wasn’t gonna make it.”

Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit.

“What?” Brody asked. “What’s wrong?”

“I can’t get ahold of Cassie.” My voice sounded rough, even to me. “We kissed before I left and now she’s not answering her phone.”

Brody blinked. “Jesus. Calm the hell down, man. I’m sure she’s fine. They’re probably off doing whatever girl stuff—”

“No.” I shook my head. “You don’t get it. Cassie and I kissed tonight. And now I can’t find her.”

Brody stared at me, processing. “Wait. Hold up. Are you telling me that was the first time?”

“Yes.”

“What the hell took so long?” He scoffed. “You’ve basically been a couple for months.”

“We have not,” I snapped, barely able to stand still, let alone have this conversation.

He raised an eyebrow. “Dude, according to everything Maggie’s said? You sure as hell have been. Or at least something damn close.”

“It doesn’t matter,” I snapped. “I just need to go find her.”

“Relax, she and Maggie are probably together. Girls love talking about stuff like this. Trust me. It’ll be fine.”

“How do you know?” I asked, wanting reassurance of that fact more than I wanted air.

“Because anyone can tell by looking at you guys that you’re totally and completely obsessed with each other.”

Was it true? God, I hoped it was.

“Now go find your girl and breathe, dude.”

I didn’t need to be told twice.

“Hey baby,” I said shakily into the phone, probably breaking every speeding law in the state as I drove like hell home. “I’m not sure what’s going on, but I’m trying really hard not to panic, but I’m kind of freaking the fuck out over here. Please call me back and let me know you’re okay.”

I pulled into the parking garage, not bothering to bring any of my stuff in as I took the stairs two at a time. I couldn’t be bothered to wait for the elevator in the state I was in.

And I couldn’t ignore the feeling that something was seriously and utterly wrong.

When I opened the door to the apartment, I saw just how right I’d been.

“Cassie?” I yelled into the darkness.

If she were home, the lights would be on. If she were home, there’d be a candle burning, or the smell of food, or the TV flickering. Something. Because she left signs of her behind wherever she was.

Then I flicked the light switch on and felt the breath leave my lungs in a sudden, fell swoop.

She was gone. Not just momentarily. But completely gone. There wasn’t a single trace of her to be found. Everything she owned was missing, and I felt it.

“Cassie?” I called out anyway, as if it were all somehow a joke. “Where are you, baby?”

And I ran up the stairs to the bedroom she hadn’t slept in for weeks. Empty. Just like the rest of the apartment.

Just like me.