Free Midnight Eternal by NJ Cole Page B

“Did Gretchen do or say something?”
    “No. Well…yes,” Trudy said, “she and I were arguing, but there is no way your butterfly could have heard. We were down the hall and speaking in hushed voices.”
    “Would I have been able to hear you?” I was already irritated and knew the answer before she spoke.
    “Well, yes. You could have because you’re…well, Bocaj, but butterfly’s human, so there is no way she could have heard.”
    “Did you realize when you waxed her that her skin was stronger?”
    “Yes. It didn’t seem to hurt at all.”
    “She gets our physical traits after I’ve been with her. Especially multiple times like we were this morning. And these characteristics include excellent hearing.”
    “Oh shit, Oliver. I’m so sorry.”
    I knew she was, though I wanted to kill Gretchen.
    “Just tell me what she heard.”
    “Gretchen was upset because we had an extra client I needed to wax and she didn’t want to do your butterfly’s pedicure. She was talking about how you’d told her that you didn’t ever want to collar anyone. She also mentioned how she found out you were jerking off a few weeks ago and how you’ve never taken butterfly to Verde.”
    “And butterfly heard all of that?”
    “I don’t know exactly what she heard, but she left right afterward. Honestly, Oliver, if I’d have known it was because of something that had happened here, I would have talked to her.”
    “Fuck! None of that is good. I really didn’t want to have the conversation about my past for a while. Last time I’d asked you to keep Gretchen away from her. What the hell happened?” I knew my volume was raised, but I was pissed.
    “I’m sorry, Oliver. Today’s services are on the house. Is there anything else I can do for you?”
    “Yes, you can recommend a new salon. I will no longer be needing your services.”
    “I’m sorry to hear that. I’ll get you the names and numbers of several other places. Although, if you will give me another chance, I may have a solution.”
    “Now is not the time, Trudy. I have no idea where butterfly is, and from what you’ve told me, she’s upset and has been missing for hours.”
    “Can I help in any way?”
    “No. You and Gretchen have already done enough.”
    Without another word, I hung up the phone. I knew I was being rude, and in essence Trudy hadn’t done anything wrong, but she was involved and my girl was hurting—missing and hurting.
    I tried her phone and it went straight to voicemail, so I left a message that she was to call me immediately.
    Wondering if she’d gone to her apartment, I took the short elevator ride down and knocked on her door. There was no answer. Just to be sure, I decided to go across the street to my other apartment—the one I first spotted my butterfly from.
    It had only been days since I’d been there, yet it felt like an eternity. Quickly, I looked across the street toward her place. It was around two in the afternoon and the glare from the sun made it difficult to see in her windows. I was disappointed to see that it was dark. As saddened as I would have been that she’d gone to her apartment instead of coming back to the penthouse, at least I would have known where she was.
    While I stood in front of the wall of glass, I scanned the Chicago skyline. She was out there somewhere. I knew she had to be tired, too, as the effects of our early morning sex had to be wearing off. In that moment, the thought hit me like a ton of bricks. What if she’d gone somewhere and then fallen asleep? She could be alone…or worse. What if she wasn’t alone?!
    I raced from the building. I was going to grab my car and drive over to the salon, figuring I could attempt to retrace her path back home. Despite having a good sense of smell, I wouldn’t be able to track her easily—not after this many hours and when a car had been involved. It didn’t matter, though, because as I was rushing to where I parked my car, I passed hers in the garage.