Chapter 145. HONEYMOON (FIONA)

Chapter 145. HONEYMOON (FIONA)
I thought I'd find Joshua sitting on the sofa after I got out of the bathroom, waiting for me to talk, but he wasn't. Joshua wasn't in the suite. His wine glass was abandoned on the table, half-full. It was the same as when he'd brought it out of the bathroom. Joshua hadn't intended to talk to me in the first place. He'd left the suite as soon as he'd gotten out of the bathroom.
I hurriedly dressed, then pulled out a dress for Melissa from the top of the suitcase. My mind was in disarray. I'd been haunted by fear ever since I saw the blood on Joshua's shirt. Joshua's disappearance confirmed my suspicion that something bad was happening.
"Mommy, where's Daddy?"
"I don't know. Let's go, honey."
I half-dragged Melissa toward the elevator. I pressed ten, and the elevator shot down rapidly.
"Are we going to look for Daddy?"
"No, we're going to Mia's room."
"Why?"
"I... I have important business to do."
"Can I come with you, Mom?"
I gently stroked the top of Melissa's head.
"Sorry, dear. You can't come with me this time. But I promise, tomorrow we'll go to the zoo and have fun."
I quickly pulled Melissa's hand out of the elevator as soon as we reached the tenth floor.
Mia was a little surprised when she opened the door for me. I knew she didn't expect me to come so soon, as she was supposed to be free from taking care of Melissa tonight.
"Sorry, did I disturb your sleep?"
“No. You’re not bothering me at all, Ma’am. I’m reading a book.”
“Okay. Sorry for interrupting your free time. But I have to go find Joshua. Can you look after Melissa? I promise you’ll have the whole day off tomorrow.”
“Sure. I don’t mind looking after Melissa at all. But what happened? Why do you look so panicked?”
“I don’t know. I just… Joshua suddenly left our suite. I’m worried about him. I’ll look for him in the smoking room.”
“You could probably ask Mr. Erick.”
“Yes, I’m going to his room.”
I crouched down in front of Melissa and kissed her cheek.
“Be a good girl with Mia. I’ll be right back.”
“Okay, Mommy.”
Erick’s room was just two rooms away from Mia’s. I knocked loudly on the door repeatedly. If he was asleep, I hoped he’d hear my loud banging and open the door.
"Erick, open the door. It's me."
I banged on the door again, loudly. There was no answer from Erick. My gut told me he wasn't in his room. He couldn't have missed me banging so loudly.
The front door to Erick's room opened. A woman poked her head out of the doorway.
“Sorry to bother you. My friend isn’t responding to me.”
“You should go to the front desk to ask for a spare key, instead of disturbing other guests.”
“I apologize again.”
The woman slammed the door shut.
Tch, she had no idea what situation I was in. Those two men really worried me. Joshua and Erick were the perfect combination, always putting themselves in danger. The blood on Joshua's shirt was clear evidence that they were involved in something dangerous. Joshua even left our suite before explaining anything to me.
It’s driving me crazy!
I didn’t know where to find Joshua and Erick. I just went down to the lobby and went to the front desk, as the rude woman suggested. Maybe the front desk saw Joshua before he left the hotel. Although I was not 100% sure.
“Excuse me.”
“Can I help you, ma’am?”
Yes. I went to my friend's room on the tenth floor, but it seemed like he wasn't there. Did you see him out this afternoon? He’s tall, American, has dark hair, and was wearing a black suit.”
I didn't know whether Erick had changed his clothes or not. I hoped he hadn't.
“I think I saw your friend leave with a big man. A car picked them up an hour ago.”
“Oh, okay. Thank you.”
“My pleasure, ma’am.”
Where did those two go? This was making my mind even more confused.
I didn’t want to go back to my suite because I didn’t want to just sit there, waiting for Joshua, worrying. I also didn’t want to go to Mia’s room because I didn’t want to share my worries with her. She didn’t need to know about whatever Joshua and Erick were up to. I wanted Mia to enjoy her youth with laughter, not with the fear I was feeling right now.
I let my feet carry me to the restaurant. Because I was pregnant, I couldn’t go to the bar. What I needed most right now was booze. It would help calm my frayed nerves. The restaurant was the only safe place, even though I wasn’t hungry. I just wanted to be in a crowd, so I could push away the fear and worry weighing on my chest.
\-00-
“You’re freaking me out, Fiona. Why didn’t you bring your phone with you?”
I sipped my second mango juice calmly, ignoring Joshua’s anger.
“I’m talking to you, Fiona.”
I kept drinking my mango juice calmly, as if Joshua wasn't standing next to me. Several people turned their heads towards us because of the small commotion Joshua was causing.
Screw him.
I’d been waiting for him for two hours. Two fucking hours, waiting for him in worry! I wasn’t complaining, let alone getting angry like him. Joshua should have done the same. Besides, he owed me an explanation.
“Have you finished your fucking juice?”
“It’s mango juice, not fucking juice.”
“Fuck that. Why did you leave the suite without your phone?”
“Why did you suddenly leave the suite without an explanation?” I glared back at him.
The people milling around us were nothing but moths. We bickered wherever we pleased, not caring if we were in the middle of a dinner rush.
“I have something important I need to do.”
“Everyone has important things to do. Even I have important things to do. Don’t think you’re the only one busy in this world.”
I could see his jaw twitch and clench. He was about to explode in anger. And I was almost certain he was about to before he spoke again in a softer tone.
He’s not angry?
Wow, cool.
“I wanted to explain it to you, but Erick called me and I had to go.”
"Where? Why is there blood on your shirt?"
“I beat someone up,” he admitted honestly.
“This is our honeymoon. This is Melissa’s first trip to Europe. Why do you have to deal with such blood and violence, Josh?”
My voice was very low when I spoke to him because I couldn't possibly talk about blood among people who were eating.
“This was beyond my control. That man was a nuisance I didn’t foresee. I asked Sergio to make sure everything was safe before I brought you and Melissa here, because there was no way I would put you in danger.”
“Who is Sergio?”
"Business partner. You asked about Calonzo's possessions on the plane, right? I didn’t acquire them completely. I only took a few portions. The rest was taken over by Sergio.”
Joshua held out his hand and gestured for me to stand.
“Where are we going?”
“A conducive place to explain everything to you. This place is too crowded.”