Chapter 20 Gone
JEREMY
Three days have passed since the incident at the warehouse. Three days of meetings and damage control and dealing with my father's anger over the Volkov attack.
Three days of thinking about her.
Tonight, I'd finally carved out time to go back to Crimson. I wanted to see Amelia. To try to explain why I kept leaving, I kept getting interrupted.
I needed to figure out what I was doing.
"Crimson," I told my driver as I climbed into the car. "The usual route."
The drive took twenty minutes. I spent it staring out the window, rehearsing what I'd say.
I'm sorry for leaving. I'm sorry for the kiss. I'm sorry for requesting you and then not showing up.
All of it is true. None of it is enough.
The car pulled up to Crimson just after nine. Early enough that the bar was busy but not packed yet.
I walked in, nodded to the bouncer who knew me by sight, and headed straight for Marco's office.
He was at his desk, reviewing what looked like liquor invoices.
"Santoro," he said, looking up. "Didn't expect you tonight. The usual?"
"Room three. Same girl as last time."
"Amelia?" Something flickered across his face. "She's not available tonight."
My chest tightened. "Why not?"
"She's... not working here anymore."
The words hit me like a physical blow. "What do you mean?"
"She left and quit. Found somewhere else to go, I assume." Marco's tone was neutral, but I caught the slight edge underneath. "Happened a few days ago."
A few days ago. Right after I'd left her sitting in that room.
"Where did she go?"
"I don't know. She's an adult, Santoro. She came, she worked a few days, and she left. That's all I know."
"That's all you know," I repeated his words slowly. "Are you saying that a blind girl, who had nowhere to go, suddenly just left?"
"Apparently," Marco said.
"And you didn't think to ask questions? Didn't think maybe something was wrong?"
Marco's expression hardened. "My job is to run a bar, not track down former employees. If you want her found, hire a private investigator."
"Marco—"
"She's gone, Jeremy. I've got other girls available. Jade's been asking about you specifically." He picked up his phone. "I'll send her to room three."
"I don't want Jade. I want—"
"I know what you want. But she's not here. So your options are: take Jade, take someone else, or leave." He was already dialling. "What's it going to be?"
I should leave. I should walk out and forget about this entire situation.
But if I left now, I'd learn nothing. And maybe—maybe whoever he sent to the room would know something. They might reveal some information about what really happened.
"Okay," I replied, my teeth clenched. "Send whoever."
"Room three. She'll be there in five minutes."
I left his office and walked to the private rooms, my mind racing.
She was gone. Just... gone.
Something was wrong. I could feel it.
People didn't just disappear. Especially not people who'd been as desperate as Amelia had been.
I entered room three and closed the door. Paced the small space, trying to think.
Where would she go? She'd had no family, no friends. The orphanage had kicked her out. This job had been her last option.
Unless she'd found something better. But what were the odds of that?
There was a knock on the door.
"Come in," I called.
The door opened. Footsteps—quick and eager—and the rustle of cloth.
"Good evening, Mr Santoro." A woman's voice attempted to sound sultry. The sound was not Amelia's gentle voice. "I'm Jade. I'll be taking care of you tonight."
I turned to face her, though I couldn't see her in the dim lighting. I wasn't particularly interested in seeing her.
"Where is she?" I asked without preamble.
"Who?"
"Amelia. The blind girl who was working here."
"Oh. Her." Jade's tone shifted, becoming almost dismissive. "She's gone. Left a few days ago."
"Where did she go?"
"I don't know. She just... quit. Said she couldn't handle the work."
"She told you that? Personally?"
"Well, no. But that's what everyone said. She packed up and left."
I moved closer. Jade must have thought it was fun because she shifted her posture, angling her chest toward me.
"Everyone said," I repeated. "But did anyone actually see her leave?"
"I—I mean, yes. We saw her leave."
"You saw her. Personally."
"Yes. She came downstairs with her things and walked out."
She was lying. I could hear it in her voice—the slight hesitation, the too-quick answer.
"What time?" I asked, my expression neutral.
"I don't remember exactly. Seven? Eight?"
"And she seemed fine? A blind girl who'd been living here suddenly decided to leave at night, alone, and nobody thought to question it?"
"Look, I don't know what you want me to say—" She started to get defensive.
"I want you to tell me the truth." I kept my voice level, but there was steel underneath. "What really happened to her?"
"Nothing happened to her! She left. That's it." Jade's voice rose slightly. Defensive. "Why do you even care? She was nobody. Just some blind girl who got lucky for a few days."
"Lucky." The word tasted bitter.
"You know what I mean. She got the special customer position because Marco felt sorry for her, but she couldn't cut it. So she left. End of story."
She was still lying. At the very least, she wasn't providing the complete truth.
But pushing her wasn't going to get me anywhere. She'd just keep repeating the same story.
"Get out," I said.
"What?"
"I said get out."
"But Marco said—"
"I don't care what Marco said. Get out."
I heard her suck in an angry breath. "You know, I've been trying to get your attention for months. And you ignore me for some pathetic blind girl who can't even—"
"Out. Now."
She made a frustrated hiss and stormed toward the door.
"You're making a mistake," she hissed. "She wasn't worth your time. She was weak. Pathetic. She—"
I was moving before I'd consciously decided to. Three steps to the door, my hand slamming it shut before she could leave.
Jade gasped; I pressed her against the door, holding her by the neck.
"Tell me exactly what happened," I said quietly. Dangerously. "And don't lie to me again."
"I don't know what you're talking about—"
"You just called her weak. Pathetic. Past tense. Like you knew her. Like you had opinions about her." I leaned closer, letting her feel the threat. "So tell me, Jade. What did you do to her?"
"Nothing! I didn't do anything!"
"Then why are you so defensive?"
"Because you're acting crazy! She left on her own! Nobody forced her to do anything!"
Nobody forced her.
Interesting phrasing.
"Who's 'nobody'?" I asked.
"What?"
"You said nobody forced her. That's a specific denial. So I'll ask again—who didn't force her to leave?" I asked with gritted teeth.