Read Online Terms of Surrender by Gracie C. Mckeever - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Gracie C. Mckeever
Tags: Siren Publishing, Inc.
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of his system, she was in it. For how long and under what circumstances, those were the questions that kept him awake at night.
Like Kate's disappearance would tonight.
They had parted amiably enough, but hadn't spoken in-depth in a while. The most they shared now since they'd gone out a couple of years ago were brief, almost cool hellos while passing in the hallways when Kate had an assignment with DMT .
37
Gracie C. McKeever
It could have been more, and would have, had it been up to Nick. He'd invited her out for drinks after work a few times, and Kate had turned him down each and every time.
Kate was one of those nesting types he'd been coming across lately on the dating scene, and once she'd realized she wasn't going to get what she wanted and needed from Nick, she'd politely ended the "relationship." She told him she didn't foster friendships with men with whom she'd already been intimate. She didn't believe one could be "just friends" with someone he or she wanted or slept with. Once the sexual relationship was over, she figured, what was the point of putting either of them through the bull of trying to ignore something that couldn't be ignored, tempting fate with an affair only doomed to a dead end in the long run?
He had to admit she had a point, though he liked to think he had more self-control than the average guy he was sure she referred to.
Nick picked up the phone on his desk and glanced at his wristwatch.
He should have been out the door on his way home to another night of Slany-induced wet dreams and a cold shower by now, rather than playing at work at seven o'clock in the evening.
He listened to the phone ring a few times before her outgoing message came on.
"This is Kate. I'm on an extended leave of absence, and indefinitely unavailable. If you're calling about a freelance-related issue, my apologies for any inconvenience. If this is about a personal issue, I will get back to you when I return."
Extended leave of absence? Indefinitely unavailable?
So this was the message to which Thorpe had been referring.
Nick frowned as the beep prompting his message sounded. He wavered over whether or not to leave a message before finally settling on something brief and to the point.
"Hey Kate, this is Nick Vega. I was just a little concerned about your not showing up for today's shoot. I hope everything's all right. Give me a call when you get a chance." He hung up, his gut churning.
It had plainly been Kate's voice on the outgoing greeting—smooth, certain, and unforced—but something about her message just didn't sit right with him.
Something in his gut tightened at the idea that Lorraine Lennox was happening again.
Ten years ago, he'd gone out with Lorraine a few times at a firm he'd worked at briefly in New Jersey. She'd disappeared after a holiday party shortly after he'd left the company, the news coming to Nick through a mutual acquaintance.
He had to admit, Lorraine's disappearance and his own departure looked fishy, which the cops also thought when they'd tracked him down to question him.
They'd questioned all the men at the company, as well as the women, questioned anyone who'd had contact with Lorraine, but this fact hadn't stopped Nick from feeling like a degenerate stalker when the police grilled him about her whereabouts. Nor had he felt any more innocent when Lorraine's father tracked him down at his new place of business and confronted him about his daughter's whereabouts.
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Terms of Surrender
Security had taken care of Mr. Lennox, escorting and banning him from the premises, but it didn't make Nick feel any less culpable, even thought he knew he had nothing to feel guilty for.
Maybe what happened with Lorraine was why he had such a bad feeling about Kate. Two women—granted, ten years apart—had disappeared after he had dated them.
That didn't look good for him at all, but he didn't let it stop him from planning to go to the police if Kate didn't show up soon. He could do no
Like Kate's disappearance would tonight.
They had parted amiably enough, but hadn't spoken in-depth in a while. The most they shared now since they'd gone out a couple of years ago were brief, almost cool hellos while passing in the hallways when Kate had an assignment with DMT .
37
Gracie C. McKeever
It could have been more, and would have, had it been up to Nick. He'd invited her out for drinks after work a few times, and Kate had turned him down each and every time.
Kate was one of those nesting types he'd been coming across lately on the dating scene, and once she'd realized she wasn't going to get what she wanted and needed from Nick, she'd politely ended the "relationship." She told him she didn't foster friendships with men with whom she'd already been intimate. She didn't believe one could be "just friends" with someone he or she wanted or slept with. Once the sexual relationship was over, she figured, what was the point of putting either of them through the bull of trying to ignore something that couldn't be ignored, tempting fate with an affair only doomed to a dead end in the long run?
He had to admit she had a point, though he liked to think he had more self-control than the average guy he was sure she referred to.
Nick picked up the phone on his desk and glanced at his wristwatch.
He should have been out the door on his way home to another night of Slany-induced wet dreams and a cold shower by now, rather than playing at work at seven o'clock in the evening.
He listened to the phone ring a few times before her outgoing message came on.
"This is Kate. I'm on an extended leave of absence, and indefinitely unavailable. If you're calling about a freelance-related issue, my apologies for any inconvenience. If this is about a personal issue, I will get back to you when I return."
Extended leave of absence? Indefinitely unavailable?
So this was the message to which Thorpe had been referring.
Nick frowned as the beep prompting his message sounded. He wavered over whether or not to leave a message before finally settling on something brief and to the point.
"Hey Kate, this is Nick Vega. I was just a little concerned about your not showing up for today's shoot. I hope everything's all right. Give me a call when you get a chance." He hung up, his gut churning.
It had plainly been Kate's voice on the outgoing greeting—smooth, certain, and unforced—but something about her message just didn't sit right with him.
Something in his gut tightened at the idea that Lorraine Lennox was happening again.
Ten years ago, he'd gone out with Lorraine a few times at a firm he'd worked at briefly in New Jersey. She'd disappeared after a holiday party shortly after he'd left the company, the news coming to Nick through a mutual acquaintance.
He had to admit, Lorraine's disappearance and his own departure looked fishy, which the cops also thought when they'd tracked him down to question him.
They'd questioned all the men at the company, as well as the women, questioned anyone who'd had contact with Lorraine, but this fact hadn't stopped Nick from feeling like a degenerate stalker when the police grilled him about her whereabouts. Nor had he felt any more innocent when Lorraine's father tracked him down at his new place of business and confronted him about his daughter's whereabouts.
38
Terms of Surrender
Security had taken care of Mr. Lennox, escorting and banning him from the premises, but it didn't make Nick feel any less culpable, even thought he knew he had nothing to feel guilty for.
Maybe what happened with Lorraine was why he had such a bad feeling about Kate. Two women—granted, ten years apart—had disappeared after he had dated them.
That didn't look good for him at all, but he didn't let it stop him from planning to go to the police if Kate didn't show up soon. He could do no
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