He strolled into the living area.
She wasn’t at the coffee table working on her computer.
She wasn’t in the kitchen making coffee.
He double-checked the bathroom, and the guest room, but she hadn’t been hiding in there either.
What the hell?
Then he spotted the pizza box, disbelief rising as he read her message with growing concern.
Dammit, he needed his phone now, no more farting around.
He stomped to the landline and pushed a couple buttons. “Get me the phone I ordered, and find Damon Black. Tell him I need his ass up here right now.”
What the hell did something I need to do mean? Forget about looking for a needle in a haystack, he truly had no idea where she was headed. He forced himself to get dressed so he would be ready to run on a moment’s notice.
Damon and the phone arrived at the same time.
“What happened? You look as if someone died.”
“She’s gone.” Jim dragged a hand through his hair. “I woke up alone and she’s gone and she said there’s something she needs to do, and I’m supposed to go on the damn ride with you, but fuck that, I need to find out where she is.”
“Lillie’s gone?” Damon glanced toward the corner of the room, his face folding into a frown. “But all of her luggage is still here.”
For the first moment since Jim had discovered her missing, he actually got a full breath of air. Okay, maybe she was planning on coming back. “But where is she? What if she’s in trouble and needs my help?”
“Or what if…” Damon wrinkled his nose. “Look. I know I read you the riot act yesterday, but you were right. I had no proof anything was wrong. So what if she simply went to tell Mommy and Daddy she’s planning on staying in Vegas for a while? Did you think of that?”
Jim was far too worried for logic. “She could have said that.”
“Well, she did say she’d get in touch with you in a few days. She’s been pretty honest until now, so maybe you should take her word for it.” Damon clapped his hands. “Tell you what. We’ll head out tomorrow, and by the time we come back—”
“I need to know where she is, now,” Jim roared.
He hauled his new phone from the envelope Damon had passed him and waited for it to boot up.
Damon squeezed his shoulder. “Okay, bro, since you’ve got your panties in a twist, I’ll do what I can to help you. Hey, how did you end up with a phone already?”
“I ordered it right after you destroyed mine, dumbass.”
A million emails downloaded onto the remote access, his voice box filling to the brim. Jim tried to remember if he’d ever gotten Lillie’s phone number. He pressed play and held the phone to his ear as he shouted orders at Damon. “Check with the front desk and see if anybody saw her leave. That will at least give us something to go on. Then check—”
The message in his ear distracted him from his immediate task. He came to a complete stop for a full minute before the cursing welled up and burst free. “Shit. Shit. Fuckdamnfuckers shit.”
Damon frowned. “What?”
“Listen.”
Jim hit play, watching his astounded friend’s expression turn to dismay as the recording continued.
“Mr. Halcyon. We are pleased to inform you that we at the Ursus Planning Board have been working diligently to find you a suitable partner. As you know, your name was added to our list when you reached the age of majority, but with our fierce attention to maintaining a stellar track record, it’s taken until now to find a proper mate for your particular needs.
“Just this last week we were contacted by the family of a lovely young lady who we believe will be a wonderful addition to your clan. She has concluded her education, and in finalization of our contract, she is en route to join you.
“We trust this arrangement will meet with your satisfaction, and that your marriage will proceed as expected within the next short timeframe. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the main UPB office during regular office hours. We thank you for your business. Have a nice day.”
Damon and Jim exchanged horrified glances.
“You’re not serious. You signed up for a mail-order bride? How come I never knew this?” Damon demanded.
“Because of course you knew. It’s the way we bears always do things. We don’t have fated mates like you wolves, and if it was left up to us, all bear shifters would be gone within two generations. So they set up the Board to arrange marriages.” Jim clenched his fist and growled at the ceiling. “I do not need this right now,” he shouted at the heavens.
“I can’t believe this is something you need at any time,” Damon boggled. “You have a woman en route to your home who expects to marry you… Are you expected to just drop everything and go?”
He looked totally confused, and disgusted, and dismayed all at the same time.
Jim was grabbing his coat and his passport. “Normally, yes. That’s exactly what is expected.”