“Sorry to disturb you,” he said gently, not wanting to scare her. “I’m looking for my brother. He lives here. Have you seen him?”
“No,” she said after the briefest of hesitations. “I picked up a package that was left by his door after it had sat there for a week. I thought you were him returning home, was going to give it to you.”
“So he hasn’t been around for a while?”
“I’m not sure. I mean, I usually pass him on the stairs or see him at the mailboxes, but it’s been almost two weeks since the last time I saw him.”
“I’d better take a look around his place.” Reece dug in his coat pocket, found his keys, and searched for the extra Greer had given him. The door opened easily, and he flipped on the light. Nothing moved. The apartment smelled abandoned even though Greer’s few possessions were exactly where they should be. There was food in the cupboards and some leftover Chinese still in the fridge, but he’d bet it was past its best-by date since the milk was also outdated by a few days. The sink was empty, the dishwasher full, but it looked like the dishes inside were clean, so it had been run. There was a blanket wadded up on one end of the couch and a pillow at the other, as if Greer had taken a nap there before he pulled his vanishing act. The bed in the bedroom was made with military precision, and his suitcase from Vegas sat next to the dresser, still packed. A quick scan through the closet didn’t tell Reece much. Greer didn’t have a lot of clothes, but it was impossible to tell if anything was missing when he had no idea how much had been there to start. Only things he didn’t find were Greer’s cell phone and wallet.
He returned to the living room and stood there for a second, at a complete loss. The whole place looked as if Greer would return at any moment. And maybe he would. He had before.
A sound from the door caught his attention and he turned to find Greer’s neighbor standing there. “I brought the package over.” She nodded to the box on the floor just inside the door that appeared to be from an online retailer.
Yet another clue that wherever Greer had gone, he had expected to be back in time to receive whatever he’d ordered online. “Thanks.”
“No problem.” She was wearing a huge sweater over leggings and the material swallowed her thin frame as she folded her arms over her chest. “Is he okay?”
“I hope so.” He grabbed his wallet and picked out a business card for her. “If you see him, I’d appreciate a call. My name is Reece.”
“Natalie.” She accepted the card, backed out into the hall, and waited for him to shut and lock the door. “I’ll keep an eye out for him.”
“Thanks, Natalie. And if you happen to talk to him, tell him his brothers are worried.”
Back in the Escalade, he called the office to tell the twins—and Jude, who must have arrived shortly after he left—what he’d found at Greer’s place. Cam suggested they file a missing person’s report, while Jude said they should wait. After all, Greer was a thirty-five-year-old man and could drop off the face of the earth if he wanted to—and he’d done so before. Multiple times. He’d eventually turn up again, just like the last few times he’d disappeared, and act like he hadn’t been gone. Vaughn agreed with Jude, and it was decided they’d give him a week—the same amount of time he’d been gone before—to show up. If he didn’t, then they’d reevaluate the situation.
Goddamn Greer. None of them needed this stress right now. And from him of all people? What the fuck was going on?
Reece barely made it into DMW’s office before he was cornered by Alicia. “What happened to you last night?”
“I wasn’t feeling well—”
“You were caught in a fire?” She all but shrieked it. “It’s all over the news! Are you okay?”
“Uh, yeah. I’m fine.”
“And Shelby?”
“She’s fine. We’re both…fine.” And let’s see how many more times he could use the word “fine” in a sentence. He edged past Alicia and hit the button to call the elevator. “Is Cliff here?”
Her brow wrinkled. “I don’t think so. He doesn’t usually come in on Saturdays. Why?”
He’d have to call him later, then. The elevator arrived and he stepped inside, pushing the button for the top floor. “Nothing. Where’s Dylan?”
“In your office.”
Reece shot out an arm to catch the door before it closed. “Why?”
She bit her lip. “Irving James is here.”
“On a Saturday? Why didn’t you call me?”
“I was about to. He just got here maybe five, ten minutes ago.”
“Fuck,” he muttered and let the doors slide shut. He hardly recognized the man he saw in the reflection on the polished steel doors. He looked like he’d been dragged through hell. He rubbed his hands over his unshaven face and through his hair, trying to tame it.
Jesus, he wasn’t even wearing a tie. How could he have forgotten a tie?
He found Dylan and James seated in the leather chairs in his office, deep in discussion. Dylan did a double take when he spotted him.