seemed like a bottomless pit. Then there was nothing.
Chapter 4
London entered his home and tossed his lightweight, white jacket on the chair back. His meeting had gone well; albeit longer than he had expected. When he left the government building he'd been anxious to see Jen. He'd had a strange feeling about her and, while he was sure it was unfounded, he wanted to make sure she was okay.
It was odd how attuned he was where she was concerned. He could sense things about her that had taken years to discover about his past mates. It was amazing to think that they had only been together for a few days.
He suspected that Jen was hiding a great deal of her basic elements. But he felt that, at her core, she was a very good woman. There had been times when he glimpsed her conceit, selfishness and spoiled attitude. But he was sure that those unfavorable traits would fade given time with the right man. A man who was willing to delve deeper into her soul to extract the finer qualities that would make her shine and soar. A man like him.
Jennifer was a special lady. She just needed to realize it. He wanted to help her come to that realization.
"Jen!" he called out into the empty house.
There was no answer. He wasn't alarmed. The house was big and she could be anywhere.
He searched the bottom floor first but didn't find her. Then he moved upstairs and searched every bedroom, still unable to locate her. His stomach began to twist. He had asked her--no, he had told her--not to leave the premises. She wouldn't have left, would she? He would not be happy if she had.
He ran downstairs frantically and checked the exterior of the house. Nothing. He knew without looking any further that she had done exactly what he'd said not to. Whether she was trying to rebel against his demands or simply hadn't taken him seriously, she was gone.
He pulled his cell phone from his pocket and called her. It rang for what seemed like forever and then went to voicemail. Trying to remain calm, he left a message telling her to call him immediately. He disconnected the call and paused to consider his options.
He knew he couldn't just wait for her to return. Of course he had to search for her. But he had no idea where to look. So, until he heard something from her, he would just have to comb every street until he found her. His gut told him something was wrong but he pushed the thought out of his head and just focused on the task at hand.
He ran out of the house and into town. People flooded the streets; vendors hawking their wares, tourists blocking his path and Tahitian children weaving through and around him, screaming and laughing. Normally London would have been unaffected by the hectic activity. But at the moment he was focused on one objective and all of the rest was just getting in his way.
He pushed through the people, heedless of his discourteous behavior. He scoured one street after another but there was no sign of her. She couldn't have gone far on foot. So if she wasn't in town where the hell could she have gone?
He turned down the last side street. It was narrow and dark, as if the sun had forgotten to shine on that particular avenue. There wasn't a man, woman or child to be found. He immediately felt a chill run down his spine.
London slowed his pace and looked around him, searching for any sign of a struggle. He was well aware of the darker side of Tahiti. There was crime, cheaters and unsavory characters in Tahiti just like anywhere else. It was this element that had him worried. And if they were going to lie in wait somewhere, this would be the place.
He approached a chain linked fence and stopped in vexation. Jennifer couldn't have gone any further. The lock obviously hadn't been opened in years and he knew she wasn't climbing any fences with the sandals he'd bought her. He slammed
Chapter 4
London entered his home and tossed his lightweight, white jacket on the chair back. His meeting had gone well; albeit longer than he had expected. When he left the government building he'd been anxious to see Jen. He'd had a strange feeling about her and, while he was sure it was unfounded, he wanted to make sure she was okay.
It was odd how attuned he was where she was concerned. He could sense things about her that had taken years to discover about his past mates. It was amazing to think that they had only been together for a few days.
He suspected that Jen was hiding a great deal of her basic elements. But he felt that, at her core, she was a very good woman. There had been times when he glimpsed her conceit, selfishness and spoiled attitude. But he was sure that those unfavorable traits would fade given time with the right man. A man who was willing to delve deeper into her soul to extract the finer qualities that would make her shine and soar. A man like him.
Jennifer was a special lady. She just needed to realize it. He wanted to help her come to that realization.
"Jen!" he called out into the empty house.
There was no answer. He wasn't alarmed. The house was big and she could be anywhere.
He searched the bottom floor first but didn't find her. Then he moved upstairs and searched every bedroom, still unable to locate her. His stomach began to twist. He had asked her--no, he had told her--not to leave the premises. She wouldn't have left, would she? He would not be happy if she had.
He ran downstairs frantically and checked the exterior of the house. Nothing. He knew without looking any further that she had done exactly what he'd said not to. Whether she was trying to rebel against his demands or simply hadn't taken him seriously, she was gone.
He pulled his cell phone from his pocket and called her. It rang for what seemed like forever and then went to voicemail. Trying to remain calm, he left a message telling her to call him immediately. He disconnected the call and paused to consider his options.
He knew he couldn't just wait for her to return. Of course he had to search for her. But he had no idea where to look. So, until he heard something from her, he would just have to comb every street until he found her. His gut told him something was wrong but he pushed the thought out of his head and just focused on the task at hand.
He ran out of the house and into town. People flooded the streets; vendors hawking their wares, tourists blocking his path and Tahitian children weaving through and around him, screaming and laughing. Normally London would have been unaffected by the hectic activity. But at the moment he was focused on one objective and all of the rest was just getting in his way.
He pushed through the people, heedless of his discourteous behavior. He scoured one street after another but there was no sign of her. She couldn't have gone far on foot. So if she wasn't in town where the hell could she have gone?
He turned down the last side street. It was narrow and dark, as if the sun had forgotten to shine on that particular avenue. There wasn't a man, woman or child to be found. He immediately felt a chill run down his spine.
London slowed his pace and looked around him, searching for any sign of a struggle. He was well aware of the darker side of Tahiti. There was crime, cheaters and unsavory characters in Tahiti just like anywhere else. It was this element that had him worried. And if they were going to lie in wait somewhere, this would be the place.
He approached a chain linked fence and stopped in vexation. Jennifer couldn't have gone any further. The lock obviously hadn't been opened in years and he knew she wasn't climbing any fences with the sandals he'd bought her. He slammed
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