“A bad smell?”
“No.” She shook her head. “Not at all. Slightly … citrussy. Not a widely commercially available perfume, but a perfume nonetheless.”
“Or an after shave?”
“Exactly. Not definitely female, not definitely male. I like scents but I couldn’t identify it. And it was never strong because my office is well ventilated. But definitely there.”
“Was it there in the early afternoon or in the morning when you first got to your office?”
“Precisely. Both.” Emma met his gaze and knew what he was thinking. Someone who had come into her office over the lunch hour or early in the morning before she got to the office? “And then there’s the question of Toby. I’m just not convinced that he’s left. I, um, checked the agency he used to lease his apartment –” hoping Raul didn’t understand ‘checking’ meant hacking, which she’d definitely done, “and he hasn’t cancelled his lease. He isn’t answering his phone or emails, and except for that one email – run – I haven’t heard from him.”
Raul waited a minute, watching her. When he spoke, his voice was gentle.
“You’re worried. You’re really worried.”
She nodded her head jerkily.
“And you’re right to be.”
She let out the breath she didn’t know she’d been holding. Thank you, Raul, she thought. Because she wasn’t insane. Something was wrong. Very wrong.
“So … you said you decided against contacting his family.”
Emma nodded. “Toby was estranged from his family. They wouldn’t know anything about his life and from what he’d said, they wouldn’t care, either.” She identified with that. She was estranged from her father, who knew nothing of her life, and didn’t care. “He’s … not close. They don’t approve of his lifestyle.”
“Okay.”
Emma focused on Raul. He was one of the very few people she knew who was close to his family. All sixty odd of them. How weird that must be. What would he make of someone who never spoke to his parents? But he didn’t betray by so much as a flicker of his eyes what his thoughts were. “What about his friends?” he asked. “Have you been in touch with them?”
“Toby’s social life is something separate from his work life. I was his work buddy. I don’t know any of his friends and even those he mentioned, he only called by first names. I wouldn’t know who to get in touch with.”
“Okay.” Raul hesitated a moment. “Is it possible he met someone and decided to take off for a romantic weekend or something?”
She thought about it, thought about how Toby talked about his love life. “Well, the weekend starts now. And Toby liked to go clubbing on the weekends, I don’t know if he’d want to miss it. I’m describing him as flighty, though really he’s not. I think he has fun in his social life but doesn’t take it that seriously. Though …I think he might have met someone special, from some hints he dropped. He’s been looking a little like someone who has the winning lottery ticket but hasn’t reclaimed it yet. But what he takes really seriously is his career. I don’t think he’d disappear without a word.” She took a deep breath and said aloud what she’d barely dared to think. “I’m worried about him. Really, really worried.”
Raul nodded slowly. “And you are right to be. He has a high-level job he cares about. A career he cares about. People like that don’t just disappear without a trace. What’s your home security like?”
She blinked at the change of topic. “The building security is good. It’s one of their selling points. Security guard 24/7, cameras in the lobby, in the underground garage – though I don’t have a car – and in the corridors.”
Raul nodded, unsmiling. “Can I take a look?”
“Certainly. When?”
“Right away. This evening if I can. You said Toby liked to go clubbing. Did he have one special club he liked?”
“He made the rounds, but I think he liked Heaven best. It’s a club in the Castro. Very hip. He talked about it from time to time.”
“So, it’s possible that he met this person who is a little special at Heaven?”
She nodded. “Very possible.”
“Let’s go tonight,” he said.
Emma’s brows rose. “Tonight? You want to go to Heaven?”
“I do. I want to see if we can find people who knew him outside of work. Do you have any photos of him?”
“Sure.” She studied him, the broad shoulders, strong hands, the angles of his face, the short haircut, above all that super macho aura that surrounded him. “It’s a gay club,” she said.
“Right.” One side of his hard mouth lifted. “Good thing I brought a sharp suit.”
“Hi. Come on in.”
Raul had checked into his hotel and changed. They’d decided to go out to dinner before going to the club, which wouldn’t start hopping until ten, or later.
Raul’s jaw unhinged slightly when he arrived at Emma’s apartment. She was a pure wet dream, from her fuck-me shoes to the top of her head where she’d piled about six pounds of curly brilliant red hair. In between she’d done some magic thing to her face to make it even sexier and more attractive than his memory, though he’d have sworn that was impossible. Mesmerizing blue eyes, flawless porcelain skin, ruby red mouth.
Poured into a sleek turquoise dress that hugged her curves – high, full breasts, tiny waist, round hips. Those fuck me shoes. Blue toenails.
He closed his jaw with a snap, then managed a word. One single word. “Hi.”
She smiled, the corners of that red red full mouth tilting upward. Oh, man. “You’re on time. I like that. Come on in.” She turned and he got a good look at the back of her, walking away, all curves and killer legs and leaving behind some kind of crazy scent that messed with his head.
The fact that this woman was also crazy smart scared him, because nature had already provided her with quite enough ammo.
She said something and he’d been too far in his head to hear her. Not good.
“Sorry?” Raul wiped his mouth surreptitiously. He wasn’t drooling, was he?
His hand came away dry. No, he wasn’t.
She turned, smiled at him. “I said, would you like something to drink before we go? And for the record, this evening is on me.”
That wiped his smile out completely. “Absolutely not.”
That smiling beautiful face turned instantly outraged. She opened her mouth and he held his hand up.
“Whoa. Before you get all riled up, this isn’t about me being macho, it’s about karma.” Her mouth closed but she was still frowning. “And survival. We’re talking my physical safety here.”
She did a double take, narrowing her eyes. “You’re going to have to explain that.”
Raul sighed. “If anyone back at ASI discovered that I let you pay for anything, anything at all, I’d have about twenty-four really angry operators plus two very angry bosses who’d want to punch out my lights. I’m good but I’m not that good. They outnumber me and outgun me.”