Page 37 of Lost Without You

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California

Ethan and Rachel parted ways at the airport.

“Call me when you get home. Do you want to meet for dinner tomorrow night?” Ethan asked after he gave her a thorough kiss.

“Yes.” She murmured quietly, suddenly unsure of herself.

Did Ethan want to continue seeing her or was their meetup about the case?

“I want to see you as much as possible, outside of the case,” he replied like he’d read her mind. Ethan gave her waist a quick squeeze and she relaxed into his arms as they said their goodbyes.

Rachel’s rideshare headed to the mission district, while Ethan veered south, past Fisherman’s wharf and into the suburbs.

After what happened in New York with her hotel room, and for the first time in her life, she was hesitant to enter her home. The condo she rented was small but suited her needs and the cost was reasonable. She’d need to start thinking about buying a permanent home, but that would have to wait for now.

Rachel ignored her concerns and got busy sorting her laundry, throwing a load in, then making an espresso. Dalton suggested she post pictures on her social media about her return home and her work to keep up appearances that everything was normal. After doing just that, she caught up on her work emails.

One email was marked urgent, but it had no subject line. She didn’t recognize the sender, G301. She clicked on it anyway.

STOP NOSING AROUND. THE PAST IS PAST. THIS IS YOUR ONLY WARNING.

She slammed her laptop closed as her body shook. Reaching for her phone, she called Ethan.

“Rach, I was just going to call you. How…”

“I need you to come over here. Now.” Rachel interrupted, barely able to form words.

“What’s wrong?” Ethan asked. “I’m putting you on speaker while I head to my car. Talk to me.”

“I got an email warning me to stop nosing around,” she whispered.

“Did you unpack already?” Ethan asked.

“Yes.”

“Throw some clothes and whatever you need back in your bag. You’re coming to stay with me for the foreseeable future.”

“But…”

“Please, Rachel. You can have the guest bedroom. No pressure.”

“Okay. All right,” Rachel whispered.

“Put me on speaker and we’ll continue talking.”

She did so while she grabbed a few items from her closet and quickly repacked. Twenty minutes later Ethan arrived at her door. The car ride was silent, Rachel still in shock and unsure of what to say. Until they pulled off the highway to a road that hugged the coastline.

“This is a beautiful area,” she murmured, suddenly noticing the scenery around her.

“It’s home. You can’t walk to a lot of things like at your place, but I like the quiet. It’s peaceful.”

The neighborhood they drove through had sprawling homes with dramatic landscapes. Ethan pulled into the driveway of a modern style house, all windows and sleek edges. He grabbed her suitcase and ushered her into the house.

Meow.

“And who is this?” Rachel asked as she stopped to admire the striped tabby cat sitting in the entry way.