I was back at Blood Rock, for there had been no reason for me to stay at Afterlife any longer. Not when I finally discovered what cruise liner she had boarded, and that the ship’s destination had been Europe. Genoa to be exact and unfortunately it came to light why she had chosen such travel.
Because even after I had discovered that Pip had been right, it had taken far too long to find the fucking ship she had taken. This was thanks to PortMiami holding the title, ‘cruise capital of the world’ for a reason, seeing as it was classed as the busiest cruise/passenger port in the world. And with over 5.5 million cruise passengers passing through the port a year, even in the space of a week, well it was a fuck load of people and cruise companies to check through. And by the time she was finally found, it had been too late… by one fucking day!
One fucking day and I had lost her again, knowing nothing more than she had arrived in the MSC Cruise Terminal at Genoa after stepping off the ship named the MSC Seaside.
So naturally, I had flown to Italy and the search began all over again and just like all the other times, it had gone cold almost as quickly as it had begun. Which meant that after a week of nothing, I returned to Germany, hoping that her passport would be flagged should she try and leave the Schengen area. Airports and all ports had also been flagged, so it was believed that she had either disappeared in Italy somewhere or she had bought herself a car and was determined to settle somewhere in Europe.
My first thought had been that she was trying to get back to the UK. But after discovering that her options when purchasing her cruise ticket included one to travel to the UK, it told me that she had picked Italy for a reason…I just didn’t know what.
Because if there was something that I knew about Amelia, it was that she had a plan for everything she did. Every step of this had been well thought out. Which meant that Amelia had a destination in mind and therefore I knew that the key to finding her was first discovering the why.
But it had been seven weeks since she first left, and I was still trying to find out that damn ‘why’! Which also accounted for why I was permanently pissed off and if I had a reputation for being an asshole before, then now, I had turned into a fucking tyrant! Which, given the circumstances, was of little surprise. Especially considering I had started every day for the past seven years with a report on my desk explaining the most minute aspects of her life and now… well, now I didn’t even have that.
I had fucking nothing!
Which meant that the moment I had finished getting ready for whatever fucking day this was going to turn out to be, I stopped dead the moment I found Dom stood waiting for me in my living space. I didn’t bother with the steps but instead released my wings and was down there facing him, sparing myself the extra seconds it would have taken my legs to do so. But then he raised a hand and said,
“I am not here to give false hope, Luc.” I released a grumbled sigh and snarled,
“Then what the fuck do you want, Dom?”
“I take it there is still no news?” he asked, and I was tempted for my demon to be the one to answer this time. Instead I raised my arms to the sides, looked down at myself and snapped sarcastically,
“Take a fucking look, Dom, and tell me, do I look like I have any fucking news, or do I look like a violent King on the edge of insanity?!” This response made him release a sigh and admit,
“Point made.”
Then he turned slowly, taking in the living space, and seeing for himself that his daughter was all around us. This was by the way of all of her possessions that were exactly where she’d left them and were naturally forbidden to be touched. In fact, other than Dom, then no fucker dared come down here. It was an insanely possessive reaction to have but I didn’t care. I didn’t want to share my piece of her with anyone else.
Which was only one of the reasons that I didn’t like that her father was here now and walking around the space as if he were taking a mental note of everything.
“Fuck me, but you really do love her, don’t you?”
“What gave it away, the fact that I am going out of my mind with fucking worry or her Star Wars collection on my shelf?” I asked with a sarcastic growl of words, a tone he ignored as he walked over to the glass case with her Lego model of our home inside it. My whole body tensed, and my fingers curled into fists. I had to force myself not to tell him to get the fuck away from it.
“A love I can see most definitely goes both ways.” he said nodding down to my prized possession.
Her second gift.
Her first had been that of her heart when she first told me that she loved me.
“Yes, well last time I checked, Dom, that love you speak of stole a car and fucking left me, so I wouldn’t go making wedding plans just yet,” I reminded him with a barely held back snarl of words.
“She spoke to Keira,” he told me, now gaining my interest back, but the fucker held up a hand and said,
“I stand by my earlier comment and am not here to grant false hope as she gave nothing away.” I growled in frustration slashing a hand through the air and cursing,
“Fuck, will this woman ever give me a fucking break!” Dom chuckled and said,
“Not fucking likely but gain comfort in the knowledge at least that she is safe and well.” I scoffed a grunt of acknowledgment despite feeling that same comfort. My girl was safe. That was something at least.
“What did she say?”
“Keira tried to explain once more but was mostly shot down by her saying quickly that she didn’t want to hear it but was just ringing to inform us that she was fine and living life. That she was happy and that she didn’t want us to worry any more than we have been,” he said with the hint of purple coming through his gaze telling me this had been difficult for him to hear, prompting me to ask,
“And?”
“And I grabbed the fucking phone and demanded that she stop being damn foolish and come home!” I laughed once and commented wryly,
“I bet that went down well.”
“Well, she hung up the phone shortly after that, which didn’t exactly make me very popular.”
“Ah, so that’s what you’re doing here, hiding out from your wife, eh Dom?” I commented with a smirk and the first one I had felt there in weeks.
“Fuck off, you cocky bastard,” he growled making me laugh this time. Then I couldn’t help but be the pathetic asshole I didn’t give a shit about appearing when I asked,
“At least put me out of my fucking misery and tell me, did she at least mention my fucking name?” At this he granted me a look that said it all, even if his words followed suit,
“No, Luc, she didn’t mention you.” I felt his words fuel my pain and anger, wishing in that moment I had the freedom to just start smashing up the room. But then, one look at my girl’s personality that coated every surface and well, I quickly swallowed down that urge.
“But I think that the fact she even called at all is a good sign, that she is settled and feeling more comfortable to reach out. After all, we have a better chance of finding her once she’d stopped running.” He said everything that I had already heard before and it brought little comfort after seven fucking weeks!
Which is why I snapped,
“Good, now we can move on to the part where you tell me what the fuck it is you are really doing here? As I know you didn’t just drop by, not when you could have called to tell me this seemingly shit and utterly useless piece of information,” I said letting my anger be known and having fucking zero patience for having my hopes heightened with the sight of him, before they were annihilated by the knowledge, she hadn’t even mentioned my fucking name!