Meeting Danger (Danger #1) (24 page)

“I don’t. I’m sorry.”

“Please don’t be. You’ve helped me so much. Thank you, Mister . . .”

“Porter.” The old man offered her a smile. “It’s been my pleasure.”

As she walked out of the building, Autumn took stock of her finances. She had about ninety dollars in cash, the remains of the hundred-dollar cash advance she’d gotten on the credit card at the Wilkes-Barre bus station ATM so she’d have some spending money. The snacks she’d bought had been her only cash expenses so far; the cost of the bus ticket had gone directly on the credit card. While she didn’t want to use the money, it would be stupid to walk all the way across a city the size of Saint Louis, and potentially dangerous as well.

Her mind made up, she hailed a cab at the corner. “I’m going to Juniper Street.”

As the driver navigated through the city, Autumn kept a nervous eye on the meter. It read just over thirty dollars when he finally pulled to a stop. She handed over thirty-five dollars before gathering her bag and getting out.

The building in front of her was even more rundown than the last. She let out a sigh as she walked inside. With the help of a tenant, she found the unit Wade lived in. But her knocks once again went unanswered.

For the second time that day, she took a seat on worn carpeting. Although this building didn’t smell of mildew, a strong chemical odor tinged the air. Maybe it had recently been fumigated.

A couple of hours passed before a man came walking down the hallway. Autumn’s pulse spiked. He looked older than she remembered, but it was definitely her brother.

She quickly stood.

Wade stopped short, his eyes widening in recognition and then surprise. Autumn worked to tamp down her shock as she took a better look at him. His hair had thinned some, and deep grooves she didn’t remember bracketed his mouth.

Stumbling forward, she threw her arms around him, hugging him hard. Uncomfortable seconds passed before he lifted his hands to awkwardly pat at her back. Then he stepped away.

“What are you doing here?”

Autumn wet her lips. “It’s a long story. Can I come in?”

Wade studied her before finally nodding. “Yeah. Sure.” He turned to his door and unlocked it.

As she followed him inside, Autumn blinked rapidly. Aside from a dirty mattress, there was no furniture in the room. Her stomach sank as she took in the trash littering the floor, empty beer bottles and discarded takeout containers. Her stomach turned at the sight of a half-eaten slice of pizza on the floor near the doorway, covered in ants. Clothing was tossed into two piles near the mattress—dirty and clean, she supposed—but she couldn’t tell the difference. She and Wade had barely had any money when they’d lived in Chicago, but they’d never lived in squalor like this.

She had so many questions for her brother that she didn’t know where to begin. But she knew better than to start by asking him about finances, so she asked a more basic question instead.

“Are you married?”

Wade snorted. “Does it look like it?”

She followed his gaze around the room. No. It definitely didn’t. Which brought her to her next question. “What have you been doing all these years?”

He shrugged. “This and that.”

“Do you still work as a mechanic?”

“Not really.”

Because he seemed so uncomfortable, she held off on asking more questions. Instead, she changed tack.

“I’ve thought of you every day.”

He gave her a curt nod, filling her with disappointment that he didn’t respond in kind. His next words made her stomach clench.

“So, where’s Butch?”

How could you leave me with him?
The words were right on the tip of her tongue, but she was too afraid to ask the very question that had plagued her for the past five years.

Glancing away, she said, “I left him.”

“Why?” Wade folded his arms across his chest. “What happened?”

Autumn gave him a quick overview of her years with Butch—the abuse, the misery. When she mentioned Camden and how he’d been working undercover, Wade’s expression morphed from impassive to angry.

“You’ve been staying with a cop?” he exclaimed.

“Cam was helping me.”

She was about to share more when Wade scrubbed a hand over his face and muttered, “Jesus.”

Autumn frowned. “What is it? What’s wrong?”

“We need to get out of here.”

“What?”

“We need to take off.”

Shocked, she stood frozen as he snatched a bag from the floor and began stuffing his meager belongings inside.

“I don’t get it. Why do we need to leave?”

“Because I don’t need a fucking cop on my back!” he shouted, his face reddening.

She took a step backward.
What in the world?
Was Wade in trouble with the law? Was that why he was reacting like this?

“Let’s go.” His voice was a little calmer as he straightened.

She swallowed hard. “To where?”

“Not sure yet.”

“Wade, I still don’t understand.”

His eyes darkened. “How did you find me?”

“Cam helped me. I’ve wanted to find you since the day you left me with Butch.”

Shaking his head, Wade strode toward the door. “You coming or not?”

“Cam doesn’t have this address. All he has is—”

“The last one?” He turned to her and smirked. “You found me, didn’t you?”

As disgust spread over his face, she stared. But if she wanted answers, then it was clear she’d need to follow him.

And she did want answers. Still unable to believe he was willing to leave here like this, Autumn hefted her bag over her shoulder and followed him.

Camden had made it to Indiana on Sunday before a flat tire forced him to stop for the night. Monday morning he’d found a tire shop and had been back on the road before ten.

Now he was in Saint Louis, turning onto Stone Street. An ambulance was parked in front of number 763 with its lights flashing. Camden found a spot on the street and walked up weeded cement to the apartment building’s door.

Two EMTs were wheeling out an older man with white hair. Camden held the door for them. As they eased the gurney out, they nodded their thanks.

His heart thrummed his chest as he walked up to the third floor. Would Autumn open the door herself? He knocked hard on the door of 3E, but no one answered. His anticipation deflated.

Minutes later, he stood in the building manager’s office. “My friend was supposed to be visiting her brother. Apartment 3E, Wade Mason.”

“Mason was evicted.”

“Evicted,” Camden repeated. “Why?”

The man snorted. “Because he didn’t pay up.”

“When was this?”

“’Bout two months ago.”

Panic stole Camden’s breath. Had he missed Autumn? Forcing himself to focus on finding her, he pressed on.

“Has anyone else been looking for him?”

“Not that I know of.”

Camden swiped the screen of his phone and showed the man her picture. “Have you seen her? It would have been in the past day or so.”

The man studied the picture before shaking his head. “Haven’t seen her.”

Camden tamped down his disappointment. “Do you know where Mr. Mason went?”

“Wish I did. He still owes me back rent. If you find him, I’d appreciate you letting me know where he is.”

“What about a job? Do you know where he worked?”

The manager rolled his eyes. “If the guy ever worked a day in his life, I’d be surprised.”

Camden slipped his phone into his pocket. “What was he driving?”

“A motorcycle.”

“A Harley?”

“Think so.”

It was what the report on Wade had shown he had registered last. Assuming the plate was up-to-date, Camden could ask for an all-points bulletin to be put out. It was something, at least.

Thanking the manager, he exited the building and walked back to his car. He looked up the address for the Rim, Wade’s last known employer, then drove across the city to David Street.

A middle-aged man stood behind the counter of the repair shop when Camden walked inside.

“Help you?”

“I’m wondering if Wade Mason still works here.”

“Haven’t heard of him, but then I’m new.” The man stepped into the garage. “Vin!”

A man in grease-stained coveralls rolled out from under a car.

“Vin’s the owner,” the man explained as he took his place behind the counter.

The owner approached, a heavyset man in his fifties, eyeing Camden curiously as he rubbed his dirty hands on a towel. “What can I do for you?”

“I’m trying to track down a friend of mine, Autumn Mason. Her brother, Wade, used to work here.”

“Wade? Haven’t seen him in almost two years.”

Two years
. Frustrated, Camden stifled a curse. “Why did he stop working here?”

The man shrugged. “Because I fired him.”

“He was fired because of his work?”

“He was fired because he wasn’t reliable. Didn’t show up half the time.”

“Did he ever speak about friends in the area?”

“Not that I can recall.”

“Girlfriends?”

The man shook his head.

“Do you know where he spent time outside of work?”

Vin studied the ceiling as he thought about the question. “You can try Taps, a bar two blocks down. The guys here like that place. Wade used to go with them sometimes.”

Camden nodded. “If he’s working again, can you think of where it might be?”

“There’s a bunch of garages down on Hayes, but he’s already worked at a couple. If the owners feel at all like I do, they wouldn’t have hired him back.”

Resisting a sigh, Camden thanked both men. Back inside his SUV, he brought up the website for his credit card company on his phone and logged in. Autumn hadn’t used the card since she’d purchased her bus ticket and gotten a cash advance for a hundred dollars.

Camden forced his worry aside as he looked down the street. What had Autumn done when she’d learned Wade no longer lived on Stone Street? She hadn’t spoken to the building manager, but she might have spoken with other tenants. Whoever currently lived in Wade’s old place might have directed her somewhere.

Encouraged, he started up the SUV and returned to the apartment building on Stone Street. This time when he knocked on 3E, the door was answered by a man near his own age.

“I’m looking for a friend.” Camden showed the man Autumn’s picture. “Have you seen her?”

“Yeah, I’ve seen her.”

At the man’s leer, Camden tightened his grip on his phone. “You told her Wade Mason doesn’t live here anymore?”

“That’s right.”

Camden lowered the phone. “What happened then?”

“Then she took off. Was talking to the old man down the hall, last I saw.”

Camden glanced down the hallway. “Which apartment?”

“3C.”

Camden forced out a thank-you. He resisted banging on the door when he reached 3C.

When no one answered, he remembered the ambulance he’d seen. He walked back down the hall.

The man in Wade’s old apartment scowled as he reopened the door. “What now?”

“What does the man in 3C look like?”

“Old. Hunched over with white hair.”

“His name?”

“No clue.”

It would be easy enough information to get from the building manager. Camden ground out another thank-you and returned to have another chat with the building manager.

An hour later, he stood in Stephen Porter’s hospital room.

“How are you feeling, Mr. Porter?”

“Better. They got the water out of my lungs and I can breathe now.”

Camden showed the man Autumn’s picture and explained he was looking for her.

The old man peered up at him, his bushy eyebrows drawing down over his eyes. “Is she in trouble?”

“No, but I’m worried about her. She’s a friend of mine.”

Mr. Porter nodded. “She’s a sweet girl. I could tell.”

Relief coursed through Camden. “You’ve seen her then.”

“Sure did. I told Wade about an apartment on Juniper when he was evicted. It’s where I told the girl to try.”

Camden punched the address the old man provided into his phone. “Thank you very much, Mr. Porter. I hope you continue to feel better.”

• • •

Half an hour later, Camden entered 464 Juniper. He found the building manager in an empty apartment strewn with litter, stuffing garbage into a black trash bag. When Camden knocked, the heavyset woman turned around.

“Can I help you?”

Camden introduced himself. “I’m looking for Wade Mason.”

The woman rolled her eyes and gestured around the room. “You’re a little late.”

Camden’s heart sank. “This is his apartment?”

“Was. He’s gone.”

“When did he leave?”

“Middle of the night last night, from what I can tell. Dropped the keys into the box and skipped out on the two weeks’ rent he owed.”

Worry cut through disappointment. Had Autumn found Wade before he left?

“Did you know Mr. Mason well?”

“I didn’t.”

“Do you know anything about his hangouts? Places he spent time?”

“Can’t say we ever had a real conversation, so no.”

Camden looked around the filthy room. How had Autumn’s brother lived like this? “Do you know where he worked?”

“I’ve got no idea.”

Camden studied the manager. “You don’t require that kind of information on your application?”

She frowned at him. “If I did, I’d probably have no tenants.”

Frustration made Camden want to punch something. It had been a day and a half since Autumn had left. She’d clearly made it to Saint Louis, but was she all right?

“Mind if I take a look around?”

The manager dropped the garbage bag she was holding. “Yeah, sure. Just come get me when you’re done so I can finish cleaning it out.” She let out a long sigh, as if to say how challenging it was to manage a building like this one.

Camden walked into the tiny kitchen, hoping to find a clue as to where Wade had gone. Ten minutes later, he’d searched the small apartment to no avail.

He knocked on all the doors in the hallway, but no one knew where Wade worked or where he’d gone. And no one had seen Autumn.

Camden’s gut was telling him they’d left together, but where had they gone?
Where are you, angel?