if clarity's in death, why won't this die

chapter 5

He didn't know where she was. She said the meeting would go late, but it's been hours without one text. He left at least a dozen voicemails and not one response.

"Greg, where is she?" Travis asked before Greg even uttered a word.

Greg hesitated before speaking. "She wanted to go in alone." He quickly finished his sentence before Travis spoke. "It's the studio. It's safe, and Jack is there with her. She assured me that she would call me if anything went wrong, and there's always people walking around the building."

"So why isn't she responding? It's been hours. And don't tell me this meeting is important because it's been more than twelve hours since I've last spoken to her. If you don't give me a valid response I'm going over there right now. And you can come with or without me, I don't care."

A long pause before Greg responded: "Fine. I'll be there to pick you up in 10. It'll just be one car, less attraction, but I'm bringing a couple of other security with me. And you are not taking your car because the windows aren't tinted." He might have been overreacting, but he did what needed to be done. Over the years, more than a decade, he'd learned to love Taylor like a daughter. He'd seemed stoic, and he usually wouldn't let himself break concentration when he was with her, but sometimes he couldn't resist smiling and feeling joy looking at the bundle of happiness he was hired to protect. She'd dealt with too many underserved problems thrown in her face, but she always came out on top. That was one of the few things he loved about her, and the more he thought about her, the more he was worried. He couldn't lose her. And he was sure Travis thought the same. So he walked out of his apartment, knowing that Taylor had a group of people who would be willing to kill for her.