more for us | grayson dolan (book two)

twenty seven

My stomach continues to twist and turn the entire cab ride back to the Heyward Plaza Hotel. I called Jake five more times, and kept getting the same result. Straight to voicemail. His phone is off, and that's never a good sign. Grayson tried to text him, but nothing delivered.

"Stella." His soft voice tries to reach me, but my mind is elsewhere. "Baby, look at me."

"Grayson, I'm going to throw up." I sigh and finally turn my head to face him.

My entire body is shaking with fear. There's a pit in my stomach that is telling me something isn't right. Jake could be in serious trouble, and I need to find him.

Having no way of reaching him is the scariest part. Paul told me he called him again, but there was no response. Jake loves his job, he would never purposely miss a shift.

I run a hand through my hair and begin to tug on it. The taxi comes to a slow stop, allowing me to glance out the window.

"Fucking New York traffic." Of course we get slammed with bumper to bumper traffic just blocks away from the hotel.

"We'll be there soon." Grayson says.

His phone beeps with a text, causing me to look down at his hand. "Is that Jake?"

"No, it's my mom. She wanted to see where we were." He sighs and types a reply to her.

"I feel so bad, we ran out of there like fugitives."

Sean and Lisa were understanding, and wished for the best. I feel terrible about cutting our happy reunion short, but my body went into a flight or fight mode. I'm flooded with panic, there's no way my muscles could relax.

"They want to make sure we find Jake." Grayson reassures me by placing his hand over mine. My skin is trembling below his.

"What if he's not at the penthouse?" I hold back tears.

"Then we'll take a trip to his apartment. Is there anyone else we could call? Who else does he hang out with?"

"Just guys from the shop, but he's not too close with any of them. Paul is our best bet of hearing anything from him." I let out a sigh of defeat.

"We'll find him, he can't be too far." Grayson shakes his head back and forth.

"It's almost eleven, where do you think he is?" I ask, glancing at the time on my screen.

"Maybe he fell asleep."

"Then why is his phone off?" I retort.

"Maybe it died." Grayson shrugs.

"He knows I worry about him, he would never pull a stunt like this if he was sober. He might be drunk somewhere. What if he relapsed because I wasn't there to look out for him? What if this is all my fault?" I being to hyperventilate, desperately trying to fill my lungs with air.

"Shhh, take in a deep breath." Grayson closes his eyes and inhales a longing breath. I shut my own hazy orbs and do the same, trying to calm myself down. He exhales, and I copy the action. I open my eyes and look at him with a scared expression.

"I'm terrified." I admit.

"I know. We'll figure this all out." He slowly nods his head.

"I can't believe my brother is missing. He's twenty three years old, he should know better than to disappear like this."

"He's not missing." Grayson says.

"He kind of is." I mumble under my breath.

My eyes stay glued out the window as the taxi moves through the streets of New York City. The traffic finally lightened up, we are only a block away from home, and hopefully Jake. I look down at my phone, but the only recent message I have is from Lanie asking me if I'm okay.