Chance(28)

I absolutely hate the thought of leaving New York right now with the weight of Asher's disappearance hanging over my head but I know that the time away will do me good. It's a change of scenery and it's also an escape from the gnawing ache I feel inside over what happened between Caleb and me. "I'll take care of it."

"I knew you would, Rowan." He tosses me a wide grin. "You never let me down."

***

"I let Asher down," Gabriel embraces me the moment I step off the private elevator and into his penthouse. It's been months since I've seen the eldest Foster brother. He hasn't changed at all. He's still as devastatingly handsome as I remember him.

"No." I push my hands into his. "Asher has always talked about how much you've done for him. He looks up to you."

"Listen to you." He steps back slightly. "You're the voice of reason."

Hearing the words from Gabriel brings me comfort and serenity. He's the calmest and most centered of the clan. He's thirty-two now and the man I see standing before me is just an older version of the boy who used to stand on my stoop telling me about the different constellations in the night sky. He's always been studious, reserved and brilliant. "I'm the voice of hope."

"That you are." He drops my hands as he turns towards the open space. "Do you want something, Rowan? I have some coffee made or I can whip up a cocktail."

I'm tempted to ask him for a Cosmopolitan. It's been an incredibly long day and the only bright spot was the knowledge that I'd be standing in his apartment looking at him. "I'm fine. I don't need anything."

"You'll sit." He waves his hand towards a long leather couch. "You'll tell me about what's going on. I tried to talk to Caleb but he's all over the place."

That's an understatement. Caleb had texted me earlier asking if I could talk to his private detective tomorrow morning. I shot him a quick text back explaining that I had to head out of town. I hadn't gotten a reply and at this point, I'm grateful that our correspondence is at a bare minimum. I'm still feeling a rush of confusion about the day we kissed in my apartment.

"Asher was arrested," I begin knowing that Gabriel may not have heard about that. It's doubtful that Caleb would tell his older brother about what happened in the office that day. "It happened at the corporate office."

"Asher told me." Gabriel arches his head back to look up at the high ceilings. "He called me a few days after that."

I had no idea. "How was he when you spoke to him?"

"He was frustrated with Caleb," he starts before he pulls his gaze back to me. "I'm frustrated with him too."

"Me too," I mumble under my breath. Beyond telling Graham and Ivy, I haven't shared the details of what happened between Caleb and me last week with anyone.

"Where do you think he is, Rowan?" He twists in his seat to look back at the bank of windows that overlook Central Park. "Do you think he's still in New York? I want to find him. I need to."





Chapter 24


"If I had any idea, I'd tell you Gabriel," I assure him as I stand to walk towards the windows. "I've spent hours thinking about where he could be. I walk past the brownstone your family used to live in every day hoping he's there, sitting on the stoop the way he used to do when we were kids."

A small grin tugs at the corner of his lips. "He loved that house. When he was in rehab he talked about buying it one day. He wants to raise his kids in that neighborhood."

I turn to smile at him. For the first time, since Asher disappeared I feel actual hope. Gabriel speaks about him as if he's returning. He has the same faith in his brother that I do. "It's a great place to raise a family."

"It is, "I agree quietly. "Asher will be an amazing dad."

"He wants that. He talks about it or he did when he was still here."

I close my eyes to ward off the emotional tidal wave I feel bearing down on me. "We need to find him."

"We're going to find him." He stands behind me, his hands resting on my shoulders. "I'm back and I'm not giving up until my little brother is home safe and sound."

"If I can do anything to help, you'll let me know, right?"

"You've been holding down the fort since I've been gone." He pats my shoulder. "Caleb told me that you've been helpful."

Helpful? That's it?

"Caleb likes doing things on his own," I try to sound as non-judgemental as I can. "He hasn't asked me for much help with finding Asher."

"He told me about the morgue." I see his reflection in the glass windows as his gaze falls to the floor. "He told me you were stronger than he was that morning."

I spin around to look directly at him. "I wasn't being strong. That's not what it was. I knew it wasn't Asher. I could feel it inside. I think I'd know if anything happened to him."

His mouth thins. "The last time I spoke to Asher he told me that he was feeling down. He said that life had become complicated and I warned him about using again. I specifically asked him if he was feeling the draw towards it."

"What did he say?"