20 | SHE WAS GONE

JOY

I was anxious as I entered the elevator with Vincent, my heart racing and her hands trembling. But I knew, outside the elevator door, was a girl waiting, a girl who was just like me—afraid.

“Are you alright?” Vince asked.

I only nodded. Olivia was Vincent’s ex, and that scared me as well. I shouldn’t have compared myself to that woman and yet . . .

The elevator door dinged, and I took a deep breath while the door opened. A polished floor of black marble and bright white ceilings greeted my eyes, and I walked out.

Vince’s penthouse was beyond luxurious. But that didn’t matter at that moment. My eyes paused on the long grey couch and the blonde woman sitting on it with her head dipped. There were many people around, some in police uniforms.

One of the men, in an NYPD jacket, rushed toward me and Vincent and said, “That bastard passed through security downstairs and snuck in. Thank God, your cook alerted your men.”<