Page 131 of Dissolving Prejudice

Me: Hardly.

Camilo: I have to go, but I don’t want to.

Me: Just go.

I laughed because he was always so silly while texting. He was also the sentence-breaking type, which I was obsessed with. And right before I was ready to put down my phone, he sent me a selfie that he’d taken in the mirror. Still shirtless and with a sexy baseball cap on, he held his phone in both hands.

Me: Is that a thirst trap asshole?

Camilo: Depends.

Camilo: Did it work?

Shifting in my seat, I adjusted myself.

Me: Maybe.

Me: Didn’t you say something about going back to work?

Camilo: You’re right.

Camilo: Love you.

Camilo: So fucking much.

Camilo: See you tonight.

His texts, as simple as they may be, filled me with butterflies. Lovestruck, I closed my eyes and leaned back in my chair. I love him so much.

After being lost in thoughts for a couple more minutes, which included going back to that damn thirst trap, I reminded myself I also had work to do. Opening my eyes, I pulled closer to my desk when I noticed there was an envelope waiting for me on my computer. It had no name on it, so curious, I picked it up and opened it. All that it had inside was a small flash drive and nothing more. After double-checking there wasn’t anything else in it, I got up from my chair and peeked my head out of the office.

“Hey, Cole,” I called our mail guy, who’d just passed in the hall.

“Yeah?”

“Did you leave an envelope on my desk?”

He shook his head. “Nope.” He then scratched his cheek. “Why? Need anything?”

“No,” I said and thanked him. For privacy, I closed my office blinds before going back to my desk. Somehow, this whole thing felt odd. Typically, Cole was the one giving us our mail, and when it came from different departments, there was always some sort of stamp on it. I picked up the envelope again, and nada, it was smooth. Maybe it was from Jordan? Another one of his desperate attempts to reach me? Well, there was only one way to find out. With a shrug, I sat back in my chair and opened my laptop. Picking up the black flash drive, I examined it shortly, then plugged it in.

Diesel

“The person you are calling is unavailable. Please try again—”

“Fuck!” I shouted and threw my phone over the bed after I was sent to voicemail for the twentieth time.

Biting the inside of my cheek, I walked around the apartment while trying to calm my breathing. My chest was tight with nerves as unsettledness pricked at my stomach. Where the fuck could he be? Shay-Lee was supposed to be home nearly two hours ago, and yet, he was nowhere to be found. He didn’t answer any of my calls or texts, and it was seriously freaking me out. He wasn’t at work, as it was the first place I checked, or in any hospital, which I also called just in case. I had no idea where he was, and it felt like I was thrown back to graduation day, when I tried calling him but he didn’t pick up. Right now, I had the same gut-wrenching feeling that made my whole body feel like an exposed nerve.

An idea came to my mind, and I grabbed my phone from the bed. My fingers hit the screen almost violently as I typed in Chief’s number, and I bit on the tip of my nail until the old bastard picked up.

“Diesel—”

“I need to speak with Soren, but I don’t have his number,” I said, cutting Chief off before he could slide a single word in.

“Is everything okay?” he asked, and fuck, I didn’t have the patience for it.

Closing my eyes, I squeezed the bridge of my nose. “Please, I just need to speak to him.”