Chapter 104
"Cut the bullshit, Craig!" I said sternly. "Where's Alyssa?"
Craig stood his ground at the head of the table. "Logan, you need to calm down."
"You led me to believe that she was dead all this time!" I said as I took a step toward him. "Why?"
"Logan, you need to calm down now," Craig said, still standing his ground. "Sit down and we can discuss this like civilized people."
"Discuss this?" I asked as I took a step closer. "Oh, right now, I'm way beyond civilized! Why didn't you tell me? You knew that she was alive, didn't you?"
He looked in to my eyes for a moment, as if gauging how much to say. Then, he nodded slowly. "Yes. I knew."
"Then, why didn't you tell me?" I demanded as tears welled up behind my eyes, threatening to spill over. "You could have at least told me that she was alive!"
"Logan, she had a career," Craig said calmly.
"And I would have held her back," I said flatly, repeating everything that I already knew.
Craig nodded slowly.
"Where is she now?" I demanded.
He shook his head. "I'm not telling you. Not while you're so angry."
"Do you really think I would ever hurt her?" I stepped up to the other end of the table as I leaned against it, trying to regain my composure. "Where is she? Where can I find her?"
Craig took a step toward me around the table. "If you think for one moment that I'm going to tell you where she is, you're crazy."
That was all I needed to hear. I stepped around the table and grabbed him by the shirt collar. "Where is she?"
"Do I need to call for security, Logan?"
"I don't give a shit!" I said, suddenly beyond all reason. "But I'm not leaving this room until I know how to contact her. Now, where the hell is she?"
"It's Friday afternoon," Craig said reluctantly. "She might still be in her office."
"Where?" I tightened my grip on the front of his shirt.
"Look in the phone book, you moron!" he yelled into my face. He pulled away and straightened his suit. "She's a lawyer!"
"Who does she work for?" I asked, taking a step closer.
"She works for herself!" Craig said reluctantly. "Collins and Keel Associates. She's a contract lawyer."
I nodded, completely in shock. I couldn't imagine her being a lawyer, wearing power suits and dealing with contracts. It was completely unlike her. Why would Alyssa ever give up her music? It just didn't make sense. "Give me her number," I said, starting to calm down a bit.
"No."
Without thinking, I stepped around the table toward him. "I said, give me her number!"
"You would have just held her back, Logan!" Craig yelled. "I couldn't let her be stuck with an invalid! She had a bright future ahead of her!"
"Well, I'm not an invalid now," I said calmly as I grabbed him by the shirt again and let my fist fly into his face, hitting him square on the nose. Craig staggered back as blood gushed from his nose and onto his white shirt.
"Security!" Craig yelled as he raised a hand to his face.
But before they came back into the room, I was already gone.
***
In the car, I turned on the GPS on my phone and spoke into it. "Collins and Keel Associates, Nashville, Tennessee."
A computerized female voice started giving me the directions to Alyssa's office. It was Friday evening, the day after Thanksgiving, so I wasn't sure if she would still be there, but I had to try. If I missed her, I would have to wait until Monday. I pushed the thought aside as I drove faster.
"You have reached your destination," the computerized female voice finally said as I stopped in front of a huge glass building in downtown Nashville.
I slowly got out of the car and walked inside, admiring the general splendor of the building. The crystal chandelier in the foyer matched the glass walls to perfection. A lounge was on the left, but I walked past it to a glass frame that held the listing for everyone in the building. I slid my finger down the list until I found Collins and Keel Associates, and then rushed to the elevator.
I got out on the eighteenth floor and headed down a hallway, stopping before the door that said Collins and Keel Associates on the outside. I tried the door, but it was locked. Then, I pounded on it, but no one came.
I thought for a moment, and then realized that she probably had an answering service for emergencies, since she was a lawyer. I pulled out my phone and looked up her office then I hung up. I bit my lip as I leaned my head against the door. If she thought I was dead, I didn't want her to find out I was alive on an answering machine. I needed to speak with her in person. I took a deep breath, and then thought of Frank Mallory. I dialed his office, but an answering machine picked up, so I quickly hung up without leaving a message. There was nothing else I could do but wait until Monday morning.
Then, I remembered that there was a lounge downstairs on the first floor. "One drink couldn't hurt," I said as I hit the elevator button. The door opened and I stepped in. A moment later, I was back on the first floor, walked into the lounge and up to the bar. "Draft beer, please," I said to the bartender, but he was a bit preoccupied.
"Here you go, bud," he said as he slid a glass mug filled with beer in front of me. He was watching something intently across the room, but I paid no attention as I took a swig of my beer, thinking of Alyssa. "I'll be right back," he said, and then darted around the bar to something that was happening behind me.
I nodded, and then took another drink of my beer. A moment later, he was back. "What's going on?" I asked.
He shook his head, but relaxed a bit. "A woman I know isn't having a good night. The guy she was with just took her home, but he left me a hundred-dollar bill to pay for their tab."
