Lodged (Kinsmen Billionaires #2)

22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

Gio Bianchi

I t’s been hours since I texted Ruin, and she hasn’t gotten back to me. It’s not unusual for her not to text right away; I know she’s with her family. But the message is showing it’s been read. She never leaves me on read.

“Everything okay?” my sister Isa asks as she comes to stand next to me.

“Yeah, I just haven’t heard back from Ruin,” I say, a nagging feeling taking over my chest.

“Ugh, don’t be so dramatic, Gio. I’m sure she’s just busy. You guys always talk at night, right?” I nod at her, taking a couple of deep breaths.

“I’m sure she’ll have a fun story to tell you tonight.” Isa pats my back before slipping back into the pool. We’re on Luca’s patio, enjoying some pool time before the boys and I go to a racecar speedway to have some fun. I shake my head, trying to get the nagging feeling out of my mind.

“You’re right, Isa. I’m sure everything is fine.” She smiles at me as she swims toward Karina.

“Big bro is pussy whipped!” Luca shouts before cannonballing into the pool. I chuckle, deciding to try to relax, and jump into the cool water as well.

Gio : Good morning, sweetheart. Is everything okay? I miss you.

Gio : Please let me know everything is fine.

Gio : I’m leaving in a couple of hours; I’ll be in Raleigh tonight.

Gio : I love you.

It’s been twenty-four hours since Ruin read my message, and I still haven’t heard back from her. When I call her, it sends me straight to voicemail. And the messages don’t show as delivered anymore. I hope I’m making a big deal out of nothing, and when she gets back to me, she doesn’t think I’m a motherfucking clinger. But something just doesn’t feel right.

“Are you sure you have to leave?” Isa asks, worry lines etched across her face.

“Yeah, I need to go find her. This isn’t Ruin.”

Isa releases a deep breath as she massages my shoulder. “You’ll find her. I’m sure all this is a misunderstanding.”

I give her a grateful smile as I get a text. My heart skips a beat, thinking Ruin is finally texting me back, but it’s just my pilot letting me know we’ve been approved for takeoff.

“I’m sorry for cutting my visit short, Isa. I promise I’ll be back soon, and I’ll bring Ruin with me.” She gives me a smile and a hug. “Would you drive me to the airport? I don’t need Luca’s humor right now.”

Isa winces but gives me a nod. “Yeah. Luca has been a little extra with his jokes. I’m sorry, Gio.”

I smile at her, not wanting to say anything else about the subject. I know this is how my brother deals with stress, but I’m not in the mood for it.

Gio : Just landed. Are you still in your town?

Gio : Do you think I can go see you? I know you were planning to stay a couple more days there before coming back to Raleigh.

I toss my phone to the passenger seat as I drive home. My brain is a mess, I don’t even know where to start to look. I still can’t believe how stupid I was; in all the time we spent together, I never thought to ask her town’s name. All I know is that it’s in the mountains. There must be at least two hundred towns. Fuck.

Once I make it home, I head directly for my bed. I didn’t ask the cleaning service to come while I was away, and I’m glad I didn’t because my bed still smells like her—apple, cinnamon, and Ruin.

I take off my shoes and cover myself with my blanket, inhaling her scent deeply. My lips quiver as tears run freely down my cheeks. A hole the size of the galaxy forms inside my chest. It feels like I’ve lost the part of me I didn’t even know I had until her. She’s gone and has taken my heart with her.

It’s been a week, and there’s still no sign of Ruin. After a couple of days of unanswered calls and texts, I called the phone company. After a lot of begging (and bribing), I learned her line has been disconnected. It’s no longer active. As if she doesn’t exist anymore.

But what if she changed her number because she didn’t want to hear from me anymore? What if she went home and realized that giving me a chance was a mistake? And wasn’t strong enough to tell me, so she decided to simply ghost me?

“Ahhhhh!” I shout in frustration. All the what ifs and uncertainties are killing me inside. I’m supposed to start working tomorrow as a postdoctoral researcher in Dr. Smith’s lab, but I’m in no mental state to do so.

My doorbell rings, and I curse. There’s only one person it could be. And it isn’t Ruin.

“What do you want?” I say as I open the door and head back to the living room, not waiting for the answer.

“Hello to you too, friend,” Penny says with sarcasm dripping from her tone, and I roll my eyes.

“Gio, this place is a mess. You smell.” She trails off as she scrunches her nose. “You smell ripe and ready to be tossed in the garbage can.” She covers her nose, and a small smile forms on my face. “Babe, you can’t keep this up. One week of self-pity is enough. You need to pick up the pieces and move on,” Penny says in a gentle tone—I know she means well, but each of her words is like a knife cutting my soul.

“I love her, Pen,” I manage to say before my voice breaks. I don’t remember eating much since coming home, so I’m weak and tired. All I want to do is sulk on my couch all day. I’ve been browsing the websites of every mountain town, trying to guess which one is hers. But I don’t even know where to start.

“Gio,” Penny calls me back to reality. “If you want to look for her, I’ll help you. But as your friend, it’s my duty to tell you what I think.” I close my eyes as I shake my head. I know what she’s going to say, and I don’t want to hear it. She pats my back instead of speaking, and I shoot her an appreciative smile.

“Have you talked to your family?” I shake my head. I don’t want to worry them with my current state, knowing how far away they are and how little they can do to help me.

“Babe, you can’t clam up. At least let them know you’re alive and just need some time off from everything.”

I nod. I know that’s the right thing to do. Too bad my brain isn’t in charge anymore, it’s my heart. And all I want right now is to find Ruin Everything else can wait.

“Why don’t you shower while I pick up this mess and call in some takeout?” Penny asks as she gets up and heads to the kitchen. Releasing a deep breath, I do just that. It’s time I find her.

“So, while you showered, I did a quick search and found there’s an orchard that belongs to a MacAllister family in a town called Azalea Creek,” Penny says as I come into the living room, still toweling my hair.

“Did you just Google that?” I ask, perplexed and she nods. “I mean, I know Ruin doesn’t have social media, but damn. How did I not think of that? I’m such an idiot. I don’t deserve to be called a Doctor of Philosophy, I can’t manage a simple Google search.” I sit next to Penny, feeling useless and defeated.

“Okay, enough with that. You’re not thinking properly, and that’s normal, Gio. You just lost someone important. Don’t be so hard on yourself,” Penny says, a gentle smile on her face. I don’t think I’ve ever been so thankful for being Penny’s friend than right now.

The doorbell rings, and Penny gets up from the couch to open the door. She comes back with bags and quickly sets up a spread of Chinese food on the table. We eat in silence, but I’m slowly starting to feel human again.

Once the leftovers are neatly organized in the fridge and the kitchen is spotless, Penny grabs her coat and makes her way to the door.

“Hey, Pen.” She looks at me with curious eyes. “I wanted to thank you for coming over and helping me out. A plan is starting to form in my mind, and you helped make that happen. So, thank you.” Her curiosity transforms into wariness, and she goes back to sit down on the couch.

“What’s that plan, Gio?” she asks with a sigh.

“Well, I’m going to go to their orchard, of course.” Her eyes widen, and I continue telling her my plan. “Pen, I need answers. I cannot know where she lives and not go talk to her.”

“Are you sure that’s the best course of action? Maybe you should test the waters first.” I know she wants to protect me and be cautious, but I need to know what happened.

“No, Pen. I’m heading to Azalea Creek,” I say in a tone that leaves no room for argument. She sighs and gets up from the couch. I get up with her, and she gives me a hug.

“Please be careful. You know I’m just a phone call or text away.”

Once Pen is gone, I do some Google research on my own. I need to talk with Dr. Smith, and then I need to go get answers.