Chapter 18: Second Chances

*LEON*

Time passed, and the longer it stretched without Vicky, the longer it felt. I had watched her leave out the patio doors and looked every so often but hadn't seen her come back in. Ethan, Aden, and Jonathan continued to discuss the pending stock options when I checked my watch.

8:30 PM.

She shouldn't have been gone this long. Something inside me was pulling me in that direction, screaming at me to follow her. I politely excused myself from the conversation and headed outside. Almost instantly, a gust of wind pulled at my suit jacket, and I gripped each side, pulling it close to shield myself from the cold.

I scanned the yard, hoping to catch some sort of sight of her, to no avail. I moved around the bodies lounging along the marble walls of the building and the stone benches and made my way toward the hedge maze.

There was no way she'd end up in here—it was pitch black with only a light fog being visible. I could barely see what was in front of me, but that same feeling