The Rookie (manxmen)**Hothouse Book 1**

Chapter 16

Chapter 16

(Sophia's Foyer------->)

**A/N-as you will read for yourselves this chapter is in Lance's POV and be aware...WARNING :)*

Sitting and brooding behind my desk with a stack of unfinished paperwork staring at me staring right back at it was not helping my situation in the least. It's been 4 days, and no one has seen or heard from Thad. Of course Nate has received several, "I'm Fine." Texts from his little brother, but as for me I have been completely frozen out and it made me feel like shit. If I only had the chance to explain what he saw, I mean one minute I was sitting in the booth waiting for Thad to arrive and the next that fucking Kelly was in my face greeting me like a long lost boyfriend. It was just my shitty luck that my angel walked in right at that inopportune moment. I was too shocked for words to shove the little shit off right away. "Fuck!' The pencil I was holing in my hand snapped right into two pieces and I just threw them in the trash bin at the side of my desk.

The door to my office was thrown wide and Xavier's large frame came storming into the room. He had his cell phone attached to his ear and a look of sheer amusement plastered across his face. He looked at me with merriment in his eyes and if his smile got any wider, I was sure his face was going to split in two. He put his hand over the phone, "Dude, you got at least a good three minutes to get the hell outta dodge before the wrath of a Southern Mama is brought down on your head." He guffawed and I looked at him like he was crazy. Xavier just continued to laugh as he rolled his eyes at me. "Hurry the Hell up man, we finally figured out where your boy ended up, he went home to his Mama and according to Nate." He waved the cell phone at me to let me who he was currently on the phone with. "He says that she has blood in her eye for you and he says it better to do flight instead if fight when it comes to her."

"Fucking Hell!" I just wanted to explain everything to Thad, I was a bit hurt that he didn't trust me enough to realize that I would never do something like that to him. But I could cut him a little slack because he saw the kiss for himself, but I still wished that he had stuck around long enough to see the aftermath. I also understood the reason why he didn't come over there to smack my head off my shoulders, it was because of the clandestine nature if our relationship.

Xavier must of lost patience with me because he came around the desk and pulled me to my feet. He handed me the keys to the Station's SUV, patted my ass to make sure I had my wallet, and stuck my cell phone and radio onto my belt. I had no choice but to be hustled past a giggling Christy and out into the garage bay. I felt foolish running from Thad's mother, but I guess a son knows best and if Nate said haul ass then that's what I am going to do. And until I get the opportunity to talk to Thad, I didn't want to tangle with the woman. I merged into traffic with a smirk on my lips, at least I know where he was and I was headed straight for him.

Technically I was on duty and so where most of the guys, but Thad, Tommy, and Danny all had their evaluations due, and they weren't scheduled to be back on the roster for another two days. I could feel the tension headache taking form behind my eyes, and my stomach was churning. Between the stress of my job and the anxiety of trying to find my baby, I swore I was going to get a God damned ulcer one of these days. I pulled up behind his truck in front of his parents house. I sat there for a minute and gathered my thoughts and pushed out of the truck. I made my way to the front door, wiped my sweaty palm on my pants, and thought how ironic it was that I found myself in this predicament, all over someone that was in my direct employ, and the situation was caused by a former employee. Maybe it was a sign to leave well enough alone, but I knew I was already in too deep with how much I was already cared Thad. Something about him drew me in, and I wasn't strong enough to leave him alone.