Spellbound, Boundless Series, Book 4

Ch. 44

Knowing her class schedule, I searched for her at the university. She didn't make it to her class. The motorcycle I'd purchased for her wasn't on the parking ramp. Other than Kenni, I didn't know who to ask about Lana's attendance. At her apartment complex, a caravan of cars, reporters, cameramen, and paparazzi were stationed outside her home. Seeing her without my creating more buzz was impossible.

I parked away from the scene, but close enough to see the action. I called her cell phone. It went straight to voicemail. A second call failed. I texted her that I was outside her place and needed to see her. There was no response.

Marty tracked her by GPS. I hated having to invade her privacy, but I was on a mission. Once her location was confirmed, I drove to the address listed, a home rented by Dario Castro, the valet. Connecting Lana's birth name of Castro with Dario's name, I deduced that they were related. With the barrage of media staked out at her apartment, she'd needed a safe place to hide.

My knocks were met with silence. Another series of knocks and I heard shuffling from inside the house. The door opened with a chain still maintaining a secure distance between the woman on the other side and me. Her eyes narrowed, and with a heavy accent she asked, "What you want?"

I softened my expression as best as I could. "I'm here to see Lana."

She squinted at me. "She no here."

"I know she is." I countered, peering through the narrow opening. I couldn't see past the white wall

"You wrong," She attempted to close the door.

I gripped the door before she could close it. "Please," I said in Spanish. "I just need a moment of her time. Tell her it's Brady Clay." She seemed surprised at my perfectly accented Spanish, learned from years of studying the language and using it during international negotiations.

"One minute," she replied, closing and locking the door. I heard her call out 'Solana' in a high-pitched voice.

"Go away, Brady," Lana's voice echoed from behind the thick wooden door.

My heart leaped at hearing her voice, even if it were in anger. "Lana, I need to talk to you," I said in a gentle tone, hoping to convince her that all was well between us.

"We're done. Please leave. Don't come back. You'll attract them here." She sounded pained, desperate for me to go away.

She sounded like a wounded creature, but her solemn timbre didn't change my purpose. "You owe me a face-to-face explanation about your past."

"I don't owe you anything. Those records were sealed. And because of you, my future is ruined."

"Me?" I shouted, banging on the door. "I had nothing to do with this."

"Your fame and wealth caused them to check into my life. I thought I had walked away from all of that. You brought it all back. Go away!" She shrieked.

In a fit of anger, I banged my fist on the door. The entire frame and walls rattled under the force. "I'm not leaving until you open this door and talk to me like an adult, not like some little girl having a tantrum in her locked bedroom."

"Fuck you, Brady."

I inhaled deeply, trying to calm myself down. "Lana, I'm not asking you to open the door. I'm telling you to." I said through gritted teeth.

"If you don't go away, I'm calling the police."

"Should I call the police on you, Lana?" I shouted into the door jamb. "Did you have something to do with the credit card fraud?" I seethed.

There was silence on the other side. I had gone too far. My intention was to quell our differences, not stoke an inferno. But I could never walk away from a fight.