Restless (Element Preservers, #4) (17 page)

"Of course not," Alan said, annoyed. "Normal, rich people don't have to get up in the middle of the night and come to the police station to answer a bunch of dumb questions. They called him, though, and he said he was fine."

"Why don't they let Adrian go then?" I was glad that Ethan had the decency to say that he was fine and not try to complicate things even further.

"Ria, he's a famous magic disease carrier. Even you should know what that means." The condescendence in Alan's voice made me roll my eyes. He was right, though. It shouldn't have surprised me that the police would be full of prejudice against carriers.

"Can't you do something? Maybe tell them they can't detain him for no reason? You would be able to go back to bed sooner." While Alan wouldn't move a finger without a good reason, he'd do anything to make his own life more comfortable. I was certain he was tired and didn't want to spend a minute longer trapped at the police station.

"Well, I guess I could say something, but I don't want to end up in the jail. Cops are sensitive and I don't know them personally. Things could get ugly."

"So, when do you think they'll let him go?"

"No idea," Alan lowered his voice and I had an impression someone had come into the room where he was being held.

"Maybe I could speak to their boss and..."

"No. That's a bad idea. Maybe they'd let him go a couple of minutes earlier, but it would only irritate them more."

And it would raise all sorts of questions, like why would the president of the Element Preservers want to help a carrier who had attacked her ex-boyfriend. "Fine then. Tell Adrian to call me or come see me at the university after they let him go." I ended the call before Alan had a chance to reply.

"Why didn't you ask him about Paula?" Ryan raised an eyebrow at me.

"He doesn't know anything. He and Adrian have spent the whole night at the police station."

We went back to the alley behind the club and I squatted next to the spot where Ryan had found the bracelet. The sight of the dried blood made me nauseous. "Maybe Paula came here to cool off and saw something she shouldn't have. This alley is usually full of drug dealers."

Ryan shook his head. "They wouldn't have kidnapped her and left her purse in the trash with all the money inside."

"Right, but I still think she came out here willingly. Someone would have seen it if the kidnapper had tried to drag her out of the club or if she had been unconscious."

"We could ask the guards, but there were too many people and it was dark, so I don't think anyone would remember her." Ryan ran a hand through his blond hair, his forehead beaded with sweat.

"I wish my guards stayed closer, but they were on the other side of the building." I sighed. "But even if it was dark and all, someone would notice if Paula struggled. She had to come out on her own."

"Let's say you're right. She could have decided to come out to get some fresh air." Ryan's brow furrowed. "Oh, God." His eyes went wide.

"What?" I got up.

"What if Alan told someone that she was a carrier? He still believes that Adrian told him the truth." Ryan's hands were shaking slightly. "What if someone from a lab came for her?"

"No." Elements came rushing toward me and I had to push them away. Now wasn't the time to give in to my disease. "No one would be crazy enough to come for her during a party. They couldn't have known she'd come out or that there wouldn't be any witnesses. If someone wanted to take her to a lab, they'd have waited for her near the university."

"I think she was fighting someone, so she took off the bracelet so she could use her element."

"Or she dropped the bracelet as a clue so we could know something happened to her." I stared at the blood, unable to look away. If someone had hurt Paula, I was going to kill them. But there were too many people who could have taken her: scientists, carriers, people interested in her work, people who didn't approve of the element donations,...

I swore under my breath. "What if it was Ethan? He was angry and he was bleeding. Paula would have gone with him if he asked her nicely and told her he wanted to talk. What's the best way to get revenge than take someone I love from me? He couldn't prove I loved anyone, but Paula... Hell, he could even try to make Paula tell him who my lover is!"

"Is Ethan really that crazy?" Ryan gave me a skeptical look.

"Yeah." I knew I was always blaming Ethan for everything and thinking the worst of him, but I couldn't help it. It didn't take me long to find his number, but his phone was off.

"I'm not sure why you keep expecting people to be awake at this hour." Ryan's mouth twitched.

"I'm not sure either, but I have to go back to the university. I'm going to talk to Ethan," I said determinedly.

"Alright. You do that and I'll look around."

"Call me if you find anything." I nodded at him before I broke into a run to get to the university as soon as possible.

Chapter 21

I could feel Ethan's element, along with dozens of the elements that belonged to the sleeping students. There was a big chance my hunch about Ethan was wrong, but I decided to be rude anyway and bang on his door until I was afraid it would give way under my hand.

A couple of minutes later, Ethan cracked open the door. His hair was a mess, bruises covered half of his face and he had a bandage over his nose. His bloodshot eyes widened slightly and he laughed. I'd expected a lot of things, but laughter wasn't one of them.

"I need to talk to you," I said, realizing that he was only wearing black briefs.

"Now?" he said incredulously.

"Yeah, now." I ignored his state of undress and pushed past him into the room. I was surprised to see that the girl he'd been dancing with in the club wasn't here because I could have sworn one of the elements I felt was hers. Oh, well, my ability to tell who was who and who was where in a building full of elements wasn't the best.

"What do you want?" Ethan crossed his arms. "Apologize? Beg me for forgiveness?"

"Oh, please." I rolled my eyes. "Have you seen Paula?"

"Why?"

"She's missing." I waited for his reaction, but he didn't tense or flinch at the mention of her name.

"Really? Maybe she got tired of her
friend
and went with someone else." Ethan chuckled.

"Have you seen her?" I repeated forcefully to show him that I wasn't joking.

"Yes. I saw her at the club." His eyes met mine and there was something in them that looked satisfied, almost smug.

"When was that?"

"When I asked her to come outside and talk to me."

My pulse sped up. He'd asked her to go outside! He was the last person who saw her. "What did you do to her?"

"Nothing, I swear. We only talked... about you." He raised his hands up. "She told me she couldn't do anything to change your mind and I left."

"And where did she go?" I didn't trust Ethan at all, especially now that I knew he was the one to lure her out, but why?

"I don't know, but if you want my help, I'll do whatever it takes to find her."

"No, thanks. But if you see her, call me." I went for the door, aware that I couldn't blame Ethan for Paula's disappearance without a solid proof. It bugged me that he was so calm about the whole thing.

The first rays of sunshine lit up the halls and I was relieved to find my guards in front of the door of my room. They gaped at me in surprise when they saw me because I was supposed to be still in bed, but they didn't say anything about it. Smart guys. If Lily found out about this, she'd immediately request a 24/7 protection for me.

"You should go outside and observe Ethan Marlau for me today," I said, making sure no one was around to overhear me.

The guards looked at each other. "I'm sorry, but we're supposed to watch over you," one of them said.

"Yes, I know!" I said, exasperated. "But Lily isn't answering her phone and by the time she sends someone, Ethan will be gone. At least one of you should go outside and stay in the shadows until I find Sinclair and Kayla."

"Tom, you should go."

Tom nodded. "I'll report to you if I see Mr. Marlau."

"Great." I clapped him on the shoulder and he left. Tom could alert me if Ethan tried to leave the university, but he couldn't follow him since it would be too obvious Tom was my bodyguard. It was better to send a carrier after Ethan because only a carrier could follow him anywhere, even without a visual. Speaking of elements, they were starting to seriously wear me down. I'd need someone's help to stay in control in an hour or two. Lack of sleep and agitation were more than I could handle.

Luckily for me, Sinclair's and Kayla's rooms were so close to each other that I could knock on both doors at the same time. It didn't take them long to open and squint at me through their sleepy eyes.

"I need you both to get dressed. Hurry!"

They obeyed without questions and I leaned on the wall while I waited for them to get ready. I glanced at my phone, but neither Lily nor Adrian had tried to call me or left me a message. Where were they? I threw my head back and sighed. If the police didn't let Adrian go soon, they might find out about Paula's disappearance and decide that Adrian had something to do with it, even though that was impossible. It wouldn't be the first time someone overlooked facts to blame a carrier for something.

"I'm ready," Sinclair said, straightening his black shirt.

"I need you to follow Ethan. Make sure he doesn't see you. If you notice any suspicious activity, alert me immediately." I met his eyes. "Paula is missing, so if you see her or feel her element..."

"I'll call you," he finished the sentence for me. "Got it."

"Thanks." I managed to give him a small smile. "Now go."

He nodded his dark head at me and strode down the hall. Kayla came out of her room a second later, still trying to tame her long, red curls that spilled around her shoulders like a lion's mane.

"You'll have to stay with me," I said. "I'm not feeling particularly strong this morning."

"I can do that." Her hazel eyes were bright and clear as if she hadn't just woken up. My phone rang, startling me. Lily's number flashed on the screen and a wave of relief overcame me.

"Lily! Thank God!"

"I can't believe you didn't try to tell me what you were planning to do. We should have discussed your decision. You know I'd never agree to such a thing! I guess that's why you called in the middle of the night to tell me. Now I can't even talk you out of it." There was a hint of anger in Lily's voice.

"What?" Either my brain was extremely slow or what she was saying didn't make any sense.

"You know I didn't want any protests and you invite all carriers and those with weak and impure elements to come to the main city square tomorrow to show their displeasure with the new law," Lily said disapprovingly.

"What? I don't know anything about any protests."

"You don't know? But you're the one who sent out the invitation. It's all over the news and everywhere."

"I did
not
send any invitations," I said, frowning. "I wouldn't do that."

"Then why did you call?" Lily's anger faded.

"Paula is missing. You need to send a team to find her." I went on to tell her everything Ryan and I knew about Paula's disappearance, including Ethan's possible involvement.

"We should bring Ethan in for questioning," Lily said. "He might tell us more than he told you. You don't really intimidate him."

"No. We'd have a problem if he's actually innocent in the whole thing. Besides, I don't think he'd tell you anything. It's better to follow him." If he was involved in Paula's disappearance, he could lead us straight to her if he didn't know he was being followed.

"You're right, but now I'm suspicious about him too. I saw the news about your break-up."

I rubbed my face, wishing I could just lie down, sleep and wake up from this nightmare. "Wait, when did the news about the protest appear?"

"Umm..." I heard the clicking of a keyboard. "A couple of hours after the news about Ethan and you breaking up. Oh, God."

"What?"

"The news about the protest is higher rated in importance than your break-up. That doesn't make sense. The government would want to prevent the protest, not advertise it everywhere!"

Maybe the government wasn't happy that I broke up with Ethan so fast, but I doubted it they cared now. Their priority would be covering up the protest so their precious new law could be implemented without problems. The story about my break-up would be a great distraction, so why weren't they using it? "That's weird. But do you know who sent out the news? Because it definitely wasn't me. What if carriers are trying to contact me or create a scandal?"

"I'll try to find out who the organizer is. My techs just told me the websites with the news aren't hacked. It all looks like a legit announcement."

"What if someone is using my name to try to gather as many people as possible for the protest? I work for a governmental organization, so people could think it's safe to come. It's public knowledge the government wasn't pleased when I revealed some of their secrets about the disease, so it makes sense I'd be the one to organize a protest against the new law." Would I ever get a break from people who were trying to use me for their cause?
I guess not.
"So what do I do? Should I try to cancel the whole thing?"