Grey Clouds On The Horizon

His Third Love

Christian's POV

Our heads hit our pillows and in perfect synchronization our chests rose and fell rapidly with exertion. "Mrs Grey, sometimes you make me forget you were comatose only a few weeks ago."

She giggled and rolled over to snuggle up on her side. Soon her snores took over the room and I considered spooning behind her to get some much needed rest myself.

My phone buzzed and I checked it expecting to see a drunk text from angry Elliot but was pleasantly surprised to see if it was a missed call from Em from the dinner time hour. Perhaps my hiding kitty is ready to come out to play. I opened up my voicemail and listened closely to try to hear her soft voice through the buzzing of Seattle city traffic.

"Mr Grey, its Emilia. There is someone following me and taking pictures. Please, help me. I don't know how much longer I can," The message cut off and I closed the application. Before I could call her back I saw a text that had arrived ten minutes after the call. It made me shudder with fear.

Em: SOS. Track my phone and come get me. Please, sir. Bowman wants me dead.

"Fuck!" I jumped out of bed and called her back on my way to the security office. It didn't ring and instead just beeped like an old fax machine before informing me that the number was no longer in service. Welch's contact information was immediately dialed on the home line, so I could keep my cell free in case she managed to get ahold of me another way, and he answered sleepily.

"At your service, Mr Grey."

I swallowed the lump that was forming in my throat. "Emilia Stewart called me and left a voicemail that someone was following her taking photographs. She sounded afraid. That isn't like her. Then she sent me a text begging me to track her cell phone to come get her but when I called back the number was disconnected. I need to find her, Welch. Now. Not tomorrow. Not next week. NOW! She's mine and I want her home!"

He shuffled on the other end of the line and I heard him logging onto a computer. "How long ago did you receive the last correspondence from Miss Stewart, Sir?"

I glanced down at my phone. The text label said 7:34 and I knew it was at at least eleven at night. "Almost four hours ago. This is an emergency. She wouldn't have called me if she could avoid it and wherever Emilia is she is in serious danger. I need to know where she is immediately."

Welch sighed. "Is her current phone number the same one I have on file?"

"Yes, it's never changed." I groaned and tried to relax in the office chair. The painful emptiness in my gut made me wonder if I was going to throw up or double over in agony.

Since when do you let an ex-sub have this kind of control over you?

I knew the answer. It was since I met Emilia. And she became my muse.

"Mr Grey?" Welch snapped me from myself loathing. "I'm sorry but she isn't connected to the network. Her last connection with a cell tower was near the halfway point between her walk from The Bowman to her apartment. It's likely that her SIM card and phone have been destroyed but I am going to keep the tracking notifications on so that if she does use a cell tower it will notify me immediately. Do you know what she was last wearing? I will get my men pounding the pavement immediately looking for her."

I shook my head and tears formed in my eyes. "I don't know." I was certain her clothes had changed in her efforts to remain in the shadows. Hell, maybe she didn't even have her long wild blonde hair anymore. She hadn't wanted to see me.

"What about keys to her apartment?" His voice was hopeful and I'd have to let him down. "Its showing in the utilities database she still lives at the same address. If we could get inside that may help us figure out who would be following her."