Chapter 3 We Call The Police

Ezra felt an unsettling emptiness as his hand brushed the sheets on the other side of the bed. He blinked awake, turning his head to find Emma, but the space beside him remained cold. A frown gathered on his forehead. He pulled himself up with a heavy sigh, his gaze looked around the room in confusion.

“Where did she go?” he muttered, swinging his legs off the bed. He reached down for his pants, pulling them on as he stood.

He rubbed his eyes, took a breath, and called her name. “Emma!” His voice echoed through the quiet room, but silence answered him back.

He checked his phone. Eight o’clock. A wave of anxiety hit him hard.

Father will be furious.

He rushed into the bathroom, and brushed his teeth quickly. In his mind, he tried to calm himself. She probably stepped out. She’ll be back. But as he stepped out of the bathroom and reached for his shirt on the bed, his foot caught on something. He stumbled forward, barely catching himself before falling.

His eyes looked down.

His wallet.

He froze.

Then he bent to pick it up slowly, confusion twisting in his chest. Did I somehow have two? He turned toward the table where he vividly remembered placing his wallet and keys the night before.

The table was empty.

A cold rush slid down his spine.

He dropped to his knees, checking under the table, under the bed. There was nothing.

“Maybe I just can’t remember,” he muttered weakly, forcing a laugh as he picked up his phone. He dialed Emma’s number. The call failed immediately. He tried again. Same result.

“Is her phone dead?” he whispered.

He moved toward the closet, pulling out fresh clothes, when the door suddenly burst open.

Scott rushed in. “Did you take your car out last night and forget to bring it back?”

Ezra froze mid-movement. “What are you talking about?” He asked and turned sharply. “Scott, seriously. What do you mean?”

Scott let out an impatient breath. “Your car isn’t where you parked it last night. So did you move it or not?”

Ezra scoffed. “You’re saying my car is missing?”

“Exactly.”

The panic hit instantly. Ezra slammed the wardrobe shut, rushed to the table to check, then pulled open the drawer, only a box of condoms stared back at him. He checked the trash next, half-expecting to see his missing key…or anything. Or his money, which still didn’t make sense to him, but all he found was a used condom from the previous night. “I didn’t throw that away,” he muttered, glancing at Scott with confusion.

Scott raised a brow. “So… you were with a woman last night?”

Ezra exhaled heavily and handed Scott his wallet with anger. “Now it makes sense.”

Scott’s confusion deepened. “What does?” He stared down at the empty wallet, trying to understand what Ezra was talking about.

Ezra pointed at it. “Last night, it had money.”

Scott opened the wallet, even though he felt it was empty. He shook it, flapped it, hoping something would fall out. Nothing. He looked back at Ezra. “It is empty.”

“It wasn’t empty last night,” Ezra said, his voice tightened. “It had money. A lot of it. I withdrew it for Winter because Dad refused to send her any since she won’t come home. I just wanted to help quietly.” He swallowed hard. “But now the money is gone.”

He hesitated, the realization hitting even harder. “And so is my car key.”

“And your car,” Scott added.

Ezra rolled his eyes. “And my car.”

Scott crossed his arms. “So… who do you think took it? Start from the beginning. I looked everywhere for you last night and you just vanished.”

Ezra sat on the bed with a heavy sigh. “I met a girl yesterday and—”

“Oh no,” Scott groaned. “You know how these girls are. When will you stop picking up women from parties?”

Ezra clenched his jaw. “Look, playboy, this one seemed different. At least I thought she was. She was innocent. Sweet. Everything she said sounded believable.”

Scott burst into laughter. “Innocent? Oh, come on, Ezra.”

Ezra stared at him, unamused. “Scott, I’m serious. Emma is gone.”

Scott’s laughter cut off.

“Wait,” he said slowly. “The girl you met was Emma? Emma?” He asked again to confirm.

Ezra blinked, bewildered. “You know her?”

Scott scratched the back of his neck. “Not personally. But Phoebe, the friend who invited her to my party, told me about her. I was supposed to meet her last night.”

Ezra frowned. “I don’t understand.”

Scott sighed. “Emma’s struggling financially. I was going to help her, but there was a catch. Phoebe said she was inexperienced and hasn’t been with a man before.” He shrugged. “Looks like she chose you instead.”

Ezra shook his head. “I still don’t understand.” It was starting to feel blurry for him. Every word that came out of Scott’s mouth sounded like a joke.

Scott leaned in, smirking. “She knew what she was doing. She needed money, and you looked like the perfect naive target. She slept with you, then robbed you.”

Ezra’s face hardened. His voice was firm. “We made love. It wasn’t forced. It was mutual.”

Scott laughed again. “Ezra, girls like her don’t make love. They survive. She saw a chance. She took it.”

Ezra said nothing. His thoughts were still spinning too fast.

Scott clapped him on the shoulder. “Come on. Get your shirt. I’ll take you home. Your father’s been trying to reach you.”

Ezra followed him out slowly, drowning in disbelief. They slipped into Scott’s car, the drive was in complete silence.

When they arrived at the Queen’s mansion, Scott parked and turned to him.

“You can’t tell your dad about this yet.”

Ezra unbuckled his belt. “He’ll find out anyway.”

He was already drained from everything that had happened that morning and Scott could hear it from his voice. He wanted to help his friend. Ezra couldn’t remember much from last night, only the way this girl made him feel.

“Wait.” Scott halted him before he got out. Then he leaned closer. “If you want your car back…and to find that girl, I have one idea.”

Ezra looked at him. Right! If anyone could help, it was Scott. “What idea?”

Scott smirked.

“We call the police.”