(I’m assuming the time frame is weeks instead of years, which means Damon is still only a few months pregnant at most.)
Meanwhile, Lance parked his motorcycle and climbed off, studying the apartment building in front of him.
“Is this gonna take long, Lancy-kins?” A sugary high voice said behind him.
Letting out a quiet sigh, Lance put on his usual cocky grin as he turned to the girl still lounging on the passenger seat. “Like I told you before, babe, not too long,” he assured her. “Just sit tight, and I’ll just be a sec.”
“’Kay!” The girl said, twirling a lock of her dyed blonde hair and inspecting its bright pink highlights.
Heading into the building, Lance let the grin fade as he rolled his eyes. When he first met her, Tina was a dream come true, life of the party, great in the sack, stunning on the back of a Harley, and always up for adventure. She was like the open road personified, and he had followed her like a moth to a flame, even leaving a pretty stable relationship with Monica. However, weeks of carrying every conversation and repeating everything twice had gotten old fast.
He had really started to miss Monica. Still, he knew he had blown it with her, big time. He had no illusions that she would want him back, and he was not about to ask her. In fact, he would have skipped town long ago if only he hadn’t left a few things at her place that he needed back before he could ride out of her life for good.
At first, he had dropped by Monica’s house. Unfortunately, she had been out, and her sister, Alicia, had refused to let him inside or listen to him. Figuring it was still too soon, he gave it another week. Not being the most organized of guys, though, a week had turned into two, then three.
Finally, he showed up again. This time, Alicia let him in. She seemed more worried now than angry. Monica had gone missing, the last time she was seen being a few days before Lance’s first visit (hence her absence at the time). She had always been something of a free spirit, and leaving for a while without warning was not unusual for her, especially after a bad breakup. However, she always made sure to call in every so often to update her sister. This time, she had simply vanished without a trace.
The only clue Alicia had of her sister’s whereabouts was that she had mentioned that she wanted to talk to her old ex-boyfriend, Damon, right before she disappeared. Alicia had checked on Damon’s place, but the guy never answered. It seemed he had gone AWOL, as well. She did manage to find both Monica and Damon’s cars in the lot, though.
Lance had to admit, it did sound fishy, and he couldn’t help feeling responsible for all this. So, he offered to check Damon’s place himself. It just so happened he possessed a few skills with locked doors that might come in handy for snooping around. Reluctantly, Alicia had accepted the offer and given him the address.
Reaching the right door, Lance picked the lock and slipped inside. The place looked in order. This Damon guy kept a clean apartment. His closet was organized, the pantry was nicely stocked, and judging by his computer and flat-screen, he held a decent income. Really, why did Monica ever leave this guy for someone like himself? Then again, why did he leave Monica for someone like Tina? It was all about excitement and adventure, right? Motel nights. Big horizons. Dust on his boots. And in the end, he would probably wind up alone again when Tina eventually got bored.
Peeking into the various rooms of the apartment, Lance found nothing suspicious. The stale air suggested no one had been there for a while. At last, with more than a little disappointment, he decided to leave, only to spot something by the door that made his heart freeze.
Monica’s purse. She had been here!
Suddenly, the door opened, and Tina entered. “Lancy-kins? Are you done yet? It’s getting hot outside, and I’m tired.”
Lance groaned. He had forgotten to lock the door behind him. Going over, he did so. “Not yet, babe. I just found something important. Just relax for a while or something.”
“’Kay.” Tina went to the sofa and plopped herself down, kicking off her shoes. “D’ya think there’s any magazines here?”
Her boyfriend shrugged as he picked up Monica’s purse and started rummaging through its contents for more clues. “I dunno. Maybe.”
“Hey, what’s this?”
Lance looked over to see Tina holding up what resembled an old oil lamp. “Where’d you find that?”
“Here, on the sofa,” Tina answered. “It’s pretty. Kinda dirty, though. I bet cleaning it off would make it nice and shiny again.”