Accident Prone

~ Seattle, Mia's and Hunter's apartment ~

2:34 PM

While Max and Liz are enjoying their time on the boat, Mia is looking at her phone with concern obvious on her face.

Hunter and Mia spent the morning hiking with Ashton, Jake, Derek, and Mike.

After a group lunch, the two of them returned to their apartment, and Mia called Liz with an intention to hear how the fundraiser went.

When she couldn't get in touch with Liz, Mia called Olivia to see if Olivia met Liz that morning and if maybe she knows where Liz is. After all, even if Liz goes somewhere, her phone is always on.

When Olivia told Miz that Liz was not at home in the morning and that Liz didn't inform her that she has other plans, Mia was alarmed.

Liz is always the responsible one. If she won't be there, or something changes in her schedule, she makes sure that others know about it. On top of that, there is the issue with Tyler harassing Liz and Max beating the soul out of him, and then two weeks ago McKenzie pushed Liz from the cliff… so Mia is worried if Tyler or McKenzie came for revenge, or maybe there is someone else Mia is not familiar with.

Back to the present…

"When was the last time you spoke with Max?", Mia asked Hunter.

"Friday, when we headed home after work. Why?"

"I'm not able to reach Liz. I tried an hour ago when we got back, and now again. And few times in between.", Mia admitted.

Hunter shrugged like it's not a big deal. "Her hospital had a fundraiser last night. Max attended as a donor. Considering that the last few days Liz was busy while preparing for that event, there is a good chance that Max and Liz went somewhere to unplug and she turned off her phone."

"Liz never turns off her phone."

Hunter realized what Mia is trying to say. "You think that she is in trouble?"

Mia exhaled and listed what she knows: "I can't reach her on the phone. I spoke with Olivia and she told me that Liz was not home this morning. Usually, when Liz has some plans, she gives Olivia a heads-up. Normally, I would not think much of it, but considering that Tyler created problems for Liz recently, and McKenzie as well, I am concerned."

Hunter thought about this for a second and agreed with Mia. He does not think that McKenzie will be bold enough to try something on Max's territory, especially because she still thinks that Max was seriously injured.

"Zi is rash and impulsive, but she would not dare to come out of the blue and cause trouble. She is still not sure about Max's condition after the hiking incident, and until Zi confirms that Max is fine, she will stay away. Our family hosts a large party for the Fourth of July and that will be her chance to get close to Max again without arousing suspicion…", Hunter explained about McKenzie. "I'm not saying that she is harmless, but her brain does not have the capacity for elaborate ploys. Since we returned from Hawaii, Nathan has his men watching over Zi, and if she tries anything, we will know about it."

"However, Tyler is another story…" Hunter clearly remembers how Max bashed Tyler and Tyler is a vengeful guy. Tyler might be in the hospital, but that does not mean how he can't get someone to do his dirty work.

But first thing first. Hunter got his phone and dialed Max.

"His phone is out of service as well…", Hunter mumbled.

Both Mia and Hunter sat in silence while trying to make sense of the current situation without succumbing to panic. Of course, they don't know that Max and Liz are on a boat, out of the cell-phone service range, and Hunter and Mia can't stop themselves from imagining grim possibilities.

"Do you think that Nathan knows if Max and Liz made any plans for today?", Mia asked.

Hunter frowned at the thought that he needs to call Nathan. If it's up to Hunter, he would not call his father because he is still upset about that dinner when Nathan and Madeline bombarded Mia with accusations. However, Nathan was with Max at the fundraiser, and that means how he is the last one to see Max before he disappeared.

Hunter got an idea: "We can ring Joshua at their apartment building and ask him to buzz them on the intercom. Maybe they decided to relax at home without disturbances."

Mia frowned and reminded Hunter: "Olivia said that Liz was not home."

Hunter nodded knowingly. "Yes, but that does not mean that they were not in Max's apartment."

"Oh…", Mia paused and then beamed at her smart fiancé. "You have a point!"

Hunter called Joshua, and of course, Joshua said that Liz and Max are not responding to the intercom.

"We can go and check in person. Maybe they are taking a bath or something, and not able to respond…", Hunter suggested in an attempt to avoid (or at least postpone) calling Nathan.

"That is a very long bath. Call your father.", Mia said sternly.

Hunter told himself to swallow his grievances and to call Nathan. There is a chance that Max told Nathan about his plans for Sunday. Something like 'what do you plan for tomorrow?' talk at the end of the evening.

Nathan was audibly surprised and excited that Hunter called him, but his mood turned sour quickly. Hunter spoke with Nathan and did his best not to arouse any suspicion, but Nathan was onto him…

"What happened?" Nathan was never the one to beat around the bush.

"Nothing, nothing…" Hunter forced himself to sound cheerful.

Nathan snorted and exposed flaws in Hunter's approach: "If it's nothing, why are you not calling Max about the last night's fundraiser? And since when is Max telling me about his weekend plans?"

Hunter exhaled in defeat. Max got his sixth sense for spotting malarkey from Nathan. Hunter had to admit: "I can't reach Max's phone."

Nathan's first thought was that there must be more to it than an unreachable phone. Why is Hunter calling about Max when this can be easily explained with an empty battery? "Did you agree to meet with Max at this time?"

"No."

Nathan's second thought was about Max reverting to the behavior from his previous six years. "Is he in trouble?"

"That… I don't know."

"But you suspect…"

Hunter didn't want to allow Nathan to finish that sentence. "Dad, I need to go…"

"Don't you dare hang up on me! Tell me what the hell is going on!", Nathan roared. "Did Max mess up again? In how much trouble is he now!? Did he and Elizabeth have a fight!? Don't tell me they broke up!"

"Calm down, dad. Liz is unreachable as well."

Nathan paused. "You are saying that both of them are in trouble?"

A second later, Nathan breathed heavily. "What will I tell Isaac if something happens to Elizabeth on Max's watch?"

Hunter never heard Nathan panic like that. "Dad, take it easy. I didn't say that they are in trouble. If I knew that you will be like this, I would not call you."

"Hunter, this is no time to play games. Tell me how much you know!", Nathan demanded. "If there is no reason to be concerned, you would not call me just because you can't reach Max."

Hunter pinched the roof of his nose. This escalated more than he thought it will. "OK. Dad, I will tell you, but do your best to stay calm. You remember that in Hawaii Zi pushed Liz off from the cliff right? We are a bit nervous and extra cautious after that incident."

"I'm waiting for you to get to the point.", Nathan said stiffly.

Hunter exhaled. He needs to say it. "Other than the Hawaii incident, there is a guy, Tyler Wilson. He approached Liz at work twice with bad intentions and Max handled the situation."

"When was that? How did Max handle the situation?"

"This week. Tyler is in the hospital."

"And you think that Max and Liz are missing because Tyler is getting his revenge?", Nathan guessed.

"I'm not sure. How much I know, he is not discharged… But the fact that we can't reach Max or Liz is concerning."

Nathan was silent for some time when he remembered why that name sounds familiar... "Wilson? Is he related to Cynthia Wilson who has a chain of boutiques? She is also a designer…"

"Uhm… I think that is his mother. Look, Mia, and I will go to the hospital to visit Tyler and find out if he knows something. I will let you know…"

"The hell you will!", Nathan interrupted Hunter impatiently. "What hospital is Tyler in? I'm coming with you!"

---

If you are not reading this at 'W e b n o v e l . c o m', then the content you're reading is stolen! Please support the author by reading this novel from the original source.