CHAPTER 23
Chloe was gone. Lex ran a hand over his scalp and swore loudly. Gone. He had been trailing her for the last year, her move to Metropolis, her choice of residing in a shady apartment complex found through City Housing, a job at a coffee shop on the corner of Varrick and Main. He had driven by a couple of times when in the city, knowing if he entered, he'd be recognized immediately. He never went in. Instead, he passively monitored the new life she had randomly thrown together, marking out patterns and collecting information to make his next move. Lana had received the occasional e-mail, and even had met up with Chloe for lunch a couple of times over the first few months, but then the letters had become few and far between before siphoning off completely. Clark wouldn't talk to him, but according to Lana, he had also been banned from contact with Chloe before she ran off to Metropolis and after a few failed attempts at paying a visit, had temporarily cooled his efforts. But now, the apartment was empty and already back on the market. Her bank accounts were closed and her credit cards canceled. Lex was furious. How on earth could this have happened? He pulled out all of his files on the girl and threw them haphazardly across his desk, reaching for his phone and punching in the number of his private investigator. This was simply unacceptable.
After a harsh, brief exchange with the man whose job it had been to tail Chloe, he hung up and dialed a new number.
"Hello?"
"Clark, don't hang up."
A sharp intake of breath whistled through the phone lines. "What do you want from me, Lex?"
"Chloe's missing." Lex waited for a response, but seeing he was not going to get one, continued coldly. "Put whatever feelings you have for me aside, Clark. Your best friend is missing. She's left her apartment and I can't find any connection to her name anywhere."
"You've been spying on her?"
"And you haven't?" Lex spat, struggling to control his anger. "Listen, I know that whatever you have going on with Chloe, you wouldn't want to see her in danger. I just wanted you to know she's missing. And I think we both know that if anyone is good at playing the hero, it's you."
"Why do you care?" Clark's low voice had a spark of honesty in it that almost made Lex laugh. Almost.
His mind pulled at the faded images of a few memories. Chloe, muddy and wet on the side of the road, arguing violently with him in the mansion, sitting passenger-side in his car wearing those ridiculously oversized sunglasses that fell down her nose. "I know you'll never believe it, but I care about Chloe a great deal."
"You're right." Clark growled. "I won't believe it. All you do is hurt people, Lex. And I won't let you find Chloe so you can do it all over again."
Lex stiffened and clenched his fists. This conversation had gone on for long enough. "Please, Clark, let's not overestimate your power in this situation. I called you so you could find Chloe. Do you think that after you find her you'll be able to keep me from figuring out where she is or if she's okay? I will know every detail as to what happened. The only other alternative is to leave her missing, and personally, I don't think you would do that. Would you?"
Clark squeezed the phone until he heard a snapping sound. Looking down at the plastic shards in his hands, he started to plan out a trip to Metropolis.