Hey! I’ve gotten better! Only hit ONE curb this week.
That’s because Ethan won’t let you drive anymore after you nearly took out that palm tree at The Maxwell.
Details, details. Stop deflecting. How are you holding up?
I swallowed hard.I’m not.
She’s tough.
I know. But Herbert…
Don’t go there. Focus on the fact that your scary billionaire boyfriend and his equally terrifying friends are going to rain hell on that bastard.
This time I did smile, though it was watery.When did you get so wise?
Probably around the same time you started dating a hotel mogul. Speaking of which, tell Matt if he doesn’t bring both you AND Mia back safe, I’m coming for him. I may not be able to drive, but I fight dirty.
Before I could reply, a knock at the door made me jump. Bruno’s deep voice carried through the wood. “They’ve got a lead.”
I was down those stairs like my feet were on fire, nearly bowling Tyrone over in my rush. The mansion’s grand foyer buzzed with activity—James barking orders into his phone, Matt checking what looked like a small arsenal, their security teams moving with practiced efficiency.
“William.” James’ voice cut through the chaos. “Stay here in case shit hits the fan.”
William nodded. “Sure. Just call when you want backup.” He actually chuckled. “Though, I doubt it.”
“What’s happening?” I demanded, making Matt turn. “Tell me you found her.”
“Cole tracked down Sophie,” Matt explained, his eyes studying my face.
I was told that Cole was Matt’s best tracker, a man who could find a needle in a haystack while the haystack was moving. If anyone could locate Mia, it would be him.
“She’s heading toward South Los Angeles. Where she goes?—”
“Herbert goes,” I finished, my heart trying to punch its way out of my chest. “I’m coming with you.”
“No.” Matt’s voice was firm. “You’re not.”
“Oh, that’s adorable that you think you can stop me.” I stepped closer, tilting my chin up. “As if I’m going to sit here munching on caviar while my sister could be…” I ran a shaking hand through my hair. “It’s Herbert fucking Weston. Do you have any idea what that monster is capable of? Because I do, and I won’t let Mia face that alone. Not again. Never again.”
Matt glanced at James, who was too busy barking orders to do more than throw a brief, sharp nod in our direction. Finally, Matt’s shoulders dropped slightly. “Fine. But you stay safe and don’t intervene. I don’t want Herbert seeing you and suddenly wanting to do all sorts of shit to you again.”
“I promise to be a good little damsel and stay out of the way,” I said, trying to mask my trembling hands with sarcasm.
Neither Matt nor James looked convinced, but I didn’t care. My sister needed me, and this time, I wouldn’t let her face Herbert alone.
The drive felt endless. I sat in the back of Eric’s car, legs jittering, while Matt communicated in grunts and one-word answers to James and his team over the phone. Every street sign we passed made my heart race faster. South Los Angeles. We were getting closer to Mia. Closer to Herbert.
Less than twenty-four hours ago, we’d learned the whole sordid story—how Sophie Wilson had been James’ daughter’s nanny until last week. She’d been fired for inappropriatebehavior, her pride wounded when James caught her trying to seduce him. When she somehow connected with Herbert, she saw her chance for revenge. The perfect storm of vindictiveness and depravity, using my sister as a pawn in her twisted game of retribution.
My hands squeezed into fists so tight, my nails might as well have been digging for oil. The dread I felt had shape and weight—it pressed against my ribs, choked at my throat.
“Chesterfield Square,” Cole’s voice crackled through the speaker. “An abandoned warehouse.”
My stomach twisted. Of course it would be an abandoned warehouse. Because apparently, Herbert had graduated from being just a monster to becoming a full-blown villain from a crime show.
When we finally pulled up to the place, the sight of it—well, it was the kind of place nightmares took notes from. The building loomed like a mouth ready to swallow us whole, desolated and forgotten by any decent human being. Just like his cabin in the woods back home, where he’d…
No. Focus on Mia. Focus on now.
