I don’t care. I don’t care about the women glaring as I push through the door markedLadies.My stomach drops straight to the floor.
Her phone lies abandoned near the sink. Screen cracked. Cold. Empty.
No. No.Please God, no.
I snatch it up, shove it into my pocket with shaking hands, already dialing with the other. My men at the station. My brothers.My pulse slams in my ears, drowning out everything else.
“Cas!” Dex is already storming toward me, his voice sharp, clipped. “What happened?”
“Penny,” I rasp, throat raw. The word tastes like blood. “She’s gone.”
“Fuck!” Dex growls. His eyes flash as he sees my panic. He clamps a steadying hand on my shoulder. “Don’t lose it. Come with me. We’ll check the cameras in my office.”
The world tilts sideways as I follow him. Neon lights flicker. The bass rattles. My brain won’t stop screaming. She’s gone, she’s gone, she’s gone.
The bar snaps into chaos. Lights blaze, officers flood through the doors, blocking every exit. Voices blur together as orders are barked. People protest. None of it matters.
“What the hell’s going on?” Jude bursts into Dex’s office, his voice sharp as a whip. Ethan and Asher follow behind him.
I can’t answer them. My eyes are locked on the glowing screen. Penny, walking into the bathroom. A few women filter out. Then… a masked figure. Freddy Krueger. Hat low, claws gleaming under the strobe.
“Fuck!” My fist slams down on the table hard enough to make the monitor shake.“Who the fuck is that?”
Jude snarls, his jaw locked, his whole body vibrating with fury.
Minutes stretch into torture. Then the screen shows him, showsitcoming back out. Carrying her. My Penny. Limp. Unconscious.
“Oh God.” My blood turns to ice. My chest caves in on itself. My fists clench so hard my nails bite through skin.“It has to be Mark,” I growl.
“You sure?” Dex presses, voice flat and dangerous.
“Show me the outside footage,” I snap.
Dex switches feeds. My breath punches out of me when the camera catches him, Penny in his arms, her hair spilling like fire against his jacket. He loads her into the backseat of an old truck like she’s nothing.
“I’ll kill him.” The words tear from my throat, feral and raw. My brothers’faces mirror mine, carved from rage.
I yank my phone out, dialing fast.“Francine. Yeah, it’s Cas. Listen carefully. Someone took her. Track this license plate. Now.”
The silence on the other end makes my pulse stutter.
“The car’s stolen, boss,” Francine says at last, voice tight.
“What?” My voice snaps like a whip.
She swallows audibly.“We’ve got nothing, Cas. No solid records on Mark Spenser. I’m sorry.”
The phone nearly cracks in my grip. I slam it onto the desk and double over, a fist pressed against my chest as if I can hold the breaking pieces of my heart together. My blood burns. My body shakes.
“Cas.” Jude’s hand lands heavy on my shoulder.
I choke on the words.“I can’t lose her.”
“We’ll find her,” Dex vows. His eyes are cold steel, a promise sharper than any blade.
But the only thing I hear is the echo of Penny’s laugh, Penny’s voice, Penny’s smile. And the silence where she should be.
???
