“Fuck, he took the plane, which means he’s taken her to a secure location,” Grey bites out as he turns on his heels and storms back toward where our cars are parked with his bodyguards rushing after him.
Noah and I glance at each other, then chase after him.
“Where are you going?” I demand as I reach his side.
The wind is howling, the sky is getting bleakly dark, and the lights in the private airport flick on as Grey slows to a stop and faces me.
“Your father has found out Maddison is an Everford and taken her somewhere out of the city, and I need to find her.” Grey slams to a stop and faces me. “I’m not entirely certain what he’s planning to do with her, but I’ve gotten a bit of information that I know he doesn’t plan on killing her. I also believe that he’s planning on finding a way to connect her bloodline with the Aversons, so that he can inherit everything the Everfords own.”
I nearly trip over my own feet at what I think he’s implying.
“How would he…” Noah starts, but then trails off, pressing his palm to his head, his eyes wide. “Is he going to like…” He can’t even say the words aloud.
I feel sick to my stomach as a dark loathing simmers in my veins. “No… my father wouldn’t do that...” A rage so purely venomous sears through me.
“I’m not sure if your father is going to be the one to do it.” Grey stares out at the runway. The lights around us reflect across his face, revealing the anger burning inside him. “I’m wondering if he’ll have your brother do it. If that’s why he took them both. I’ll be able to find out soon, because I’m assuming that he’ll marry them first, and he’ll have to file those with the Royal courts.”
“Marry them?” I choke out. How is this happening? I know my father is a terrible man, but this is so much worse than anything else he’s done. Then again, I don’t really know him, so I can’t say that for sure. “Why would he do this? What inheritance is tied to the Everford bloodline that would be worth so much effort?”
Grey’s quiet as he studies me with a contemplative look. “The world.”
“What?” I whisper with wide eyes. “How is that possible?”
“The Everfords technically own the world. They used to before they allegedly became extinct. Except they didn’t.” Grey gives me a pressing look as he loosens his tie. “A few went into hiding. I’m not sure how your father found Maddy or her mother, or who he found first. Ellie went into hiding to try to protect Maddison, but I’m not sure where she is. Your mother helped her, though. I don’t know if they’ll come out of hiding now that your father has Maddison, but if you know of any place at all that your mother would go to lay low from your father, that will help us track them down.”
“I honestly don’t know.” Shock seeps through me. “I wish I did.”
“What about your father?” he asks as his bodyguards nervously peer around at a vehicle passing by. “Do you know where he’d go?”
“He has a lot of places he’d take off to,” I inform him as a nearby door hangar raises. “I can give you a list.”
“Good.” He reels around and strides toward his SUV.
“Where are you going?” I shout out after him as I reach the driver’s side door of my car.
“I’m going to get as many guards as I can.” He yanks the SUV's back door open. “I never should’ve let Maddy leave my house once I found out she was my daughter. I didn’t realize that your father had found out about her. Letting her leave was a mistake I made, and also leaving her too unprotected. It won’t happen again. When I find her, she’ll be protected at all costs.” He moves to duck in. “I’ll be in touch soon, and we can meet up somewhere to see if tracking your father’s location works. Probably my house, since it has a ton of security.” With that, he gets into the SUV and slams the door shut.
I want to ask him how he found out my father had Maddy.
I want to ask him how he knows that the Everfords technically owe the world.
I want to ask him so many damn questions, but he drives away before I can.
“That was intense,” Noah states as he looks at me from over the roof of my vehicle.
I nod in agreement as I open the door. “This entire situation is.” I lower my head and climb into the driver’s seat while Noah slides into the passenger side. I push the button to start up the engine, then reach for my seatbelt. “I hate that it’ll probably take us a while to find them.”
“Not necessarily.” Noah fastens his seatbelt.
“What do you know?” I wonder as I reach for the shifter.
“I don’t know where they were, but I can track your dad’s phone if it has a signal, so?—”
“So if he’s with them, we can find them quickly,” I finish for him, wondering how he can track it, but not caring at the moment.
I’m just relieved he can.
“Do you think your dad is with Maddy and Finn, though? Or is he having his guards keep an eye on them?” he asks as I slam my foot on the gas and crank the steering wheel, turning the car around.
