The unease prickling at the back of his neck had become full-blown anxiety by the time he made it into the packing lot. He turned to Flint, but before he could say a word, the team leader beat him to it.
“Go. But you know the drill: you discharged your weapon and shot a suspect. I need that paperwork on my desk by first thing tomorrow.”
“Thanks, Flint, you got it.”
He peeled out of the parking lot at breakneck speed and arrived at the salon where Saffy worked a short while later. There was no sign of Mason and his friends outside, and the air didn’t even carry a trace of their scent. Hoping that meant they’d given up and left his mate alone and that she was busy so hadn’t been able to answer her phone, Ramon rushed inside, scanning the room. His heart sank, taking its false hope with it. Saffy was nowhere to be seen.
“Ramon?” a short, petite blonde woman asked as she approached him.
He nodded. “Yes, that’s me. Where’s Saffy?”
The woman shook her head. “Her brother and his friends came in here and she went with them.”
Ramon stilled, his heart landing somewhere in the vicinity of his throat. “Excuse me?”
She nodded. “I asked her if she wanted me to call the police, but Mason started to get really angry. He was frightening the customers, so Saffy told me not to bother and left with him.”
When the woman took in the expression on Ramon’s face, her eyes widened. “He’s her brother. You don’t think he’d hurt her, do you?”
Ramon would have answered but he was already halfway out the door. His stomach twisted painfully as he ran back to his car. He couldn’t imagine where Mason would have taken her, but he headed for her parent’s house, praying that her brother would be stupid enough to just take her home.
He parked outside their house, then jogged up to the front door and rang the doorbell. Too impatient to wait for a reply, he pounded on the door with his fists.
“Open up!” he shouted, his anxiety increasing with each passing second.
A few moments later, the door was pulled open and Saffy’s father, Owen, stood between its jambs.
“What the hell areyoudoing here?” he bit out. “You’ve caused enough trouble for this family already, don’t you think?”
“Are they here?” Ramon asked, trying to shoulder his way into the house.
The older man stood his ground. “Iswhohere?”
“Saffy!” Ramon shouted. “With Mason and his degenerate sidekicks.”
“No, they are not here,” Owen said. “Saffy is no longer welcome in my home.”
“I don’t believe you.” When Ramon tried to shoulder past him again, the man let out a burst of alpha power so strong it had Ramon rocking back on his heels.
“If you don’t leave immediately, I will call the police to have you arrested for—”
“Phone them,” Ramon said. “Go on. Do it. Perhaps you’ll be able to explain to them why Mason kidnapped his sister from her place of work an hour ago.”
The man scoffed. “Kidnapped? Why would Mason kidnap his own sister? You’re delusional.”
“She called me from work. Scared out of her mind. Mason and his friends were drunk. When I got there to pick her up, her boss said they came into the salon. Mason was angry and shouting, scaring the customers. He forced Saffy to go with them.”
“I’m sure she’s perfectly fine,” he said coldly. “Mason would never hurt his sister.”
“Are you willing to stake your life on that? Because if he harms one hair on her head, I’ll hold you personally responsible. He hurts her, I swear to God, I will tear him apart, then I’ll come for you.”
“Are youthreateningme?” Owen asked, incredulous.
“Yes,” Ramon said. “You bet your ass I am.”
Chapter Ten
Saffy
