“You terrorized me for weeks,” she hissed, louder.
“I saved you from yourself. You should be grateful.”
When he inched even closer, she took another step backward, bumping against the edge of the roof deck. She gripped the ledge.
“I’ve always taken care of you, and I always will. You’re safe with me now. You’ll be with me, and I’ll show you the most beautiful version of yourself. We’ll take over thefashion world together, and I’ll make sure you never make any mistakes again.” He reached out his hand, a smile creeping across his face.
Vanessa’s stomach pitched. Jordan was probably losing his mind. He had no way of knowing where she was. She tried to breathe through the panic taking over her, imagining drawing a square on Jordan’s chest, feeling his heartbeat under her finger.
“And if I don’t come with you?” The question was more a means of buying time than curiosity. She already knew the answer.
Landon knit his eyebrows together in sympathy. He dropped his hand to the lapel of his jacket, drawing it open to reveal a pistol pocketed inside the coat. “Then I’m afraid there will be no happy ending.”
Vanessa’s brain whirled like a hamster wheel as she scrambled for a way out. She needed a weapon. Landon wasn’t Jordan, but he was stronger than her. No way could she fight him off without help, especially if he was armed. And then the biting numbness in her toes sparked an idea.
The designer stilettos on her feet were four inches, and sharp as ice picks. If she could slip one off without drawing attention, maybe she wasn’t defenseless after all.
CHAPTER FIFTY-FOUR
“We’ve searched the perimeter,” Dex said. “Anderson’s been driving around the area. It’s chaos. She could be anywhere.” His eyes were shadowed, worry written all over his features.
It hadn’t even been ten minutes since they’d figured out Landon had Vanessa, but it was like an eternity. Every second was crucial. Every moment that passed meant she was in more danger.
Jordan stormed the lobby, where people were gathering after the event. It was packed. Loud. Disorienting. Crowds of partygoers and supermodels, all enjoying themselves and celebrating while his entire world was falling to pieces.
Years of martial arts had trained the panic out of his body, even as his heart dropped. A couple shoved past him to the elevator. He didn’t flinch.
In another life, he might have made a good soldier. In this one, he’d chosen to be a hardened criminal. That was the instinct that drove him now.
“I don’t think it’s working.” They were insignificant words from a woman standing by the elevator where thecouple who barged past him hit the call button, but Jordan froze.
“I sent my friend to let the front desk know. We’ve been waiting for a few minutes, but the light never moves. The afterparty is on the third floor, right?”
Jordan’s attention locked on the numbers above the elevator doors. The light for the top floor was lit. His body moved before his brain caught up, pushing past the crowd to make his way to the front desk.
Dex was at his heels. “You found her?”
Jordan didn’t bother answering as he shouldered his way to the security guard by the entrance. “Who has access to the fourteenth floor?” he demanded, his tone forceful enough that the guard’s eyebrows shot up.
“That’s our natural history exhibit,” the guard replied, flicking his gaze past Jordan’s shoulders to Dex.
Jordan noticed the guard’s hand inch toward the gun holstered at his waist and tempered his tone for his next comment. “It’s also the roof access. Who has access?”
When the guard raised his eyebrow, Jordan added, “A woman is missing.”
“Ryan.” Kennedy appeared beside them, slightly out of breath. “This is Jordan Thompson, head of Vanessa Barone’s personal security. Give him whatever information or access he requires. We have reason to suspect foul play.”
Ryan’s eyes widened briefly with surprise, but he nodded. “Of course, Kennedy, but I haven’t seen anything out of the ordinary. Our elevators malfunction once in a while, not often, but it’s happened?—”
“The fourteenth floor, Ryan. Who has access?” Kennedy insisted.
Ryan’s gaze swiveled between Kennedy and Jordan, realization dawning. “The main elevators have been limited tothe third floor this evening, but the service elevators are accessible to staff. All you need is an access card.” He lifted the lanyard around his neck, showing them the white card hanging off it.
A fucking access card? That was all it took to compromise Vanessa’s safety. Any amateur with half a brain could’ve stolen one. Jordan would bet his last dollar that those service elevators would bemalfunctioningnow too.
With a final hard stare at guard, Jordan sprinted toward the stairwell.
CHAPTER FIFTY-FIVE
