“Avara has virtually no footprint on social media. That should have raised a red flag,” Leo says.
“Not necessarily,” Ben replies as his cell rings. “He runs a successful import-export business, but he’s small fry. I wouldn’t expect to see him plastered over the internet,” he explains before answering his call. “Shit.” He rubs a spot between his brows. “All of them?” His worried gaze meets mine. “Take care of it,” he says before hanging up.
Tension bleeds into the air as Leo and I wait for the bad news. Ciro blows the horn, cussing at some guy on a messenger bike who cuts out in front of him.
“The bodyguards are dead,” Ben supplies, and all the blood drains from my face. “Shot multiple times at the rear of the campus building. Apparently, news reports are popping up now about a fatal shooting at NYU. It doesn’t seem like they’ve been there long because the police and M.E. have only just shown up. Rena’s and Chelsea’s bags were abandoned near the bodies.”
I bury my head in my hands, willing the traffic to magically disappear so I can get to my girl. Leo’s hand lands on my shoulder. “Keep it together, man. We’re going to find her.”
I can’t fall apart now. I need to keep my wits about me if I’m to extract Serena from whatever danger she’s in. So, I force my fear and panic to subside, and I lift my head, nodding at Leo. “Can you ask Phillip to search any cameras in the area,” I say to the boss. “It would be helpful to know what we’re stepping into.”
“I’m already on it.” Ben raises his cell to his ear.
“We should send someone to Avara’s place of business,” Leo suggests. “The governor’s home and office too.”
“No.” I shake my head as my mind churns options. “That could be too risky. And premature if we find Rena now. We need to plan our moves carefully. All we know at this point is Chelsea was a plant and the deaths of Rena’s bodyguards and her disappearance have got to be connected to that. But whether Chelsea is fully in on this or it’s her husband or Lucas Avara pulling the strings is unknown.”
“It’s possible they are working together,” Ben says.
“Or Chelsea could be having an affair with Lucas and the governor knows nothing about this,” Leo says.
“We haven’t found any ties between them, and there are no pictures of Lucas with the governor online.” I watch as Ben speaks into his cell. “But my gut says the men know each other,” I tell Leo while the boss updates Phillip and gives him new instructions.
“It’s just around the corner now, boss,” Ciro supplies when Ben ends his call.
I peer out the window as East River comes into view. The road stretches up ahead, running alongside the boardwalk, and I instantly know something isn’t right. Ben drags a hand through his hair as he looks at me, sharing my fear.
“The signal is coming from here.” Ciro frowns as he pulls up alongside the curb. “It doesn’t make sense.” He scratches the back of his head as he kills the engine.
“Get out,” I tell Leo because he’s blocking me from exiting the SUV.
“Wait,” Ben cautions, grabbing my arm. “Let the men canvas the area first. It could be a trap.”
As much as I hate to agree, I know he’s right. I give him a terse nod, and he calls thesoldatiin the SUV behind us, telling them to get out and check the area. The men walk by our vehicle, most of them watching the people passing by, their sharp eyes scanning the area for threats. Two of the men stop up ahead and crouch down before straightening.
“Out.” I almost shove Leo out of the car in my haste to get to them. Ben’s cell is ringing as I clamber outside and run toward our men. I hear Leo and the boss running behind me, but all other background noise is drowned out by the alarm bells ringing in my ear.
I slam to a halt beside the two men and drop to my knees in front of the device lying flat on the earthy flowerbed. As if on autopilot, I pull a plastic glove from my pocket and carefully pluck the blood-coated locator chip from the muck, holding it in the palm of my hand. My legs threaten to go out from under me as I stand, turning around to face my colleagues and friends. “They cut it out of her arm.” I’m struggling to keep the emotion from my voice and my face as I stare at Leo and Ben. From the grim expressions on their faces, I see they share my concern. “We have no way of finding her now, and how the fuck did they know she had this implanted?” Anger and helplessness battle inside me. “What the fuck is going on?”
36
SERENA
My arm throbs as I slowly regain consciousness, and for a second, I’m transported back to the aftermath of the shootout in the hotel when I got shot and Alfredo was killed. But that was over a year ago, and it’s not my current reality.
A door opens and someone says, “She’s awake, boss.”
My eyes blink open as I fight a wave of nausea and fear. My stomach churns uneasily, and I think I might puke.
“There is a bathroom at the back of the plane if you need to use it,” Lucas says, dropping into the seat in front of me.
He’s shirtless, and the top button of his pants is undone. Fresh scratch marks are evident on his chest, and my eyes narrow suspiciously. As my focus sharpens, I glance around the cabin of the private plane, scowling when I spot the creep who was following me. But other than him, the rest of the seats are empty. Outside, it’s dark, but I can tell we’re already in the air. “Where is Chelsea?”
Lucas smirks, and the calculating look in his eyes turns the blood in my veins to ice.
“If you’ve hurt her, I’ll kill you,” I hiss. “I don’t care if you’re her husband.” I’m still confused over what has happened and the exact role my so-called friend played in it, but I remember how frightened she was, and I know she tried to thwart his plans and stop this from happening. It doesn’t eradicate the hurt I feel knowing she’s been lying to me all along, but at least she tried to do the right thing in the end. Even if it failed and she’s now being punished for it too.
“Such fighting words for someone in such a precarious position,” he drawls, his gaze skimming over my body in a way that disgusts and terrifies me.
