“I’m sending help, Hugo. Hang on. Asva, take Nero and get to the house. Something’s happened. Alrick, you come with me.”
With another burst of adrenaline, I hop inside the passenger side of the SUV, feeling the powerful acceleration as Alrick peels away from the warehouse. I end the call to Hugo and immediately dial Arabelle’s number.
“Hello, Florian.”
When Addie’s voice comes over the line and not Arabelle’s, anger rushes through me, causing my hand to clench around my phone.
I’m going to kill her.
“Where’s Arabelle, Addie?”
“No ‘how are you doing?’” she asks, laughing like a crazy lunatic. “No ‘I’ve missed you too, baby?’”
“Addie, stop fucking playing with me. Where the fuck is Arabelle?”
She huffs. “Get a grip on yourself, Florian. Your precious Beauty is fine.”
Arabelle’s blood-curdling screams send shivers down my spine, and my heart drops to my feet.
“At least, she’s fine for now.”
“I’m going to fucking kill you when I see you!” I yell. “Let her go!”
“If I die, so does she, Florian. And I know how much you don’t want me to die, my love.”
I need to think rationally and calm down before it costs Arabelle her life because, clearly, Adahlia has lost her fucking mind.
“What do you want, Adahlia? I’ll give you anything you want if you just let her go.”
“What I’ve always wanted, Florian. You. I want to be your wife.”
“Where are you?” I ask, raking my hand over my face in frustration and ignoring her statement. I have one fucking wife, and Adahlia will never be her. “We’ll meet and talk.”
“At our special place. I’ll be waiting.”
The only response I get on the other end is silence. Anger roars through me as I pound my fist against the dash.
“I’m going to fucking kill her,” I say and punch the dashboard again. “Head to the penthouse. They’re on the rooftop.”
My men and their families may find it odd that Arabelle and Adahlia are together, but no one will stop them from entering the building. Everyone knows Arabelle is my wife, and they know Adahlia comes to my penthouse often.
It’s not surprising she chose the rooftop. Our conversations up there revolved around our lives and the dreams for our future outside of what we needed to do for our families. It was too bad that it was also the place where she’d lose her life.
As the elevator doors slide open, a gust of wind sends a chill down my spine. Alrick is getting more men, but I’ve ordered them to hold back to avoid spooking Adahlia. Right now, my only concern is getting Arabelle away from her unharmed. Alrick already knows to take steps to make sure Arabelle’s safe, and that Adahlia dies if anything happens to me.
With my hands buried deep in the pockets of my peacoat, I approach Adahlia, who is standing behind a trembling Arabelle, a gun pointed at her head.
“Hands up!” Adahlia orders. “Or I’ll kill her, Florian! Don’t fucking play with me!”
I continue to walk toward them, but I do raise my hands in the air as a sign that I don’t mean her any harm.
“What’s this all about, Addie?” I ask. My eyes shift toward Arabelle to make sure she’s all right. She looks terrified, and there’s a mark above one of her eyes. Other than that, she looks fine. I return my focus to Adahlia. “Why are we here?”
In a display of annoyance, Adahlia rolls her eyes. “You know why we’re here, Florian. Don’t play stupid. You married this bitch when it should have been me. Did you think I’d just let her get away with taking you from me? I’m my father’s daughter, after all. You should know better than to screw me over!”
She tightly clutches Arabelle’s hair, forcefully pulling her head back, eliciting a piercing scream.
“Addie! Addie! Take a deep breath and calm down. Leave her out of it. None of this is her fault. Your problem is with me, so talk to me. We’re friends, aren’t we?”
