I wanted to track her down immediately but recognized the look of exasperation coating her face. The tensed set of her jaw and clenched hands— a telltale sign she wanted air and time to herself.
“I went to give some friendly advice to yourSelected.” His lips curl like the thought of her being our potential wife leaves a bad taste in his mouth.
Gritting my teeth, I try to remember he’s just too focused on what’s going on with the Fraternitas to see Ariah’s greatness.
“What do you mean you gave her some advice?” My grip on his shoulder intensifies, squeezing until he visibly winces. “What did you say?” I growl.
“I simply suggested she leave town,” he states, stepping back until my hold loosens.
I feel the shift in my mood, my eyes narrowing as my annoyance grows.Why does he have to be this obstinate?There’s apprehension, and then there’s Lev and Wes.Fucking idiots.
Rolling my eyes, I say, “You’re a tool. You know that? You and Wes are going to die on this hill of denial, and I can’t wait to make you both eat crow when you have to grovel for forgiveness.”
“No, I’m just the last of the remaining rational thinkers,” he mumbles, the last part so low I almost miss it.Does this mean Wes is coming around?
“What do you mean the last? I thought Wes was the conductor of the ‘Ariah is trash’ express?”
Lev pulls his hair from the styled bun, letting it fall down the sides of his shaved head to his shoulders before responding. “I don’t think she’s trash. So I was never on that damn track. She’s an un-fucking-known that showed up at a far too convenient-.”
Whatever bullshit he was about to finish spewing is cut off when I see Ariah’s guards fly past us, nearly bowling us over.
I don’t stop to see if Lev is following. I take off— flying out the estate’s wooden doors, trying to catch up toward the gazebo.
When I reach the opening, all I see is the spot where Ariah’s shoes are strewn on the ground next to her watch. The watch that’s always supposed to be attached to her wrist. The only evidence she was here. I spin, peering into the darkness— hoping she’ll appear out of the abyss.
My pulse pounds, drowning out all the noise of the scene around me. I see the scrambling of her guards. I see their mouths move, and I’m sure someone is calling Thomas, but none of the sounds permeate the roaring sound of my blood throbbing in my ears.
A hand waves in my face. I recognize Lev. He must have followed me here. He’s trying to speak to me, but my mind locks on to his earlier words,‘I simply suggested she leave town.’
My hand shoots forward before the sly fucker can move— wrapping around his throat and squeezing.
“What the fuck did you do?” I snarl, shocking him as I apply pressure against his trachea.The stupid fuck. He’ll die if he did something to her.
“Wy. Wy, let him go. It wasn’t him.” Sebastian’s hand grips my wrist, squeezing to garner my attention.
Turning, I face him but don’t loosen my grip. I growl, “What do you mean he has nothing to do with it? He said it himself. He suggested she leave, and then she goes missing?”
I return my focus back to the last fucker to see her. “Where the fuck is she? If you weren’t so goddamn stuck up Wes’s ass-.”
Sebastian’s hand shoots out, gripping my wrist. “If you would let him go, we can go get the damn update. Now let him go. We don’t have time for this shit,” he snarls, moving to stand in front of me.
As his words register, I release my hold and choked gasps shift my attention back to Lev in time to see the color returning to his face and hurt fill his electric-blue eyes.
“How could you ever think I would do something like that? After everything that happened?” he rasps.
“He’s not thinking straight, Lev. He knows you would never do something so vile,” Owen says, coming to my defense.
I’m not sure when they all arrived. But Owen’s right. I know deep down Lev would never, not after what happened to him and Owen.
“I’m sorry, man. I jus...No, I’m sorry. There’s no just. I was out of line, and I’m sorry,” I state.
He pauses before nodding, “Let’s go find out what happened to your girl.”
“Our girl. She’sours,” I snarl, stalking toward the area the guards are still combing over.
“What the fuck happened here?” Wes shouts, storming in until he’s face to face with a guard.
“Sir, we’re not sure,” a beast of a man answers. I think his name is Antonio. He’s easily the size of Thomas, but his muscles’ muscles have muscles. I’d typically have some slick shit to say about staying away from creatine, but I’m too fucking livid to joke.
