"Yeah, he told Marcus the same. But babe—" She paused. "Marcus called his office. No one knew about any New York trip."
The floor tilted under me.
"We're coming over," Lucy said. "We're already in the car."
The line clicked off.
• • •
Twenty minutes later, the door crashed open.
Marcus didn't knock. Didn't wait. Just stormed in like he owned the place, Lucy right behind him.
He stopped two steps inside and his face went dark. "Fuck, Alena."
"I know," I said.
"No, you don't." He crossed the room in three strides, grabbed my shoulders, eyes scanning me like he was checking for injuries. Pit-fighter instincts. Always looking for damage. "When did you last eat?"
"I don't—"
"When?"
"Yesterday. Maybe."
"Fuck." He let go, turned to Lucy. "Get her water. And food. Actual food, not wine."
Lucy moved immediately, no argument. That's how it worked with them—Marcus commanded, Lucy executed, both of them moving like a unit when shit got serious.
Marcus pulled me to the couch, sat me down. His hands were shaking. I'd never seen Marcus's hands shake.
"Three days," he said, voice low and dangerous. "Three days since anyone's heard from him. Phone's off. Flat's empty. No one at his firm knows about New York."
"He said—"
"I know what he said." Marcus ran a hand over his face. "He told me the same thing. Emergency client meeting. Be back in a few days. But I called every contact he's got in New York—no one's seen him. No meetings scheduled. Nothing."
Lucy returned with water and the fossilized sandwich. "Drink," she ordered, shoving the glass at me.
I drank. Tasted like nothing.
"Right," Lucy said, sitting on my other side, trapping me between them. "Let's talk this through proper. What exactly did he say before he left?"
"Emergency work trip. New York. Few days." My voice sounded hollow. "He... we had sex that night. First time. And then he left the next morning."
Marcus's jaw tightened. "Did he seem off? Scared? Distracted?"
I thought back. The way he'd held me. The way he'd said I love you. The note—wait for me please.
"He seemed..." I swallowed. "He seemed like he was saying goodbye."
"Fuck." Marcus stood, started pacing. Caged animal energy. "This doesn't make sense. Drogo doesn't just disappear. Not from us. Not from you."
"Unless something happened," Lucy said quietly. "Something bad."
"Don't," I whispered.
"Babe, we have to consider—"
