He returned to his apartment, head bowed.Defeat threatened to overcome him.How was he supposed to find her again?No doubt, she’d make herself scarce for a few days.It would have been so much easier if she’d stayed with him.From there, together, they’d be able to fight against anything and anyone, but now, he’d have to find her again.
He shut the door and passed a hand across his face, sighing deeply.No matter what, he’d find his little one and save her.His little one.How had she become so important in so little time?She’d told him there was no shifter magic, but surely there was.A normal man his age didn’t just fall head over heels in love with a stranger.And it was love.He knew the bone-aching feeling which thrust his heart into overdrive.Adam shook his head and padded toward the kitchen.He knew insta-lust, but insta-love?This was new and alarming, yet also welcoming, he mused, while clearing the dishes from the bar.
“Adam, you need to find her,” he whispered to himself.
If only to explore these feelings.He needed her, and the sooner the better.If he were another man, he’d throw himself into the hunt, but he knew what he was doing.There was no point in running blindly, no point in going in without a plan.He had to strategize.
He’d take a shower and go down to the police station, dig up some dirt.Making his way toward the bedroom, he stopped short.His pulse jumped and a grin spread across his features as he noticed her bag on the living room floor.She’d left so fast she hadn’t noticed she’d forgotten her things.A chuckle escaped him.
Some people would call it fate, he liked to refer to it as life’s mysterious ways.Whatever it was, it worked in his favor.Adam picked it up.It was small, merely a clutch, but hopefully it would hold the answers he needed.Letting out a slow breath, he clicked it open.
Bingo.
The small purse had everything he needed.A credit card and her phone.He had no doubt both were monitored by the mob who had her, but they didn’t know she’d left it behind yet, so he had to act quickly.
He’d go to the station first and make a forensic copy before they could delete or alter the original.Then, the investigation would begin.
Chapter Twelve
Katya curled into aball on her bed, biting back tears instead of releasing them.She aimed to rationalize what she’d done.She’d left her mate for his own safety.If she remained with him, they would eventually find and hurt them.Not only them, but her sister too.She’d done the right thing, so why did it hurt so badly?The tiger within her paced back and forth in her chest like a caged animal, mewling desperately.Katya took a deep breath and brushed the stray tears which managed to escape.
“Get your shit together,” she mumbled.
She had to get back to work.Soon, they’d come to collect, and she had barely made any profit this week.Realization dawned on her with a bang.She sat up in bed and scanned her living quarters.
“No.No!”she cried, jumping to her feet.
In her haste, she had forgotten her belongings.Theywould know.They would track him down and kill him as soon as they found out he was in the police force.She had to go back.
Grabbing her only pair of jeans and a t-shirt, she threw them on and rushed to the door.She flung it open and bit back a scream.A man as big as a four-by-four stood blocking her exit.
“Love not having to knock,” he said with a thick Eastern Europe accent.He took a step forward, effectively pushing her back inside.
“Were you going anywhere, Katyuna?”
Katya swallowed hard, recognizing the voice of the second man.
