I hear footsteps downstairs before ripping out of the room with a torrent of emotions I can't begin to place. I haven't felt agony like this since my own father left me for dead.
Someonetookher from me.
“Rowan,” Alana calls softly as I join them in the living room. She’s holding her phone out to me, the screen illuminated with Addison’s ransom. “Does the name Hughes ring a bell to you?”
Atlas’s head whips up as he lingers near the front door next to a shaken Loxley. “Hughes? Is that who placed the hit?”
My blood runs cold as I grab Alana’s phone. I skim the information displayed, and disbelief punches through me.
How could I have not seen this before?
It all makes so much sense.
The reason I felt like I knew Addison’s uncle…
“Rowan?” Alana’s voice is gentle as she glances at Connor with concern.
“I know who took her,” I rub a hand across my mouth, mentally berating myself for being too wrapped up to notice the signs. “Ford Hughes is the leader of the Northwestern syndicate and Addison’s uncle.”
Chapter Thirty-Two
Rowan
My home is a buzz of preparation. Everyone moves around me with quiet whispers as I shove clothes into a duffel bag. They’re trying not to rattle me further, but my nerves are already shot. My hands shake, and all I can think of is how I failed my girl.
I should have looked into Hughes the moment I thought I recognized the name. All of the signs were there. Addison’s Mom never responded to her. It was all so out of character, but I was too lost in the moment.
It was like years of training had dissipated in my girl’s presence. I wore those rose colored glasses for far too long.
“Hey,” Alana calls softly as she places a hand on my shoulder. “Stop beating yourself up over this. It wasn't your fault.”
I zip my bag with more force than I should. “It is, Al. Iletthis happen.”
“You didn't know,” she interjects.
“I should have!” I whip around, the overwhelming urge to tear through state after state, clawing away at my resolve. I feel desperate—hopeless. Like a part of me is fuckingmissing.
The intel expert’s expression only softens, her eyes bleeding with sadness. “Oh, Rowan, you can't blame yourself. Not when she needs you.”
Her words stunt me, and I blink away my deranged side that keeps seeming to make a guest appearance. “I’m sorry. I just have to find her…”
“You will,” she reassures me before pulling me into a hug.
I let my arms wrap around her as comfort washes over me. It isn't much, but it helps ground me. Going into this with a fucked up mind will only lead to mistakes. I know they will keep Addison safe, but taking her is like waging war against us. Against me.
“I tracked her location. Luckily enough, she had her phone on her, and Dominic said he would go with you.” Alana presents the burner phone with a steadily moving dot as she pulls away.
I take it, giving her the best tight smile I can to show my gratitude. Dominic pokes his head in the open front door of Addison's and my home, a bag slung over his shoulder.
“Are you ready?” He asks.
“Yes,” I grab my things before Loxley catches my attention.
She’s rattled. Her friend has gone missing for a second time, and that guilt tugs away at my gut. Her usually sunny features are downcast, and her eyes are rimmed red from crying. “Bring her back. Please, Rowan.”
“I am.” A deathly calm washes over me. Those old instincts are kicking in as the woman I love needs me. “Even if it fucking kills me.”
***
