Something is wrong with Sera. I know it.
“She was supposed to meet me at the gym an hour ago for sparring.” Finn’s words are coming faster than normal. “But she never showed. Her car’s in the parking lot. And she’s not answering her phone. It goes straight to voicemail.”
The world narrows to a pinprick. Her car is there. But she’s not. My heart slams against my ribs, a brutal rhythm that drowns out everything else. Terror—raw, and unfamiliar—floods my veins. I’ve faced down guns, knives, my almost certain death. But this? It’s like someone ripped open my chest and poured ice water straight into it.
I can’t breathe. Can’t think.
“Did you call her brother?” I bark, already moving, shoving through the door into the hallway. My strides snap on the marble floors. Alex is close behind me, his footsteps echoing my urgency.
“Not yet. Brady and Elizabeth headed up to their cabin for the weekend after the Taggert mess was resolved this morning. Didn’t want to worry them in case…” Finn trails off, but I hear the worry in his voice.
“Check the security footage.” My voice is rough. I’m hanging on, barely able to keep from roaring.
The elevator dings, and I jab the lobby button harder than necessary.
“Already did,” Finn replies, frustration bleeding through. “It’s glitchy as hell. I can see her pull in, park, then she walks across the lot and... waves at someone in a car. But I can’t make out the license plate. The angle’s shit, and the feed keeps cutting out.”
“Waves? Like she knew them?”
The fear twists deeper, morphing into a dark, churning dread. Who would she wave to? Who could lure her away?
My free hand balls into a fist, and I slam it into the wall of the elevator welcoming the bite of pain. I burst out of the elevator, sprinting for the parking garage, Alex right on my heels.
“She didn’t appear nervous or unsure,” Finn continues. “But I can’t tell for certain. And with the camera malfunction, I can’t get a look at the car when it enters the lot. Looks like interference, a jammer or something, but it could just be a system error.”
“Why didn’t you fix it?” I snap, yanking open the door to my car. “You’re the computer genius, aren’t you?”
Alex slides into the passenger seat, buckling in without a word.
The engine roars to life, and I peel out of the spot, tires screeching on the concrete.
“Well, I didn’t psychically know someone was going to target the gym’s security, did I?” But I can hear the panicked guilt underlying the words.
I draw in a breath, forcing it deep into my lungs. Calm down. Panicking won’t find her. But the fear… It’s a living thing now, clawing at my chest, whispering all the ways I failed her. I should have been there. Should have driven her myself. Should have... “I’m on my way,” I grind out. “Call Brady. Now.”
I end the call, tossing the phone into the cupholder. My foot slams the accelerator, weaving through traffic like a madman.
“Liev, talk to me,” Alex says, his voice low but insistent. “What’s happening?”
My jaw is clenched so tight it aches. “She’s missing. Car at the gym, but she’s not there. Not answering.”
The words feel unreal. The panic surges again, hot and blinding. What if she’s hurt? What if?—
Alex curses under his breath. “You think it’s the Taggerts?”
“No.” My grip on the wheel tightens, leather creaking. “They got what they wanted—the money from Aaron’s accounts. And they know what I’d do to them if they touched her. They’re not that stupid.”
But doubt creeps in. What if they are? What if this is revenge? Or something worse? Joelle Taggert wasn’t there this morning.
“Then who?” Alex presses, his own tension mirroring mine. “Someone looking to get back at you? Someone who figured out what really happened with your father?”
“I have no idea,” I growl, swerving around a slow truck. “But when I figure it out, they are going to die the most painful death I can think of.”
The promise hangs in the air, dark and absolute. I’ll tear the city apart if I have to. Burn it to its foundations. Sera’s out there somewhere—scared, maybe fighting—who am I kidding? She’sdefinitelyfighting, and I’m not there to help her. The thought rips through me, the pressure building to an unbearable level in my chest.
I love her. More than I ever thought possible. And if I lose her...
No. I can’t. I won’t.
