Collin’s expression stays unreadable. “You okay, man?”
I clench my fists. “Do I look okay? You think this is a vacation?” I force myself to rein it in. “Every lead’s gone cold,” I say through tight lips. “Aria’s out there, who knows where… and you walk in like the world’s still turning.”
“I tried calling,” Collin says.
I gesture to the broken phone. “Yeah? It’s dead.” He walks over, plucks out the SIM, and slides open a drawer to pull out my emergency phone. Efficient as hell, as always.
Thomas exchanges a look with him. “Any updates?” Thomas’s jaw is tight; the lines around his eyes are more distinct.
“It’s all gone in the wind… fucking scraps and nothing to show for it.” I snap, pacing. “Jake’s got nothing. Olivia could teach Houdini a few tricks. She’s vanished with my girl like a fucking ghost.”
Collin hands me the new phone. In a rare show of affection, he steps closer and rests a hand on my shoulder. “We’re with you, C. We’ll find her. We’ll burn every bridge and turn over every fucking rock until she’s found.”
I exhale hard, trying to breathe through my madness. “Did you get anything out of Aria’s boss, Simon?”
Collin shakes his head. “Nah, the poor bastard knew nothing. He met Olivia at a bar, thought she was hot, and hired her on the spot.” If Collin says Simon didn’t know shit, I believe him. I know the methods he uses to grind info out of a person.
“What about the bar where he picked her up?” I ask.
“I sent one of our guys to pull the camera footage,” Thomas cuts in. “For a moment, I thought we’d caught a break. Since the owner backs everything up to the cloud... But no, Olivia’s a pro, always keeps her face turned or hidden. We checked the surrounding businesses, and it was the same thing. Like you said, the girl’s a fucking ghost.”
“Fuck!” I slam my fists against the desk again.
“We know from Johnny that Lorenzo ordered Aria’s snatch,” Collin mutters. “Any closer to finding that fucker?”
“We’re working on it,” Thomas says. “Jake’s digging. He’ll turn something.”
I rake both hands through my hair, pressure building behind my eyes. “What about the mole, Collin?”
“Still nothing. Everyone’s been checked out and cleared.”
“The offshore accounts?” I snap. “Troy find anything?”
Collin’s fingers fly fast over his phone screen and looks my way. “Troy’s still combing through the books.”
Something isn’t adding up. I feel it in my bones. I grab the nearest chair and swing it into the desk. Once, twice, on the third, wood splinters. The sound is a sharp crack, violent, bouncing off the walls, but it’s not enough.
Thomas steps in front of me. “Cyan. We all want her back. But breaking shit isn’t helping her. We need a plan. I need you focused. Use that big brain of yours and–.”
I cut him off. “Don’t you get it? It’sAria.Every second we sit here talking, she’s sinking deeper into whatever hell Lorenzo dragged her into.”
Thomas’s control fractures. “You think I don’t feel it?” His voice cracks. “Gracie’s unconscious. Fighting for her life. My daughter watched the whole thing.” I still and really take him in. Thomas’s suit is the same one from yesterday—wrinkled, disheveled. His hair looks like he’s been dragging his fingers through it for hours. He mirrors my own wrecked state in every way.
“Fuck, Thomas,” I whisper. “I didn’t even ask about Gracie. Or Evie. How are they?”
He shakes his head. “Doesn’t matter. We’re all drowning.” He swallows. “Gracie made it through surgery. She’s critical. The next few hours will tell us everything.”
“Why aren’t you with her?”
“Her parents showed up.” He stares out the window, his jaw tight. “Her mom lost it. Started screaming,it’s my fault,she kicked me out.”
“And you let her?”
His eyes glaze over. “I left because the yelling wasn’t good for Gracie. I posted men at the door.” He exhales hard. “And because I need to be here doing something or I’ll start going mad. We need to find the bitch who shot her and threatened Evie.”
“How is Evie?”
Thomas drags his hands through his hair. “Shit, I don’t know. She’s in shock. Not talking much. Once Rosa arrives, she latches onto her and won’t let go.”
