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My skin prickles.

I don’t wait for the gate to open fully before sprinting out of the car, through the small gap of the opening gate, and back into the mansion. The first thing I see when I run up to the open door of the mansion sets me on edge. Ezra and Daniel are passed out on the floor. I curse, continuing through the empty halls.

“Hello?” I call out, but no answer.

It doesn’t take me long to reach the bedroom. My heart pounds when I see the door I closed on the way out is cracked open. Kicking it wide, my heart jumps to my throat when I see Camila is missing, but Obsidian is sitting at the very top of the scratch tower, hissing at me.

“Fuck. Camila?” I yell.

No answer.

I burst into the en suite bathroom.

Empty.

A low buzz sounds on the floor, and I follow it, finding Camila’s phone with that stupid case with black cats in various positions all over it. My arms tremble with nerves as I pick it up, seeing Jac’s name pop up on the screen, attempting to call her.

What the fuck is her phone doing here?

My stomach twists.

“Fuck,” I shout and accept the call. “It’s me. Fuck, Jac. She’s gone. Ezra and Dan are knocked out. Call the doctor.”

His voice drifts through the speaker. “Okay, keep your fucking head on, Xander. Get back out here.” I nod to myself and hang up the phone.

The screen lights up with a previous conversation from an unknown number. It’s Luke. Threatening me. And she… replied.

She’s letting herself be fucking taken?

Rage fills my veins.

She’s protecting me.

I’m going to find him and cut off his limbs one by fucking one.

I’m back in the car in no time. Everything feels like a blur as white-hot anger fills me.

“Diamond Lounge. Now.”

It wasn’t even ten minutes ago that we left, and Camila is missing.

“You think Nova did this?” Jac asks.

My knees stop their jerking.

“She was the one that texted me about her lead on Luke,” he continues, his eyebrows pulling into the middle in contemplation.

“It can’t be,” he murmurs to himself.

“Is he still there?” I ask as I turn on the car screen, displaying a black and white map with a small red dot beeping on DL.

This is fucking it.

We pull up outside of DL, nervous jitters overtaking my body as I grab the gun from my pocket.

“Stay here,” I command.

“No fucking way. I’m coming with you.”