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The door swung open, and I frowned at the empty bed before turning my attention to the open bathroom.
Also empty.
“Veronica?” I called out, unrest rising to the surface.
Where was she?
“Veronica?” I headed back out, checking each room for any sign of her, the knot in my stomach only twisting tighter as my search became more agitated.
I tromped down the stairs, wondering if she’d slipped by me while I was sleeping. I’d not been asleep for long, and normally I’d awaken to any presence.
But mytopolinawasn’t just anyone.
“Enzo, something’s going on with the cameras,” Hank said as he strode through the front door just as I hit the bottom step.
“Veronica isn’t here,” I stated as I turned to him.
“Yes, that’s what I was coming to say, Caleb was checking the feeds, and said she left the lodge not too long before I came in, she wasn’t running though.”
“And no one thought to come and tell me immediately?” I snapped, the anger surging to the surface.
Was Vee running from us? Why did that hit so damn hard, like a knife to the gut?
“He assumed she needed air after everything, but he informed me as soon as I went back out, and then we noticed the feed showed her leaving again. It’s on a loop,” Hank said quickly, his hand flexing at his side.
“A loop?” Fuck, that wasn’t good. Sure, it could be a glitch, but it meant it was more than likely someone was messing with our systems.
“Caleb is calling Zane and Kieran now, but I think we should go get Veronica,” Hank added as I gritted my teeth.
I turned back, striding over to the table by the doors leading out back and yanking the center drawer open. I loaded the glock quickly as I thrust the door open and headed outside, not caring about the cool night air nipping at me.
Hank was right behind me, following me as I descended the steps and headed off.
Would she have followed the track we used to follow through the woods as kids? It was worn in, the guards using it as well, and I prayed she’d chosen to stick to the path.
“I’ve got men already out there headed for the motion detectors, it’s possible it was her setting them off,” Hank said, his voice tense.
I wanted to believe that, but the pit in my stomach was filling me with dread.
Something wasn’t right, and I knew better than to ignore my gut.
Hank understood as I moved into a jog, keeping in step with me as he pulled his gun from its holster.
Why had Zane and Kieran had to go out? Kieran was handling the disposal of Callum, while Zane had gone for a drive.He’d hidden how Vee’s plea for us to leave her alone had hit him, but I knew it had cut him deep.
Like me, he would be wondering if we’d made the right call. But for him, it would be more than a mere unease. He’d be questioning everything since he never truly made mistakes. His logic and calculation was his sole reasoning in life, but if his choices had hurt her, it would upheave the very foundations of who he was. He did his duties, no questions asked, but this would rock those core beliefs and views.
A scream pierced the air from the woods far ahead, and my heart faltered as Hank drew in a sharp breath.
“Vee.”
Whatever logic and reason I’d had was gone, and I moved into a sprint, my mind focused solely on the woman I desperately wanted in my arms right now.
My legs pumped hard as I raced like hell was on my heels, my heart beating harder than it had in a long time.
Static sliced through the air from Hank’s radio only seconds before a shot fired off in the distance.
If my own men were firing on her, they’d not live to see morning.
