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Chapter Six
Kade
Damnit. I stared at the empty bed in my guest bedroom, with my spare set of clothing that I had loaned her folded up in a pile at the foot of it, and cursed myself for letting my emotions and other things get in the way of my common sense. I should have known better than to believe that Caitlyn would stay.
Now, she’d run off somewhere and that spelled trouble for both of us. I didn’t even know her address, because with all the kissing, daddy talk and crying, I had forgotten to actually get it from her.
I should have punished her like I’d wanted to and hinted at, but I thought it would have made her run even faster. Too bad she had made the decision on her own. And now, I had to try to find her.
Antonio rarely traveled anywhere without his men close by. I’d gotten lucky the other night, and had I done my job without letting Caitlyn’s plight distract me, she’d have been a whole lot safer right now. Shit. As much as I wanted to track down the sassy blonde, I had to go to work too. Tonight though, I’d set out some feelers and find my way back to her.
***
I left work earlier than usual without a second thought. Important meetings filled my schedule all day, but I had found enough time to gather intel on the loser Caitlyn worked for. Thankfully, his name slipped through her thoughts at some point during one of our conversations, and I had paid attention.
Joe Raglione. He treated his employees like shit at the bottom of his shoe, and his treatment of a certain blue-eyed waitress was no different. He wasn’t a hardened criminal exactly, but he took bets and engaged in some unsavory deals at the very least.
Mr. Radley Hayden was the next fucking scumbag on my list. He only rented to hot young things, and he literally raped them for rent on these dingy little rathole apartments in terrible parts of the city, and yet he lived like a king on the eastside in a high-rise condominium. Mr. Hayden was about to get a serious lesson in manners. When I was through with him, he wouldn’t take advantage of anyone again.
After I properly sorted him out, I planned to go and collect my girl, whether she wanted to be collected or not. I didn’t have the right to make demands of her as we had talked about, but I wasn’t going to allow her to insist on placing herself in danger either. Labeling her as my girl should have raised red flags somewhere in my brain, but it felt oddly right. Whether it was right or wrong, I wasn’t going to let her go this time. I wasn’t sure if I believed in fate, but if I did, I would say that it had thrown us together under a set of unusual and extreme circumstances, and I’d be damned to let her slip away.
I texted my sister Louisa. Don’t be mad. Caitlyn snuck out in the middle of the night.
Her reply was immediate. Jackass! Go get her.
I rolled my eyes and sighed. It’s not that easy, Sis. I sent off nothing more than a lame excuse to Louisa. My cell phone rang. “Hello?”
“With the shit you told me the other night, this means Cate has gone and placed herself in the path of a freaking oncoming train,” Louisa grumbled. “Do you know where she is?”
“I have a pretty good idea. I’ll let you know when I find her.”
“I’ll kick your ass if you don’t. When you-know-who goes after someone, it doesn’t take him long to hit his mark.” She spoke a little too knowingly and perhaps she’d dealt with him more than I’d realized over the past few years.
“You’re not telling me anything new, Louisa. Is there anything else or can I go now?”
“You’ve already kissed her.” She blew out a breath. “Haven’t you?”
“Jesus.” I pinched the bridge of my nose. “Caitlyn kissed me first if it’s all the same to you, but whether or not her and I have any sort of relationship potential is second to the threat to her life.”
“Fine, and you’re right. I bet Cate would be good for you. Tell me she’s an adorable combination of sweet and feisty.”
“Oh, Sis, you have no idea.”
“Good.” She chuckled despite the circumstances. “Why are you still hanging around talking to me?”
Pointing out that she’d called me first wouldn’t get me off the phone any faster, so I hurried the conversation along. “I’ll text you later. Love you.”
“Please be careful, Kade.” Her voice cracked at the edge thick with sudden emotion. If Antonio already got his hands on my girl, then it would be quite a fight to get her back, and we both knew the risk I’d be taking to do so.
“Don’t worry, Sis. I’m always careful. Talk to you in a bit.” I ended the call without giving Louisa another word in. I hated to hear how upset I’d gotten her, but I had a plan. Changing into nondescript clothing along with the mask that covered most of my face fueled my inner hunger for justice for Caitlyn.
After grabbing a duffel of emergency supplies, I was on my way, and I didn’t plan on coming back until all the parts of my mission were complete, and I had the sassy blonde in my possession. This time I wouldn’t let her out of my sight.
Agenda: Take care of Hayden and take out Raglione. Then get the damn girl.
I was going to get into Caitlyn’s good graces no matter what it took to show her that I held her best interests at heart. Beating down those two low-life scumbags would definitely get her attention. Just the thought of smashing their scuzzy faces in made me feel damn good. All warm and fuzzy inside Ah, well. We all had our quirks.
***
