Page 23 of Big Billionaire

I grab my bag and kiss her forehead, murmuring a rushed goodbye before bolting out the door for the bus stop, adrenaline burning through my veins. My heart is on fire, carrying me forward. Toward him.

But I don’t get far.

As I come down the front steps, a hand shoots out of the shadows, yanking me sideways. My back slams against the wall of the house, the air forced from my lungs. Before I can scream, a cold hand covers my mouth.

“Didn’t I warn you to watch your back, princess?” says a familiar sneering voice.

My blood runs cold.

Logan.

Chapter Ten

Damien

I pull up to Lena’s parents’ house, my chest tight with unease. It’s the only place I can think of, the only place that makes sense. My assistant dug up the address for me, and the entire drive over I’ve been gripping the steering wheel so hard my knuckles ache.

All I can think about is that goddamn card.Watch your back, princess.

I never should have left her alone.

I climb out and stride to the door, pounding against the wood with urgency. After a beat, it creaks open and a young woman peers up at me. She looks so much like Lena that it steals my breath for a moment, but she’s paler, thinner, her body carrying a quiet fragility.

“You must be Abby,” I say.

She lifts her brows faintly, tilting her chin to look me in the eyes. “Yes. And you are?”

She definitely knows who I am.

“Damien Blackwell,” I answer anyway. “I’m looking for Lena.”

Confusion flickers across her face, followed quickly by a little frown. “But…she’s not here. She just left.”

Ice slams into my veins. “Left? Where?”

Abby tucks a strand of hair behind her ear. “To find you. After your…your confession on TV.”

The floor seems to tilt beneath me. Every instinct screams that something’s wrong. “How long has she been gone?”

“Five minutes, maybe,” Abby says, her brows dipping in a worried frown. “Do you think something’s wrong?”

I don’t waste another word. I pivot sharply and bolt back down the steps, my pulse pounding in my ears. I can faintly hear Abby calling out to me, but I don’t wait to listen.

“Lena!” I call, my voice raw, echoing through the quiet street as I look around desperately. “Lena!”

She’s got to be around here if it’s only been five minutes. Right?

“Le—” A high-pitched scream cuts me off.

My blood goes cold.

I sprint toward the sound and round the corner just in time to see Logan, my son, yanking Lena by the arm like she’s a rag doll. Her face is twisted in pain, tears streaking her cheeks.

“Let her go,” I say, my voice dropping into a cold, lethal growl. “Now.”

Logan turns his head slowly, arrogance dripping from every line of his face. “Why? She was mine before she was yours.”

Rage explodes in my chest. I ball my fist and ram it into his face before the words even finish leaving his mouth. The crack ofbone meeting bone reverberates through the air as he stumbles back, blood rushing from his lip.