My jaw tightens until it aches.
Every second I wasted on her lies is a second I wasn’t watching my son.
I drop my hand from Brennan’s shoulder and start moving again, because standing still feels like signing a death sentence for Scout.
“Come on. We have work to do.”
As we circle Kieran’s estate, I call every contact I have, every informant that owes me anything, no matter how small. My phone is glued to my ear as I pace the perimeter, barking orders and demanding answers.
Someone knows something, they always do. I just have to give them a good enough reason to talk.
I’m hanging up another call when Kieran sprints down the driveway toward me, his breath clouding in front of his face.
His eyes are wild as he takes in the scene around him. “We found nothing on the way here. The south end’s clear, no tracks past the tree line.”
I curse under my breath as I look past Kieran to see Ronan climbing out of the car, his phone pressed to his ear and his expression carved from stone.
He ends the call with a sharp nod and slips the phone back into his pocket. His demeanor is deathly calm, but I know my brother well enough to know that underneath that cool exterior, a storm is raging.
I step toward him. “Anything?”
“Not yet.”
“Fuck.”
“What the hell happened to you?” Ronan barks as Brennan approaches.
“There’s time for details later, once we have found my son.” My voice shakes from the panic I am failing to contain.
Ronan nods. “Let’s head inside and try to come up with some sort of plan. We can’t afford to cut any corners.”
We circle back toward the house together, the four of us falling into step like muscle memory.
The estate is lit up now, and the number of guards has been doubled. It should feel secure, but it doesn’t.
My eyes scan my surroundings automatically, cataloging everything.
Then I notice something that stops me dead.
Fiona isn’t outside.
My pulse spikes.
I turn slowly, searching the driveway again. “She was here. Where the hell is she?”
Kieran’s brow furrows as he looks down the drive where a dozen men are searching the surrounding bushes. “Who?”
“Fiona. She was right here.”
Ronan follows my gaze, his jaw tightening. “Do you think she left?”
“I think she wouldn’t dare. Unless she had a reason.”
“Cormac, think—,” Kieran calls as I start sprinting toward the house.
I shove the door open hard enough that it slams against the wall. “Fiona!”
The sound echoes through the house, bouncing off the walls where countless family photos hang that suddenly feel like a fucking joke.
