Page 115 of Royal Desire

“So you’re saying that’s under control?” he asks. “Because I just got another call that is very not under control.”

Dean frowns. “What else is going on?”

“I had to stop taking calls to call you. Shots were fired, man—at the fancy-ass manor. Both inside and out.”

Even after what just happened, nothing has raised a panic in me like this. “Ruby.”

Dean keeps talking as he starts back to his cruiser. “I was just there. What the hell happened?”

The kid goes on. “Gunshots and a kidnapping.”

“Fuck.” I’m in an all-out run.

I don’t need to listen to the rest. I have a sinking feeling I know.

The dispatcher confirms it. “Units are almost to your fatality. They’ll take care of that. You need to get to the manor. They took the singer. She’s gone.”

Dean and I enter through the front doors of the manor.

It’s chaos.

Devon is standing in the middle of the atrium with his cell to his ear. He’s talking while directing panicked guests. But the real surprise is who’s standing next to him.

Brand Vitale and Art Ramos.

Brand and Art move as soon as they see me. I don’t ask what they’re doing here or how they knew to come. I don’t give a shit.

“This is Enzo, isn’t it?” I demand. “Where’s Ruby?”

Brand puts up a hand. “I don’t know. No one knows. We’ve got men looking for them. Donnelly’s working on it too. He seems to be connected in ways that’re impressive.”

I drag a hand through my hair and look between them. “You knew he was here and didn’t tell me?”

Art stops me. “We didn’t know he was here. We got a tip he was headed west. Then about an hour ago, one of our men who has an in with the Carusos in New York said that Enzo made a call to a friend he thought he could trust. We had no idea this would happen. When we got that call, we headed this way.”

“Fuck!” I can’t think about losing her. It can’t happen again. I force my brain to move forward. “Wait. That means we have a number. We need to⁠—”

Brand interrupts me. “We do. Donnelly is already on it.”

I turn to Dean. He’s standing by Devon who’s mid-conversation on the phone. “I need access to that feed, Bella. One of my employees has been abducted and shots were fired. I want that fucker in prison—or worse.” He pauses. “Let me put you on speaker.”

A woman with an accent as English as Devon’s is all business. “Ozzy sent you a link. Did you get it?”

Devon’s fingers work fast on his screen. “Got it. He’s outside of town and halfway up the trails. What a bloody fuckwit. He’s driving a Mercedes.”

“We’re trying to get sights on him through the satellite,” Bella goes on. “The trees are thick which makes it difficult since he turned his lights off. Ozzy is switching to thermal radiation.”

I turn to Devon. “You’re coming with us in Dean’s cruiser. Let’s go.”

Brand and Art move too. “We’ll follow.”

I can’t think about Enzo putting his hands on her ... or worse.

Hang on, baby. I’ll get you back.

CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

DONE