Page 27 of Stalked By Raiden

“Over.”

“Maybe her phone died.”

I shake my head. “She would’ve borrowed someone else’s.”

Royal is already typing. “When was the last time you heard from her?”

“This afternoon.”

He nods once. “I’ll pull traffic cameras around the school.”

I hesitate for the briefest second. Then I make a decision I’d hoped I would never have to explain.

“Check the tracker.”

Three pairs of eyes turn toward me. River raises an eyebrow. “You put one in her bag?”

“I wanted a way to find her if Drake made a move.”

No one comments. Royal simply keeps typing. The quiet in the room feels suffocating. Every second stretches into another. I can’t think about where she is or what is being done to her, or I’ll detonate here and now.

“I’ve got it.”

The words freeze every thought in my head. A blinking dot appears on the map. Several miles away. Royal zooms in and my blood turns to ice.

“I know that address,” I growl.

We all do.

River exhales sharply. “Drake.”

Royal confirms it with another window. “The property is registered to one of his holding companies.”

Nobody speaks. Drake didn’t scare her. He took her.

The realization lands like a punch to the gut. For one terrifying second, I can’t breathe. Images flash through my mind. Elodie laughing over coffee. Elodie blushing every time I called her Freckles.

The way she’d smiled this morning when I’d walked her to work.

If I’m too late…

I shut the thought down before it can finish.

I won’t be. I can’t be. The words become a mantra that drowns out the darkness threatening to overcome me.

River steps closer. “We’ll get her back.”

I look at him. “If anything happens to her…” My voice breaks, and nothing comes out. I try again. “If I’m too late, I don’t know who I’ll be after this.”

Roman places a hand on my shoulder. “You won’t be.”

I swallow hard. “She’s my lifeline.” The admission surprises even me. “I’ve spent years convincing myself I didn’t need anyone.” I let out a humorless laugh. “Took one kindergarten teacher with freckles to prove me wrong.”

No one smiles. This isn’t the time.

River pulls his vest off the hook by the stairs. Royal closes his laptop. “We stick to the plan and go in smart.

“I want Drake,” I declare, my blood icing over with deadly intent.