Page 135 of Inflict

Connor then moved onto tracing the steps Evelyn might have taken, ways she could move around with the cash she had taken from him, and walked into yet more dead-ends.

It was like she didn’t exist.

As though she hadn’t existed at all.

He might have found it funny, if it weren’t so feckin’ heartbreaking.

Her whole life had been shoved under a cloak of non-existence, a slave of men who had the money and means to buy her, and then shuffle her from owner to owner until she would finally make her way back to the one she actually belonged to. Her name had been changed, her history and heritage stripped from her person, and she’d become a hybrid of sorts.

A woman stuck between Evelyn, the girl, and Sasha, the slave.

She had never been meant to exist, anyway.

Not to the outside world.

Connor couldn’t even find it in himself to be surprised that at every turn, with every effort he made to find her, he came up with absolutely nothing. No amount of money he spent, no matter how many people he hired to look for her, nothing he did … none of it worked.

She was like a ghost. Something invisible, only known by those lucky enough to have actually met her.

Perhaps that was why, maybe that was the only reason, he kept looking, even when he knew nothing would work, and his efforts would all be in vain. His efforts slowed over time, because he was met with dead-end after dead-end, and he no longer knew where to travel or look for her. It was hard when he had no ID to go on, nothing to track, and no actual known person to go after for a proper answer.

He didn’t stop entirely.

He couldn’t.

I’ll be back …

Connor tried to remember those words when he found himself failing the most. He remembered those three words, even when he had absolutely no reason to.

• • •

“Connor!”

Irritated to have his meeting with one of his Lieutenants interrupted, Connor tried to school his features as Killian flew into the doorway, his features lit with excitement, and he straightened his jacket.

“Do you want to try that again?” Connor asked dryly.

Killian’s gaze slid over the two men sitting in the room, and his excitement disappeared. “Sorry. Uh, boss … I’ve got some news you might want to hear.”

Connor waved a hand dismissively. “When I’m done.”

“But—”

“Killian.” Connor’s gaze narrowed on his right-hand man, hoping it was enough to quell whatever nonsense had the guy acting foolish in front of other subordinates. Being a boss was hard enough at his age, but it was even harder when Connor had zero patience, and was prone to violent outbursts that sometimes hurt his case more than it helped. “Not right now.”

“Sure, but—”

“I’m going to hurt you,” Connor warned frankly.

“But it’s her, boss. Her.”

Every fiber of Connor’s body turned to ice on the spot, and he suddenly no longer cared about the Lieutenant and his idiot man that he’d been trying to work with on an issue. Instead, all he could hear was one word—her—and what it might mean.

“You’re sure?” Connor asked quietly.

Killian nodded. “Got a call from one of the lads that checks on the brownstone while you’re away, and he said a woman was there.”

Connor was up out of his chair, dismissing the two men, and heading out of the door, before Killian could get in another word. He didn’t need to hear more, he certainly didn’t need to question the validity of Killian’s statement, or what the lad had seen.