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As I scroll through the video, I see myself arriving home last night, and then the property becomes dark and motionless. Aside from the occasional patrol of one of the security teams, nothing enters or leaves the house. Until I see myself storm out before dawn. Then, once again, there’s fucking nothing until I’m back.
It makes no fucking sense.
“I want that footage double-checked.” I turn to Aleksei. “I want you to go through it with a fine-tooth comb, am I making myself clear?” He nods quickly, sinking into a free seat and opening up a series of camera screens.
I turn back to Ludis, who finally makes eye contact. For a moment, I’m certain I see something swirl in those depths, but I dismiss it. I have every right to chew him out. This is bullshit and he fucking knows it. Whoever is responsible for Aurora’s disappearance, they could be torturing her right now. They could be plunging their blade into her, knowing that…fuck!
You can’t think like that!
“Boss,” Aleksei says, interrupting my thoughts. “I’m sorry to bother…” he trails off as I narrow my eyes on him, then cock my head in query. “I think if someone had come in here and taken her, we’d have seen them.”
I stare at him for a second, taking a moment to calm my racing thoughts.
He has a point.
But it still doesn’t explain how she vanished without a trace. It also doesn’t explain why there’s blood on her nightdress…
“Could be…” Aleksei clears his throat, “…could be there’s a blind spot on the cameras.” He rubs his jaw.
“Whatever the case, she can’t be far,” I tell him. My mind spins in circles, as I try to come up with different scenarios other than kidnapping.
“Search the area,” I tell the others.“I don’t care if you have to turn the fucking city upside down. I want her found!” I roar, taking long strides back out of the room, to my car.
I just hope Aleksei is right. If she got out undetected, that means she might be safe. I don’t know what bothers me more. The relief that she might be unharmed, or the thought that she left. It grates like a motherfucker but it’s better than the alternative. Although, it makes my rage begin to bubble.
Aurora can’t leave me.
I had an arrangement with De Luca. I fucking own her!
I pull out my phone and dial the number I have for him. The call rings through unanswered. A second attempt yields the same result.
“Blyad! Chert voz’mi!” I curse, slamming the phone down. Without waiting for the others, I drive out of the property like there is fire on my tail. This isn’t far from the truth; the fire on my tail is the thought of Aurora disappearing.
If De Luca won’t admit to harboring her, I’ll go there and confront him myself. I don’t care if I have to drag her back here to remind her that she is mine.
Frankly, I’m looking forward to it.
I’m speeding as I make the trip to De Luca. All I can think of is finding Aurora. She needs to know who she belongs to. I try not to think of the passion that we shared and how she ruined it with her words.
She’s gone…
Once again, the thought revives old feelings I’d learned to suppress all these years ago. I can remember the last time I felt this way – and I don’t fucking like it.
Calm the fuck down, Ivanov.
She’ll be at her father’s.
That’s all there is to it.
I won’t allow myself to imagine another scenario. I can’t.
I reach the De Luca estate in no time and drive straight to the entrance. As I leap from my car, Fernando’s men stop me.
“Get out of my way,” I say, my voice deadly calm. I watch uncertainty fill their eyes before they step back. If I had the time, I would have taught them a lesson for trying to stand in my way.
I stride into the house to find Fernando De Luca in his sitting room with two men flanking him. I should be weighing up the risks of coming here alone but those thoughts evaporate as I glare at the patriarch of the De Luca mafia family.
“To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit, Ivanov?” Fernando De Luca asks, looking bored. It takes everything in me not to snap my response.
