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Earlier today, she started pushing back against my insistence that she stay safe and secure. I know she’s sick of being here and wants more, but she hasn’t seen what I have. She doesn’t know how vindictive our enemies are. I can’t let her go until I know they’re no longer a threat.
I pick up my phone to have Lyam scan footage when a text comes through.
Nicolette:
I picked Savannah up and I’m taking her to the spa for the day. I promise she’s in good hands
Me:
Not yet, I want to see her first
There’s no reply. What the fuck is going on here?
The spa. They’re at the spa? She hasn’t left, then?
I walk through the hotel lobby, and everything seems normal, nothing out of place. Heading into the weekend, we have more guests than we do on weekdays, so it’s busy, but we have staff that handles everything from bags to check-in to guest room services.
The spa. I have to get to the spa, if that’s where she’s gone.
I blow out a breath, trying to calm my nerves. I’m not normally a nervous person, but this time… Why does it feel like I’m on a wild goose chase?
I call her, but it goes to her voicemail.
I’m practically running by the time I get to the spa and haven’t even checked my quadrant yet. My phone buzzes with texts from our security men and Lyam. Nothing out of place.
Where is she?
The very thing I feared feels as if it’s looming, a wild animal with bared fangs, ready to pounce.
I’ve been in this position before with people I love being threatened or in danger. I can still see the flames leaping from the building, the roof collapsing. I can still imagine my father’s screams before he died.
I can still feel the way I held his broken body when I finally got to him.
I need to find her. I need to keep her safe. I’ll do whatever it takes.
I call Fabien, who answers on the first ring.
“Why the fuck is your wife taking Savannah out without my permission, and why the fuck isn’t she answering her phone? And was she the one that told her about that fucking collar?”
There’s a brief pause. “Excuse me?”
“Fabien.” I blow out a breath. “Nicolette texted me that she was taking Savannah to the spa. I didn’t give Savannah permission to leave the room, and we’ve got a suspected security breach here. I left her for ten goddamn minutes. No fucking way am I okay with Nicolette sauntering in here and just—”
“Thayer.” Fabien’s voice cuts through my ranting. I pause.
“What?”
“Nicolette’s phone broke last night. She dropped it in the bath, and we ordered another one. She’s here, right next to me. We’re in Paris.”
My vision swims in sudden rage.
“What?”
“Thayer?” Nicolette’s panicked voice screams on the other end of the phone. “Is my sister okay? Thayer, tell me Savannah’s okay!”
I hang up the phone and run to the spa. I know what I’ll find before I get there.
I reach the spa, yank open the door, and nearly scare the shit out of clients in robes drinking tea in the waiting room. I march to the desk. The hostess stares at me, her mouth open.
“Sir? Is everything okay?”
I already know the answer before I ask the question.
“Show me your guest list.”
“We only have four guests at the moment, sir, and they’re in our waiting room.”
Someone set me up. Someone’s breached our security and entered the club and set me up.
Savannah’s gone.
The sudden wailing of sirens makes everyone sit up straighter. I clench my jaw.
I need to find Savannah.
I need to find the security breach.
I need to find out why the fuck we have police here.
Fucking hell.
I leave the spa and head to the lobby as an entire rash of armed police officers swarms the lobby. Guests stand, frozen in place. We’ve never had officers in here before, and we keep our location secured.
“Thayer Gerard?”
I nod, guarded and on edge.
No. They can’t be here for me. Not here, not now, not when I need to secure Savannah.
Six officers come at me at once, like I’m a goddamned threat. “You’re under arrest for the murder of Officer Charlemont Laguerre.” My head swims with questions.
They’re framing me for the murder? Of fucking course they are. Frame me. Have me taken away, where I can’t come after them and murder them with my bare hands for even looking at my woman.
I quickly run through my options of escape but know immediately that if I fight them now, I’ll never find Savannah. With every fiber of my being screaming against me, I grit my teeth when they cuff me.
Lyam enters the lobby. He stares, unblinking.
I yell over my shoulder as they take me out, “I’m innocent. Take over in my stead. Fucking find Savannah and call our lawyer, in that order.”
