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She inched up to it. It didn’t have a label. It wasn’t a bathroom. What were they doing in there?
She couldn’t hear a thing through the thick wood. She had to alert someone right now. She’d grab one of the security guards and tell them what she’d seen.
Whirling on her heels, she took one step but didn’t get any farther before a blinding pain erupted from the back of her head.
Declan stood in the center of the room and rotated in a slow circle, searching for Belle.
She wasn’t here. Which meant she had slipped through his grasp with that fabricated little tale about powdering her nose. Even though his gut told him that something with her wasn’t right, he’d still let her go, thinking she just needed a minute to regroup.
He stifled a growl. He knew better than to let a ward out of his sight. He didn’t thwart huge terrorist plots singlehandedly by fucking up like this.
The guests had returned to their festivities after that woman calmed down. No one had stolen her bracelet—it fell off at the buffet table. Everyone danced or mingled and nibbled on snacks, but he couldn’t feel further from the holiday spirit.
Belle was missing.
After one more sweep of the room for her, he stalked the perimeter and out into the hallway. The light notes of Christmas tunes followed him to the women’s restroom. Without bothering to alert the occupants inside, he whipped open the door.
Several screams echoed off the rustic tile walls.
“Get out!”
“Pervert!”
He took a second to glance under the stall doors for Belle’s high heels. Then he ducked out.
Next he rushed to the men’s room just in case. Leave no doors unopened. No stones unturned.
She wasn’t there either. The next door was a janitor’s closet containing a mop bucket on wheels and a shelving unit full of cleaning supplies.
Dammit, she must have left the gala. He retraced his steps through the main room of the building. The other exit was closer to the bunkhouse, but he never reached it.
Three of the Wynton brothers clustered around him.
“Did Cinderella run off on you?” Josiah asked.
“Did you find her glass cowboy boot?” Noah quipped.
Irritation sliced across him like a battle wound. “No,” he bit off through a tight jaw. “Belle’s missing.”
Both men stopped. If they hadn’t sobered at the news, he would have kicked the shit out of all of them.
“When was the last time you saw her?” Noah barked out.
“Ten minutes ago. She said she was going to the restroom. I checked, and she’s not anywhere.”
“This may be nothing,” Josiah added, but his nod was a bit too grim.
A low rumble issued from Declan. He took a quick step toward Josiah. “Are you trying to placate me? I will punch your teeth down your throat.”
Noah stepped between them, his arm barring Declan from making good on his promise.
He quivered with rage. And fear. He couldn’t forget the fear.
“Where was the last place you saw her?” Josiah demanded.
“Right here.” He jabbed a finger at the spot where they stood. “Something happened to her.”
“She didn’t look all that happy to be with you, Declan. Did you guys have a fight?”
