Page 24 of His to Protect

He hung up. The silence that filled the room seemed to press down on him, suffocating in its weight. His thoughts raced, struggling to make sense of the situation. Where could she be?

Felix's trembling fingers dialed the number of her best friend, Mia. The seconds ticked by like hours, each one stretching out into an agonizing eternity.

Finally, Mia picked up. "Hey, Mr. Reid," she greeted cheerfully, oblivious to the storm brewing within him. "What's up?"

"Mia, do you know where Luna is?"

"Um, yeah? She's at home. She had homework to do."

Felix ground his teeth. "This is important, Mia. I know covering for each other is what friends do, but I need to know."

There was a pause, and then Mia hesitated, her reluctance palpable even through the phone. "I... I shouldn't say anything. It's Luna's secret."

Shit. That wasn't good.

"Please, Mia, I'm really worried about her," Felix pleaded, desperation seeping into his words. "She's not here, and I can't find her anywhere. I just need to know if she's safe."

Mia sighed, seeming to weigh her loyalty to Luna against the urgency in Felix's voice. Finally, she relented. "Okay, okay. She was talking at school today about meeting someone after classes, something about a part-time job..."

Damn, not again! "Who? What kind of job?" Felix demanded, his heart pounding with increasing dread.

"The guy's name was Winston, I remember that because I was like, the videogame character, lol? But she was excited about the job. Said it could, uh… well, help you guys out. Financially. Sorry." Mia paused, awkward, before continuing. "She said where she was going, if that helps."

"Tell me," Felix said, his hands racing for a pen. As he scribbled down the address, a shiver of terror ran down his spine.

Winston.

When they'd been in-between rounds in Dante's car, making small talk as they recovered, Dante had told Felix about his work — and about the man that Felix's first client had worked for. Dante had mentioned a Winston: a sex trafficker he'd been hunting.

The city was a big place. There had to be a lot of innocent men with that name out there.

But how many of them would have lured a teenage girl out of her home…?

"Thank you, Mia. I have to go," Felix said, ending the call abruptly.

Felix's heart thundered in his chest, a relentless beat that matched the frantic pace of his thoughts. The clammy grip of fear coated his palms as he fumbled with his phone, struggling to dial the number for the police.

The cold dread that had settled into the pit of his stomach only intensified as the call connected. "Please, you have to help me," Felix implored, desperation thick in his voice. "My teenage sister, I think she's been taken by a trafficking ring."

"Sir, do you have any proof of this?" the dispatcher asked, his voice flat.

"I don't have hard proof, but her friend told me she went to meet a man suspected of sex trafficking. She's just a kid; she doesn't know any better. Please, you have to help me find her!"

"Sometimes teenage girls just stay out late, sir," the dispatcher replied dismissively. "Maybe she's with a boyfriend or something."

Felix's jaw clenched. "Luna isn't like that!" he snapped, rage bubbling beneath the surface of his fear.

"Call back tomorrow morning if she's still not home," the dispatcher advised, his tone dripping with condescension. "We can't do anything without proof."

"Tomorrow?! That might be too late!" Felix cried out, frustration and despair mingling with the pounding of his pulse. But it was no use – the line went dead, leaving him lost.

"Damn it!" Felix cursed, slamming his fist against the wall. He could feel the tears prickling at the corners of his eyes, but he refused to let them fall. He needed to be strong for Luna.

He needed to do something. Anything.

Felix's heart thundered in his chest as he dashed out the door, determination coursing through his veins. Slamming the car door behind him, he gripped the steering wheel with white-knuckled force, his dark eyes narrowed.

"Fuck the police," he muttered under his breath, the words laced with bitterness and anger. "I'll save her myself."

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