Chapter 83
AIDEN
Connor had somehow found this lip–reading expert–some woman with sharp eyes and a no–nonsense demeanor. She sat in front of the grainy CCTV footage, watching it for the fifth time. I’d already lost my patience twice over but kept it bottled up. For now.
I crossed my arms, pacing the room while looking back and forth at the screen. My head was a mess. Each passing second felt like a lifetime. It felt like she had just started, then she paused the video and sat straight up in her chair. “Okay, so this is everything I could gather from the footage,” she said handing me a piece of paper.
I took it my fingers almost trembling. A mess of broken words and phrases scrawled across the sheet. It barely made sense. My eyes scanned it over and over, then froze.
Noah.
I heard the blood rush in my ears, my heart pounding so loudly it almost drowned out the room. I hadn’t heard that name i now felt like a punch to the gut.
in years,
and seeing it
“Can I see?” Connor asked, snatching the paper from my grasp. I didn’t answer him but balled my fists tightly as he read it to me. Reyna read from over his shoulder, and her eyes narrowed as she worked through the words.
“Noah. Gia.” Connor muttered. “Why does your daughter stay with you? Do not touch her?”
Reyna’s lips curled with disgust. “Her ex. That bastard.”
I swallowed hard, trying to rein in my rage. “He somehow convinced Freya that Gia was with him and lured her to him.” I said, my voice sharper than I intended.
Connor’s face darkened as he folded the paper and tucked it into his pocket. “You can go,” he said brusquely to the lip–reader. “You’ll get your payment by tomorrow,
The woman nodded and left, oblivious to the growing tension in the room.
I slammed my fist into the nearest table. “I’m going to kill him. I should’ve killed him when I had the fucking chance.
Connor stepped in. “We have to find him first,” he said, his tone steady but grim. “And it won’t be easy. He’ll have wiped his tracks by now!
I could think of someone who could help
1 pulled out my phone and dialed a number I hadn’t used in months. It rang twice before a deep, gravelly voice answered.
“Roman
ROMAN
Today was already a disaster. The shipment I’d spent weeks organizing was destroyed–an amateur move by rivals who clearly underestimated my reach. They would pay for their stupidity, double what they owed, and then some.
I sat back in my chair, letting the tension in my shoulders ease for a moment, when my phone rang. The screen flashed Aiden Knight. An unexpected call.
I sighed, muttering under my breath. “Christ”
Aiden and I went back years. A shrewd businessman, cold and calculating. He was useful, sure, but not someone I’d call a friend.
“Knight,” I said, my voice dripping with amusement. “This is unexpected”
I need your help. He said without preamble.
I smirked, leaning forward. “You want a job Business not going too well!”
“My girlfriend was kidnapped.
1/2
7:02 AM c
Chapter 53
The smirk vanished from my face. My jaw tightened as his words sink in. There were rules even in my world, and touching women–especially if they did it against their will–was a crime that I didn’t tolerante.
“I need your help to find her.” Aiden said, his voice sharp, but eiged with desperation.
“Do you have any cluc?” I asked, already reaching for the notepad on my desk.
“Before she disappeared, there was a call to her number from a burner cell. The guy was her ex–boyfriend. Noah.”
I wrote down the name, my mind already working. It wasn’t much to go on, but it was a start.
“Send me your girlfriend’s picture,” I said. Til see what I can do.
I hung up, my mind shifting gears. Just as I was processing the information, Sebastian walked in. He was my second–in–command and had been with me for years.
“Boss” He said, his tone clipped.
“Listening.” I replied, keeping my gaze on him.
“I went to Ruby today. He began.
“You go to Ruby every Friday,” I said, unimpressed.
He paused, then said, “I was with Bianca”
I looked up, arching an eyebrow. What I didn’t understand was why he was telling me about his extra curricular activities.
“You want to share your sexual adventures with me now!”
“No, boss.” His face turned serious. “She said that Lucas, a new guy who just started working there, brought a woman to the brothel by force.”
“What?” My voice cut, and my patience snapped.
“Yes,” Sebastian said quickly. “Said was crying to be let go and that she has a small child at home.”
“Motherfucker!” I growled, my jaw tightening, Rage bubbled in my chest, hot and unrelenting.
. No one was ever forced, and
This was against everything I believed in. The women who worked in my clubs and brothels did so on their own terms. No on anyone who dared cross that line faced the consequences.
“Get someone to bring the car. We’re going there right now.” I ordered, already on my feet. This had to be dealt with today. It was important to make a statement as to what would happen to the ones who failed to follow my rules,
My phone buzzed with a new message when Sebastian left to carry out my command. It was from Aiden–a picture of his girlfriend.
I opened it, studying the image. Blonde hair, forest–green eyes. There was an about her, the kind that made men like Noah think they could exploit
her. It made me sick.
I would get on that case after this is done. I took the phone into my pocket and walked out of my office. My mind was swimming with possibilities and for Lucas‘ sake 1 hope it doesn’t come true.
