escaped. If not, I’m burning down the world until I find her.
“At least check the surveillance in Dove’s apartment again. If she got away, she would go there, I know it.”
“It’s still pulled up on my computer. If she goes there—” He pauses mid-sentence, his eyes fixed on the computer screen. “She just walked in…”
I’m across the room and around Xander’s desk in two seconds flat. My eyes fall onto the computer screen and catch sight of Dove… my Dove, walking into her ransacked apartment. Through the grainy screen, she doesn’t appear to be hurt or really even frightened. In fact, she looks strong, like a queen. Her gaze scans the ground, looking over her destroyed belongings before moving up and right into the camera. She doesn’t know where I hid the cameras, but somehow, she manages to look straight into it.
It’s like she’s staring at me, beckoning me to come for her.
I’m coming, baby…
“Ivan and his team are outside and ready to go. I’ll stay here and continue checking surveillance. Go!” Xander commands, and for once, I have no problem taking his order.
Without saying a word, I’m out of his office and running toward the front door. I almost take the handle off while opening it. When I make it to the front steps, I realize Xander wasn’t lying. Ivan is standing in front of a fleet of cars, seemingly only waiting for me to get in. He doesn’t have to wait long, because the next instant, I’m shoving into the passenger seat.
Ivan jogs around to the driver’s seat, and we are off before either of us can buckle up.
The ride to her apartment seems to take forever, even though Ivan seems to have his foot to the pedal most of the drive, it still feels like forever. Even if we were going a thousand miles per hour, it wouldn’t be fast enough when it comes to Dove.
“She just left the apartment,” Xander says over the car speaker.
“We’re almost there,” Ivan says as if he knows how anxious I’m feeling. Grinding my teeth, I hope and pray that we’ll catch her before she leaves. These last couple of days have been pure torture, and even if I am angry at her for pushing me away, I still want to hold her in my arms just to know that she is okay.
A few minutes later, we pull up outside her apartment. I open the door and jump out of the car before we come to a complete stop. Looking around, I wish nothing more than to see her. I scan the entire area, up and down the street, but she’s nowhere in sight… gone.
She’s gone.
I fucking missed her.
Looking down at the envelope in my hand, I read over the note for the hundredth time.
Zane, I escaped Matteo. Will be back in a few days.
I love you, Dove.
Refusing to return to Xander’s place, I meander back outside, I sit in the car and wait. I told Ivan he could leave, but he insisted on staying, mumbling something about how I might need him. Two more SUVs stayed as well, parked only a few spots behind us. I look out onto the street, watching every car that drives by and every person that walks out onto the street.
If I have to, I’ll stay here until she shows back up. Either way, I’m not moving until we figure out where the hell she is.
Xander has been trying to figure out where she went, calling in favors left and right while we wait around uselessly. When the phone finally rings, and Xander’s name flashes over the screen, I almost give up hope that he has some new information and is instead ordering us to return to the mansion, but that’s not what comes out of his mouth.
“Christian has her. There was some type of chase, and now they’re transporting her to his place. I’m sending more men your way, but it’s going to be a good twenty minutes before they get there, and I’m not sure she has that long.”
“We’re going there now,” Ivan says as the SUV roars to life. I clench my hands into tight fists at the thought of a fight. Why is he taking her to his place? What the fuck is going on?
My heart beats in my ears, and all I can think about is rearranging Christian’s face, and wrapping my arms around Dove. Making sure she’s safe and secure. Clenching my jaw, I try not to think about