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"Login and check the timestamp at 9:28 p.m. I can’t be sure, but I think it’s him," Vlad replied urgently.
I shuddered. Raphael Caruso, after all these years. I hoped Vlad was wrong. With a clenched jaw, I logged into the system and fast-forwarded the video to the specified time. The footage was crystal clear, unlike the grainy pictures Tyler had shown us. There was no mistaking it—Raphael Caruso had resurfaced.
My heart sank as I watched him appear on screen, approaching Ryleigh. The camera captured her fear, and it tore me apart knowing I couldn’t protect her.
"It’s him," I muttered grimly. "You know what you need to do. Under no circumstances is she to be left alone, even if she goes to the bathroom. Put another female agent on her detail."
"Brenda is upstairs with her now," Vlad reported.
"I’m aware. I want her to stay until I get home on Friday. And put a couple of agents on both Carusos. I want to know their movements and what they’re up to. Have you located my brother?"
"He’s gone. Nothing comes up. We’ve checked his associates, old haunts and even his old apartment. He just disappeared into thin air."
I clenched my fist. "I don’t want to think what that could mean."
"I doubt it. He had a plan and he executed it."
"How can you be sure?" I asked.
"Your brother wanted to disappear. He’s been doing it for years."
"But he usually surfaces and that hasn’t happened."
"Caruso is looking for him, you can bet on it. He’s laying low."
"I should’ve hidden him away somewhere, anywhere."
"And what makes you think he would stay hidden?"
"You’re right. My focus now is Ryleigh. I don’t want any fuck ups, Vlad."
"I’ll see to it, sir."
"Goodnight."
I ended the call and sank onto the couch, draining the last of my scotch. Raphael Caruso—a name that haunted me. It surprised me that Antonio had sent him instead of a lackey. Maybe it was because Raphael had botched things with Robert Stewart's murder.
"He should’ve taken out Ryleigh also," I muttered aloud, processing the thought. Maybe Raphael didn’t have the guts to harm an innocent child, or perhaps he didn’t know she was there. Ryleigh never spoke much about it, and I never pressed.
It was past 4 a.m. in the morning, and I had a meeting at 7 a.m. I didn’t feel like sleeping in bed, so I stretched out on the white contemporary couch. As I dozed off, thoughts of Ryleigh filled my mind, her safety now more critical than ever.
Ryleigh
I tried to scream as his hands closed around my throat. He wasn’t going to end me swiftly like he had my father; he intended to squeeze the life from me slowly, relishing every moment.
His sneer bore into my panic-stricken eyes as he pressed harder against my windpipe. I braced for the agony of my neck snapping or the suffocation that never came, only to be startled awake by Brenda shaking me.
“What the…” My eyes shot open, catching the concern etched on her pretty face. Sweat coated my forehead, and I instinctively wiped it away.
“You were screaming,” Brenda said softly.
“Nightmare,” I managed between ragged breaths, trying to steady myself. Trouble, my loyal companion, stood nearby, looking bewildered. I must have frightened him.
“Do you need me to stay?” Brenda offered.
“No, I’ll be fine. Thank you for waking me.”
“No problem. Get some sleep,” she advised before exiting, leaving the door slightly ajar as she found it. It was nearing 4:30 a.m., and I knew sleep was futile now.
