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Drake is going to be furious though. I know that. Wincing, I sigh. He’s just going to have to deal with it and figure out a way to get me out of there. That’s all there is to it. I haven’t made any promises to Drake. I’m still trying to reconcile the fact that he stalked me for eight years with him saying he loves me.
How is this even my life?
We make it the three blocks to the bookstore. Walking in the door I see that it’s going to be perfect for what I want to do. Tall rows of bookshelves line the walls. There are also three tall rows of shelves with books on both sides in the middle. Looking through the middle row I see the edge of the back door. Now I just have to get to it.
Deciding that I need to at least look around for a minute I walk along the rows farthest away from the view of the back door. I see several books I’ve been wanting to read and I pull them off the shelves and carry them, trying to make it look as if I’m actually going to buy them.
Leon looks embarrassed at some of the titles I have picked out. I can’t blame him. They are pretty dark and smutty. Turning to him, I ask, “Can you hold these for a sec? I need to use the restroom.”
“Uh, I don’t know if that’s a good idea, ma’am. I’m supposed to stay with you,” Leon says.
“I’m sorry but I really have to go and you are not coming to the bathroom with me. I’m sure that Gio would say the same,” I say looking at him like he’s a creep.
Groaning, he sighs, “Okay, I’m not a weirdo geez. Just hurry please.”
Smiling, I head toward the back. Looking behind me. I see him looking around nervously as if to make sure no one is following me. This is my chance, he isn’t really paying attention to back here so I slip out the back door, shutting it quietly behind me. I’m glad I got out of there, but now the nervousness is setting in a little bit.
I’m in an alley that runs behind all the buildings on this block. I don’t want to go in the direction of Gio’s building so that I don’t run into any of his people. Going the opposite way I walk down two blocks and make a left. This puts me going in the opposite direction again.
Pulling out my phone, I try Reba’s number. It goes to voicemail but I decide to leave a message. “Reba, please call me back. I don’t know where you are or what you’re doing but call me back. I’m really worried about you.” Hanging up, I think to myself that if they are monitoring her phone they will see the voicemail.
I’ve never been on my own in the city. On field trips the teachers or parents were always with us and we were in groups. Muggings and kidnappings happen frequently here. I realize that before I’m able to find Dominic's people or get to them, someone else may snatch me up. Shit. What am I doing?
Turning, I notice a black van coming in my direction and before I can even make a move to run, the door slides open and someonegrabs me, pulling me into the van. There are two guys, in all black with masks on their faces. Fuck. This is not good.
“Dominic has been looking for you, little girl,” one of them says. “He’s gonna be really happy that we got to you before someone else did.”
The next thing I know, something hits the back of my head and I fall into darkness.
CHAPTER 15
DRAKE
Hanging up the phone, I throw it across the room and it shatters against the wall.
Evan comes around the corner into my office with curiosity on his face. “What the hell, Drake?”
“She’s gone,” I say angrily. “I have to go.”
Evan doesn’t even ask me who I’m talking about. He just tells me to wait up and grabs his stuff from his office followingme out. Louis is waiting downstairs and quietly opens the car door for us to get in.
“Your Dad already has men out looking for her. She got the slip on Leon. Gio let her go to a bookstore just a few blocks down and she told Leon she was going to the bathroom. She had to have slipped out the back door. When he realized she was gone, he took off after her but there was no sign of her and it wasn’t longer than a few minutes,” he says, filling me in on the details.
Horror fills me. What if someone else grabbed her? She’s beautiful, and more than the mafia families around here traffic women. It could be anyone. Punching the seat in front of me, Evan and Louis look at each other in the rearview.
“You have to stay calm Drake. I know it’s hard, but you gotta keep a cool head so we can get her back,” Evan says, hand on my arm.
Taking a breath, I realize he’s right. Closing my eyes, I breathe deeply, calming my racing heart, cooling the heat in my body from the adrenaline, and an eerie calm comes over me. Until I get her back, I can become a machine. Only seeking her. Nothing else. I will find her. And I will kill Dominic when I do or whoever has her.
Opening my eyes, I look at Evan and nod. He must see the resolve in my eyes because he looks at me with wide eyes and frowns a little, but doesn’t speak. Whatever he sees in my eyes, he knows he needs to stay silent.
I’ll be the monster for her. I’ll get her back. Or die trying.
CHAPTER 16
ELODIE
When I wake, it’s black. I can’t see a thing and it’s completely silent. It takes me a few minutes to register that there’s a blindfold over my face and plugs in my ears. I’m gagged and taped to a chair. Fortunately it’s taped over the top of my sweater sleeves so I guess that’s a plus right?
