Page 68 of The Voicemail

My phone rings before I can give the next order. It’s Marco. Cold spreads through my chest before I answer. “What?”

“Elena’s not in her room.”

For one second, my heart stops. My mind refuses to make sense of the words.

“What do you mean she’s not in her room?”

“One of the service stairwell cameras caught her heading down.”

“How long ago?”

“Less than five minutes.”

That’s more than enough time for her to get away, and for Bianchi to take her if he’s waiting. I’m already moving. Luca follows without needing an order.

“Lock the building down,” I tell Marco. “Check every exit and pull the service feed.”

“Yes, sir.”

I hang up and take the hall fast enough that the nearest guard flattens himself against the wall to stay out of my path.

The elevator is too slow. I take the stairs.

Luca stays on my heels, already barking orders into his phone. His voice is calm, and that alone makes me want to break something.

We hit the lobby in under a minute. Marco waits there, pale with fury.

“I was at her door,” he says before I can speak. “She must have locked it after she slipped out.”

“Which exit?”

“Service level.”

“Did anyone stop her?”

“One maintenance worker saw her. He thought she was staff.”

I step closer.

Marco doesn’t shrink away. “He’s being held for questioning.”

“Good.”

The front guard suddenly shouts from the doors. “Sir!”

I turn. His face tells me before his mouth does.

“What did you see?” I ask.

“A black SUV on the side street.” He swallows hard. “Two men forced Elena inside. I thought it was a street fight at first, then I saw her face when the car moved.”

“How long ago?”

“Less than a minute.”

I grab him by the front of his jacket before I can stop myself. “You saw Elena taken and didn’t go after her?”

“I tried,” he says, voice shaking. “The car was already turning. I called it in.”