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Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. It’s a punch to the gut, and even though I expected it, the blow is painful.
“I know they’re not picking up, but did you try to email Will or Alexis?”
“Not yet. It’s the middle of the night in Europe—only people like you and me are awake. Lexie’s phone is off. But I’ll leave them messages when we get off.”
“I’ll get Sirena secured.”
Thankfully, Sirena is buttoned up for the night. The worst that could happen is an empty building would blow up. Not the worst. “Warn the guards around the club to stay on high alert, not just for the property, for their own safety as well.” I’m not ready to lose Sirena to those sons of bitches, but I don’t want a single casualty.
“Let me know if you need anything else.”
“Yeah.”
I call Will as soon as I hang up with Zé. Now there’s an automated message: The customer is unavailable. The fucker blocked me.
I try Lexie again, but her phone is still off. I email her:
I have information about the traffickers. It’s a matter of life and death. Contact me as soon as you get this.
57
RAFAEL
I rush to the conference room where Tamar is working. “Get any information you can on a flight plan filed by Clarke Enterprises. The flight originated in Porto and the destination is likely London, but we’re not certain. I want to know if and when the plane took off, and where it was headed. If it’s not filed under Clarke Enterprises, try William Clarke. The manifest should have Alexis Clarke as a passenger.”
She’s in the air, I keep telling myself, as though that always works out well. I wanted Will to know about Francesca so he could make sure there was extra security when Lexie lands. It’ll be more difficult from here, but I can arrange extra security for her too—as soon as we know the particulars.
Tamar pounds on the keyboard relentlessly.
“Anything?” I ask, apprehension coiling in my chest.
“It looks like the flight plan was originally filed with London as the destination and Alexis is indeed listed as a passenger. But—”
“But what?” I snarl impatiently.
“It’s been modified.”
“In what way?”
“That’s what I’m trying to figure out. I see the modification code, but that’s it.”
“What does the code tell us?”
“Only that the destination has been changed. It can take a while before the system updates.”
Lexie, where the hell are you going? There’s danger waiting for you, and I’m on a fucking plane where I can’t do a damn thing to save you.
I’m raw, and my damn stomach is a cauldron of acid eating at the lining.
It’s my fault she left Porto. I was furious—I’m still mad as hell—but she brought something to my life that no other woman ever has. She made me want to stay, even when every instinct was telling me to run. But it doesn’t matter how she makes me feel. I can’t live with someone like her—I can’t love someone like her. I can’t.
That doesn’t excuse my behavior. I didn’t need to let the fury consume me, until it erupted and drenched us both in vitriol. But it wasn’t all rage. There were a myriad of emotions spinning inside—some so unfamiliar, I can’t name them.
What if those monsters are waiting for her when the plane lands? What if they already got to her? She could be dead, or they might have abducted her. I might never see her again. I might never fucking know what happened to her. No! I won’t let that happen. I won’t survive that hell again.
“Anything new?” I growl at Tamar.
“No.”
