2. Chapter 2
Chapter 2
ARGENT
'It has been almost one year since a beloved local student and server at The Diner Shop, Starlet Macklamor went missing. Authorities say there is no new information about the whereabouts of Miss. Macklamor and the possibility that she is still alive are very slim.'
The overwhelming noise of the news pulls me into a dark abyss and it feels like time has stopped completely. I’ve been tirelessly searching for her without any success. There’s no trace of her anywhere.
It’s like she vanished into thin air .
Every single one of my men is searching for her. Demitri and Aiden are trying to hack into anything that works with technology to try and find anything that might lead me to her.
Nothing.
Where are you, my little star?
“Turn it off,” I demand, fighting the tears on the verge of streaming down. Demitri snatches the remote, turns the TV off, and turns to me, “She’s still out there. We're going to find her. Alive.” I hope so, not only for my sake but for the person who took her too. The thoughts of what I’ll do to them for taking her from me are nothing compared to the actions I’ll take if they hurt her.
Dead.
She can’t be dead.
Without her, the world turns monochrome, devoid of life’s vibrant hues. The silence becomes deafening, suffocating, as the absence of her voice leaves a void that cannot be filled. I am a hollow shell, wandering aimlessly through the void, yearning for her light to guide me back to life .
A resounding knock at the door abruptly disrupted my thoughts, echoing through the quiet room. Adrian and Chloe have been trying to help with finding Starlet, but no one has had any luck. As Chloe strides into the living area, her disdainful glare pierces through me, a silent reminder of her lingering resentment towards me for stalking Starlet. She should build a fucking bridge and get over it. I have more important things to worry about.
“Hey, man, how are you holding up?” Adrian’s voice, laced with empathy, reaches my ears, accompanied by a gentle smile that tugs at the corners of his lips, grabbing my shoulder.
“Fine. I’m heading out for a few hours. I’ll be back later.” In a rush, I snatch my keys and jacket, hastening towards the door. However, I come to an abrupt halt in front of Chloe, my gaze descending upon her. Tear-filled eyes meet mine, her quivering bottom lip tugging at my heartstrings, shattering them into countless fragments. I reach out, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder, “I’ll find her. I promise.” I assure her in a soft tone. She responds by pulling her bottom lip between her teeth, nodding silently before averting her gaze. With that, I slide into my jacket and leave.
Every night since she disappeared, I find myself drawn to her house, tiptoeing through the quiet darkness. I enter her room, the dim moonlight casting a gentle glow on her bed. I sink onto the mattress, feeling the softness envelop me. With trembling hands, I trace the delicate curves of the note she left, its words etched into my memory. The familiar scent of her lingers in the air, a bittersweet fragrance that once brought solace. But as time passes, her scent gradually fades, replaced by a heavy sorrow that hangs in the room. Each night, as I step through the door, a flicker of hope ignites within me, imagining her lost in her studies or getting ready for a night out with Chloe, but she’s not there.
Tears well up in my eyes, blurring my vision as I lay on her bed once again. Before I could stop it, a single tear escapes, trailing down my cheek and my chest constricts, a suffocating tightness that leaves me gasping for breath. I can’t even recall when was the last time I cried, my whole life I was numbed with pills and needles. I clench my jaw and forcefully wipe away the tears. In the silence, I whisper into the void, my voice barely a whisper, “I will never stop looking, my little star.”
I stumble into our apartment; the door creaking loudly behind me, causing everyone’s head to snap towards me. The room is dimly lit, casting long shadows on the worn-out furniture.
“Where the fuck have you been, bro?” Adrian asks, concern lacing his voice as he gets up and walks towards me, his footsteps echoing on the hardwood floor. He tries to steady me, his hand on my arm as I struggle to stand up straight.
Last night I found Starlet’s bottle of bourbon, reminding me of the last time I drank from that bottle. It was the night we made love for the first time, right there on her kitchen counter. The memories flood my mind as I recall finishing the entire bottle, the burning liquid numbing my senses.
Reality crashed down on me like a heavyweight, hitting me square in the face. I hadn’t had time to process what had happened, too consumed by my determination to find her. But now, at that moment, I just needed one night to miss her, to mourn her absence. I look at Adrian, my bloodshot eyes conveying my silent turmoil. He understands without me saying a word; he knows exactly where I was.
“Sit down, you need to sober up,” he says, his voice filled with concern. “Chloe saw Zavier in town today.” My blood begins to boil, the anger coursing through my veins at the mere mention of his name, “He seems to act normal like nothing is wrong, but Chlo saw—what she thinks , is scratches across his forearms and neck.”
I still, my breath catches in my throat as a cold chill creeps up my spine. “What?”
I start to rise from my seat, but Chloe swiftly grabs my keys from the table, her hand snatching it away before I can react.
“Give it to me, Chloe. Now,” I demand, fueled by a dangerous combination of anger and alcohol .
“No, Argent. You’re going to do something reckless, and then we might never find her,” she snaps back, her eyes burning with fiery determination.
“What the hell do you expect me to do, huh?” I spit out, my blood reaching its boiling point. “I know for a fact that bastard has something to do with it, but he keeps slipping away. And now I finally have a chance, and you’re... what? Forbidding me?”
“You should have stayed away from her in the first place,” she coldly retorts, her words piercing through me like icy shards.
“Don’t you fucking dare put this on me,” I say through gritted teeth, the pressure causing my jaw to ache.
“Would you two just stop arguing?” Adrian interjects, his voice laced with annoyance. “Chlo, it’s not his fault, okay?” He tries to calm her, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder, but she pulls away from him.
“Maybe if he hadn’t stalked her, everything would have been fine,” she says, each word crushing me like a heavyweight. Adrian’s eyes dart between me and her, confusion etched on his face .
“W-what is she talking about?” he finally locks his piercing blue eyes on me, but I just stare back, my heart pounding in my chest like a runaway drumbeat. The room feels suffocating, the air thick with tension as I glance at Chloe, silently pleading for her to shut the fuck up.
But of course—she doesn’t.
“The reason why Zavier came back is that his brother went missing—because Argent killed him for touching Starlet,” she finally blurts out, her intense gaze boring into me like a searing flame.
Adrian’s lips remain sealed, his silence speaks volumes, and I yearn for him to break it. Suddenly, an explosive force collides with my cheek, sending me stumbling backward, my body unsteady from the lingering effects of alcohol. Before I can regain my balance, another blow lands, my head spinning from the impact.
“What the fuck is wrong with you?!” he roars, his anger palpable, poised to deliver yet another punishing strike. But Chloe and Demitri intervene, holding him back. Slowly, I gather myself, my gaze fixed on Adrian, crimson droplets staining my trembling fingers as I wipe the blood from my battered nose.
I don’t blame him for lashing out at me. I’m not proud of what I did.
Well, maybe a little proud.
“I shouldn’t have, and I apologize,” I mutter, my voice tinged with regret, “but something I will not apologize for is being in her life.” The metallic tang of blood mingles with the scent of adrenaline in the air. “She is something I never knew I needed, and once I realized that—there was no way in hell that I was gonna let that go and whether you like it or not, she needs me .”