Possession (The Middleton #3)

1. Where Is She?

Chapter 1

Where Is She?

HUNTER

I pace the length of our penthouse, my mind racing as fast as my steps. It's been hours since Megan left the apartment to clear her head after our argument, and something feels off. The air is thick with unease, and my gut twists tighter with each passing minute. I glance at my Rolex again, cursing under my breath.

Where the fuck is she?

"I'm just going for a walk," she had said. But regardless of the circumstances, Megan never takes this long for a walk. I've called her phone repeatedly, each time greeted by the mocking drone of her voicemail. My calls to Parker, waiting downstairs, go unanswered, too.

Dread envelops me.

But I try to reassure myself. Maybe she just needs time to cool off, to process the whirlwind of changes I basically threw at her without warning. It’s my fault. I did the thing I always do. For God’s sake, why would I buy her house without letting her pick it out? And while that’s a good reason for her to shut me out, deep down, I know something isn't right.

This isn't like her.

Not Megan.

I stride over to the window, peering down at the street below, hoping to catch a glimpse of her returning. But the street is just a flow of anonymous faces, none of them Megan's. The city seems to have swallowed her whole.

The unease I feel morphs into a sharp spike of fear. Megan is pregnant and vulnerable. The memories of everything we’ve just been through over the last few months send a cold shiver down my spine. I thought it was finally over, but has someone targeted her again because of me?

My jaw clenches at the thought.

My pacing quickens. I reach for my phone again, dialing Lars. As usual, he answers on the first ring. I should have called him an hour ago.

“Boss.”

“Have you spoken to Parker?”

“I thought he was with you.”

“I can’t reach him.”

“What’s going on, Hunter? You don’t sound right.”

"It's Megan. She hasn't come back. I can't find her or Parker."

“Do you know for sure that they’re together?”

“I don’t know anything for sure.”

There's a beat of silence, then Lars' voice, tense, says, "I'm on it. I'll check the security feeds, and see if I can spot her. She can’t be far.”

I end the call and start to pace again, my mind a torrent of worst-case scenarios. If someone has taken her...

My phone buzzes. It's Lars. I answer immediately.

"Hunter, you need to see this." His voice is grim.

My stomach drops.

"What is it?"

"Just come down to the security room."

I'm out the door in seconds, taking the stairs two at a time, my heart pounding in my chest. As I burst into the security room, Lars is in front of a bank of monitors, his expression dark.

He points to a screen showing the lobby from earlier. The security man I hired to man the front desk of the building is knocked out from behind. His attacker out of view. Lars switches to another camera angle to see if we can see more but the next frame shows Megan.

"Pause it," I instruct Lars sharply.

He pauses the footage and zooms in on her face. Tears are streaming down her cheeks, no doubt ones that I put there.

Ten minutes later there's screen footage of Megan, her body language tense, upset. Then the screen shows a large black Audi pulling up front, and a tall, imposing-looking man getting out. The man and Megan have a brief exchange, their conversation clearly upsetting her more than she already was, and then...

My breath catches as I watch the man grab Megan, the struggle, her being forced into the car. The screen is a silent witness to my worst fears coming true.

"She's been taken," Lars says, his voice barely above a whisper.

The love of my life.

My unborn child.

Both are at risk.

Anger and fear collide within me, an explosive mix. "Who the fuck are they?" I demand, my voice a roar.

"I don't know, but I'll find out.”

My years of experience searching for criminals click in. I rattle off a checklist of things we need to do to find my woman.

“Get the plate numbers off of that Audi. Take screenshots of the man arguing with her and run them through identification software. And then–”

“We'll get her back, Hunter," Lars tries reassuring me.

“Where is Parker!”

Parker should still be parked in front of the building, waiting for me. Protecting my fiance. Where was he when she was snatched from right under my nose?

“I don’t have the answers yet.”

“You don’t think that’s odd?”

“Boss, I know you’re worried, but Parker wouldn’t be a part of hurting Megan.”

I pace back and forth, running a hand through my hair in frustration. "How could they get to her so easily?"

"They must have been watching the building for some time," Lars says. "They knew our patterns, when and how to hit our security."

“What patterns? Megan and I fought. She wouldn't have been down here if we didn’t have one.”

“You can’t blame yourself for that. They just would have waited to grab her another time.”

"Dammit." I clench my fists at my sides. If only I had been more vigilant and more prepared.

"We'll find her,” Lars reassures me. “That’s my niece or nephew she’s carrying. Bringing her home safe is the only option.”

“Right,” I reply, but the knot of fear in my stomach remains.

We continue scouring the footage for any clues or leads until Lars' phone rings. He answers quickly and listens intently before hanging up and turning to me.

"That was one of our sources within the network,” he says gravely. "He confirmed who took Megan."

“Who?”

“The Fabres.”

Naomi’s family.

Why didn’t I think of them before?

“Where is Naomi?”

“They have her too.”

"Did he say why they took Megan?” I demand to know. “It makes no sense. I thought his daughter was his only priority.”

“We aren’t sure of his intentions. He hasn’t attempted to make contact,” Lars responds. "But our informant did give us a location."

“Yeah? Let's go." I grab my coat and rush out of the security room with Lars close behind me.

“Boss, it’s a little more complicated than that,” he says, running behind me. “It's not an exact location. She’s on the move.”

“Where, Lars?”

“They’re on the highway, headed toward New Orleans, I think, and they’re at least an hour ahead of us.”

Fuck!!!

All I can see is the image of Megan being taken, playing over and over in my mind. This is my fault. The Fabres are dangerous.

So, I bargain with God.

Years ago, I asked him to spare my family from the house fire, and for years, I didn’t think he listened. I thought they were dead. Lost to me. But then a miracle happened — and my sister Lena walked right back into my life. If he did that once, he can help me again.

God, if you bring her back to me, I will be more careful. I will love her unconditionally. I will respect her. I will protect my family with my life. I won’t let her down again.

"I need to find her, Lars," I say, my voice barely recognizable even to my own ears. “And when I do, I'm going to bring that motherfucking family of gangsters to their knees."