Chapter 17 #2
I leaned back in my chair in my office, closing the tab with the quarterly reports for Ravencrest Global.
It wasn’t good. It was the worst report in years now.
And I was sure the board would be seeking answers sooner or later.
What they didn’t know was that it was all part of the plan.
Ethan and Selene have been working around the clock, and I’d led them to believe their plans had been working.
I’d given them ammunition to use against me, but little did they know that this ammunition was a bomb that was going to eventually blow up in their faces.
My eyes fluttered closed, and my thoughts traveled to Isabella. My beautiful Isabella. A smile crossed my face as I created the mental image of her in the snug jeans and fitted shirt she’d been in the last time I was at the penthouse to visit Adele.
We’d barely spoken for two weeks despite my visits to the house.
She’d been colder than usual, keeping me at arm’s length.
Or maybe arm’s length was too close. She had literally built a big ass wall between us.
Our interactions were limited to brief conversations about Adele, logistical discussions about pickup times, and schedule changes.
She’d been avoiding me, and I didn’t blame her.
I’d dropped a bomb on her life, given her power she hadn’t asked for, and dragged her deeper into a world she’d tried so hard to escape.
And most of all, I’d established that there was still something between us.
The Mate bond was alive, no matter how much she tried to deny it.
No matter how many walls she tried to build between us. I was going to break down those walls.
My thoughts drifted to Adele, and warmth spread through me as I recalled the last time I’d been at the penthouse visiting. The moment Isabella opened the front door for me, Adele had barreled straight into me.
“Uncle Dimitri! Uncle Dimitri, look!” she had called with excitement, shoving a crayon drawing into my hands. “I colored a dragon princess! She breathes yellow fire because yellow is Mom’s favorite and also mine and also yours…right?”
I’d crouched down to her level. “Definitely mine,” I said with a smile.
She jabbed at the picture with her finger. “This is the Alpha Dragon. He protects the princess from the mean knights. He’s super strong. Like you.” She tapped the dragon’s chest, then mine. “See? Big muscles.”
I laughed softly and brushed hair from her forehead. “I think your Alpha Dragon might be stronger than me.”
“Nooo!” She shook her head vehemently. “You’re the good guy! The Alpha Dragon only fights bad guys.”
“Smart dragon,” I murmured.
She nodded, satisfied. “Would you like to join me and color the knights?”
“Absolutely.”
Adele took my large hands in her tiny ones and led me toward the living room, where we sat side by side and began coloring.
I didn’t realize how much having an offspring would make me feel this good.
I’d been spending as much time with Adele as Isabella allowed.
The visits were brief, always supervised by Isabella, but it was enough to start building something.
A relationship. My daughter was brilliant.
Funny. She had Isabella’s fierce spirit and—I liked to think—some of my stubbornness.
Every moment with her felt both wonderful and heartbreaking, a reminder of everything I’d missed.
Everything I’d lost.
But I was here now. And I’d make sure I was going to be a steady presence in her life.
In both their lives.
My phone rang, shattering my warm thoughts. I snapped my eyes open and picked up my phone. Edmund’s name flashed on the screen.
Dread pooled in my stomach even before I answered. “What?”
“We lost her.” Edmund’s voice was tight. “Isabella’s car. She left the office for lunch with Adele about twenty minutes ago, and the security team on her trail just called to inform me they’d lost her.”
My blood went cold. “What did you say?”
“The security team on her trail just called to inform me they’d lost her.”
A single beat passed. My hand tightened around the edge of the desk. “Lost her?” I repeated quietly, the words tasting like iron. “How does a trained team lose a woman and a four-year-old?”
“They said she took a different route than usual. By the time they realized and tried to follow, we’d lost visual. I’ve deployed more—”
I didn’t wait for him to finish. The moment I heard “lost”, my mind had already split into two: one part running through contingency plans, the other screaming silently inside my skull.
I yanked open my drawer, pulled out my tablet, and tapped the app that tracked Adele’s location.
The app loaded with agonizing slowness.
Then the blue dot appeared, revealing their location. They were at a children’s boutique three blocks away from Ravencrest Global.
“I’ve got her location,” I said, grabbing my keys and racing for the door. “Send backup to 5th and Morrison. Children’s boutique called Little Wonders.”
“Got it.”
I hung up, silently praying that they were not in any danger. I’d seen things like this before. Things would be quiet for weeks, and then the moment you let your guard down, your enemies would attack.
The three blocks felt like three miles. I drove like I’d gone crazy, not bothering with traffic regulations. My wolf pushed against my skin, wanting—no, urging—me to move faster.
By the time I reached the boutique, my heart was hammering so hard I could barely hear anything else. I pulled over haphazardly and jumped out of the car.
And then I saw them.
Isabella was coming out of the shop, Adele’s small hand clutched in hers, both of them laden with shopping bags. Adele was chattering away, her face bright with happiness, and Isabella was smiling.
They looked perfect. Safe.
Relief crashed through me, and I let out a breath, letting my nerves relax. But that didn’t last long. It started with a scent. I could smell a rat anywhere. It was unmistakable. A rogue. And rogues were never up to anything good.
My eyes darted around, trying to figure out whose scent it was amongst the few people on the street.
And then my eyes snapped to the man walking quickly toward them from across the street.
Everything about him screamed wrong—the too casual clothes, the purposeful stride, the way his hand was reaching into his jacket.
The way he was focused entirely on Isabella and Adele.
Time seemed to slow down.
I saw the gun clear his jacket.
Saw him raise it.
Saw Isabella notice him, her eyes going wide, her body already moving to shield Adele.
My body moved before my mind caught up.
I was running, covering the distance between us in seconds that felt like hours.
I reached them just as the gun leveled at Isabella’s chest.
Just as his finger squeezed the trigger.
I threw myself between them and my daughter, my Mate, and the man who wanted them dead.
And then the gun went off.