Chapter 20
Ego
What the fuck is happening?
This shouldn’t be possible.
The fire alarms are blaring, red strobes pulsing overhead like a goddamn war zone, and the lights—gone.
Power’s cut.
Emergency protocols are triggered. Doors automatically unlock.
Shit.
I shove past two teachers trying to herd kids to the cafeteria, already heading for the last place I saw her.
Right by the gym doors.
But Sabrina’s not there.
She’s gone.
“Sabrina!” I bark, loud enough to rattle the exit sign. “SAbrINA!”
Nothing.
I pivot, scan the chaos.
Kids crying, teachers yelling, shoes squeaking on polished floors.
And none of them are her.
My stomach free-falls.
She’s fucking vanished.
“Hey!” I grab the nearest kid—little guy, maybe fourth grade, eyes wide with fear behind thick glasses. “Have you seen Miss Rosetto?”
His lower lip trembles, but he nods.
“Y-Yeah. S-Someone grabbed her out that door—” he stammers, pointing to the emergency exit near the far wall.
I don’t wait.
I’m already moving.
Shoving the door open, bursting into the freezing daylight.
“KAI!” I roar into my comm, sprinting toward the pickup zone. “SOMEONE HAS HER!”
The truck screeches up to the curb so fast it hops the sidewalk.
I yank the passenger door open and jump in before it stops rocking.
“You still tracking her phone?” I growl, slamming the door behind me.
Kai’s already on it, fingers flying over the touchscreen mounted to the dash. His expression is grim, but steady.
“Yeah, bruh. I got it up and running.” He stabs the screen. “Ping just updated. They’re moving west—slow, probably on foot or switching vehicles soon.”
“We’re gonna get her back,” he adds.
I nod once, jaw clenched so tight my teeth hurt.
Damn right we will.
It’s not getting to her that scares me.
It’s what I’m gonna find when I do.
And her kidnapper?
That motherfucker just signed his death warrant.
He has no idea what’s coming.
Because I’m not just coming for her.
I’m coming for him.
“Fuck! They killed her cell phone,” Kai shouts, smacking the dash like it might bring the signal back.
“There’s a secondary tracker,” I grit out, already tapping out the location ping on my backup device.
Kai shoots me a sideways look. “What? Where?”
“Just—here,” I snap, not explaining.
No time.
Because how the hell do I say I spent the better part of a week sticking trackers everywhere I could without her noticing?
Her shoes. Purse lining. Winter coat. Favorite belt buckle.
Unhinged?
Maybe.
But she’s mine, and now she’s missing, and if my paranoia means we find her faster, I don’t give a flying fuck what it makes me.
“Okay, psycho stalker,” Kai mutters, already plugging into the feed I forwarded him. “We’ve got movement.”
I lean over his shoulder, eyes scanning the GPS update.
“Shit,” he curses. “They’re headed to Manhattan. Just jumped on the Parkway.”
I slam a fist into the armrest as the sky decides to open the fuck up, dumping a freezing wintry mix across the windshield like we’re starring in the world’s worst action movie.
Wipers screech.
Visibility drops.
The roads gleam slick and mean under the growing slush.
Of course.
Of fucking course.
“Buckle up,” I growl. “We can’t lose them or give them too much of a head start.”
Kai guns the engine, and we lurch forward, weaving into traffic like a bat out of hell.
The plan?
Track the vehicle.
Confirm they have her.
Don’t spook the fucker.
Don’t endanger her.
But everything in me is screaming to hurry up.
My brain. My instincts. My heart.
And this goddamn weather is slowing us down.
Hold on, Angel.
I’m coming.
And whoever took you—they better pray they’re gone before I get there.
Because if I find them first?
There’s no second chance.
Only pain.
Only blood.
Only justice.
For you, my love. All for you.