Hunting My Obsession (Unhinged #2)

Chapter 1

The Hunt

Atlas

I wasn’t allowed to be pissed about her little display of independence at the club.

Still, the urge to text her-or better yet, show up at her place, gnawed at me.

I forced myself to back off and give her what she wanted—space like a good fucking boyfriend.

That’s what this relationship needed…boundaries.

I didn’t even check the cameras at her house while she packed and tried to explain to Becca why she’d fallen for the man who kidnapped her.

Whatever.

It was none of Becca’s damn business what went on between Kitten and me, but of course, Kit insisted on appeasing her so-called best friend.

As much as I wanted to forbid it, I couldn’t.

Not after I told her she’d have a say in our future, and we’d make decisions together.

I had to honor that now, no matter how much it bothered me.

Kit didn’t like the fact that I was angry at Becca for abandoning her on the dance floor.

Tough shit. I love her, every part, but she will not change my mind on this.

Becca should’ve dragged her to the damn bathroom.

First rule of going out when you’ve got a vagina and you’re surrounded by horny bastards: you never go anywhere alone. I’m a man, and even I know this.

It's basic survival. You don’t leave your friend behind with a crowd of desperate, sex-crazed fuckers while you run off to piss or change a tampon.

Becca’s carelessness irritated the hell out of me. And no, I don’t give a damn if Kitten’s upset that her little bestie didn’t make it to my favorites list. She can cry about it later.

I sighed and shook my head, forcing myself to let it go. No point in getting worked up. Not today.

A yawn dragged from my lungs, and I turned to glance at the clock on the nightstand.

What the fuck?

It’s 4:30 in the afternoon!

I slept half the damn day away!

How the hell did I crash that hard, and more importantly, where the fuck was Kit?

I jumped off the bed in search of my pet.

It was eerily quiet in the house, with no sign of intelligent life anywhere.

I kept myself calm while I walked through the kitchen and opened the door to the garage to see if the X5 was there.

Nope. The only vehicles parked were my M4 and the Ford F-150.

It appeared no one had entered the area recently.

Maybe she took a ride to the store. That would be plausible.

My jaw twitched, but I kept myself in check.

Blowing a gasket wouldn't solve anything.

She has me wrapped around her little finger, but that doesn't mean shit.

I am still who I am, and I expected her back when I told her to return.

Waiting isn't in my nature; it never was.

Closing the door, I padded around the house, checking all the rooms.

Still fucking nothing. I looked for the cat, but he was nowhere to be found. Tuna had no vet or groomer appointment, so this was a problem. The knot in my stomach told me something was wrong. She is three and a half hours late.

There's no way she would defy me, especially with the threat of the strap across her ass. If she had come home and left, she would've either woken me or penned a note, but again, the cat isn't here. Something reeked of shit. Apprehension gripped my throat.

Panicking, I opened my cell, pulled up my cameras to see if she had returned, and then took off again. I checked the history from 12:45.

Nothing.

She hasn't returned to the house since leaving at eleven this morning. I pulled her cameras up on my phone.

My screen was empty, showing only two words-

Camera offline.

What the fuck? Despite trying again, I got the same message. I checked all the surveillance in her house, and every fucking one of them wasn't working. I felt dread come over me like the goddamn plague.

My Kitten is gone. I had a strong suspicion someone had taken her. This was the reason I didn't want her little ass in any of those seedy clubs.

I have told her many times how trafficking works.

My irrational obsession with her eats me from the inside out every day.

I need to stay in control and keep the unwanted thoughts buried where they belong.

I know I am going to completely lose my shit if something happens to her.

Just a few hours ago, I called my brothers to tell them the good news about our relationship, and now she's missing.

My hands shook as I dialed my brother Zach. He picked up on the third ring.

" Hey, Atlas, what's up?"

Feeling helpless, I tightened my fists and gritted my teeth.

I swallowed down the panic and cleared my throat.

"Zach, check the cameras at Kit's house. They are all offline. I am getting a sick feeling in my stomach. Something seems off."

"Sure. Give me a couple of minutes. I will call you back."

Taking a deep breath, I sighed. I wanted answers now, especially when it came to my pet. I feel like I am going out of my mind.

My tone was gruff and demanding.

"Alright, but hurry the fuck up. I will check the history to see if anything has been saved. Don't screw around. Call me right back."

My brother huffed in my ear.

"Of course, I am going to call you back right away. Relax, will ya? You're so fucking tense, Atlas."

I clenched my teeth, feeling the anger rise from my insides. I know something is wrong, and I want an immediate answer, not a snarky response from this asshole. Nobody has belted him in the mouth since his teens. Maybe I need to knock him down a few pegs.

I growled into the phone.

"I am not fucking tense. There is something wrong, and I am worried about Kit, so just do as I fucking asked without psychoanalyzing my goddamn mood."

He huffed again, pissing me off even more.

"If you stop trying to pick a fight with me, maybe I can get my job done, and then you can lose the attitude. I will call you right back."

Before I could answer, the bastard hung up.

I definitely would have knocked him out if he were in front of me.

For Kit, I would destroy the world; no one is safe, not even him.

I brought up the app to check on the tracker.

Doing a double-take, I shook my head to make sure I wasn't seeing things. My eyes focused on the screen.

What the fuck!?

The last location was recorded in Texas????

There isn't a current GPS signal, so either someone removed the tracker from her neck or something is blocking it.

I cracked my knuckles and continued looking at the cameras' history.

The live feed is still offline, but the earlier footage shows her and Becca packing shit and going in and out with boxes.

I can see Tuna wandering around, leaving little clumps of fur trailing behind him.

The two of them laughed and joked as they loaded the SUV.

Nothing unusual there.

I move the cursor to the end of the feed. My vision blurs for a minute, and I take a deep breath, controlling my anger.

The time was 12:15.

Two masked intruders entered the kitchen door and plunged needles into the girls' arms, then dragged them from the house.

Both were about six feet tall.

I'm positive they're men.

I switched to the outside surveillance. My heart thumped wildly as they threw the unconscious girls over their shoulders.

One kidnapper headed toward a dark SUV parked near the woods behind her house.

The other decided to disable the camera after bringing them to the vehicle, and then everything went offline.

I clenched my fists and threw my head back.

"Those motherfuckers!!!!!" The words tore from my throat, dragging fury and disbelief with it.

My blood pressure spikes, and I feel the color drain from my face after watching the abduction of my Kitten. I always feared something would happen to her, and here we are.

"Goddammit!!!!!"

I shoved my cell phone into the pocket of my jeans, then lost my mind.

I took deep, savage breaths. My chest heaved as though my heart would rip apart.

I stormed over to the kitchen island and, with a violent sweep of my arm, sent the glass salt and pepper shakers flying to the floor, shattering them in the process.

I picked up a coffee cup and threw it through the wall, leaving a gaping hole just above the counter, then I put my fist through the opposite wall, watching as the plaster crumbled into little pieces onto the ceramic tile.

Another blow followed, then another and another.

My knuckles split open, but I didn't care about the blood or the pain.

I would have flipped the table over, but it was bolted down.

Instead, I kicked over all the chairs, then went to the cupboard and smashed all the dishes on the floor, leaving shards of glass everywhere.

I was out of control.

The fury inside was too much to contain.

I had to release it before it consumed me.

Stepping into the den, I ripped the flat-screen from the wall and slammed it onto the hardwood floor. What was once flawless glass now splintered into a sprawling spider web. Before I tore the entire house apart, I pinched the bridge of my nose and forced myself to take a few steady breaths.

I was fucking angry. I've become completely unhinged. Whoever took my girl is going to wish they were dead once I get my hands on them.

I will tear apart everyone who was involved in her abduction. I already pictured the massacre in my head.

It took a few minutes to get my bearings. I needed to calm my ass down so I could think straight and take the necessary steps to find her. As much as I can't stomach Becca, at least my pet wasn't alone. I was relieved she had someone she trusted with her. It may make the ordeal more tolerable.

I grabbed the cell from my pocket and hit redial.

Zach picked up on the second ring.

"If you're going to scream at me, Atlas, I would rather not talk to you until you calm down."

I kept my voice steady and my anger under control.