CHAPTER 11
LOGAN
My hand tightens around my cell as Rosa’s voice comes through the loudspeaker.
“The kids landed.”
There’s a pause, too long, too unnatural. My pulse hammers in my ears. Orion, standing by the window, stiffens. Kai, sprawled on the couch, stops swirling the whiskey in his hand.
I don’t ask. I demand. “And?”
Another pause.
Rosa exhales. “Maisy wasn’t on the flight.”
My whole body goes rigid, almost hard, like metal. My fingers flex around the cell before I set it down on the table. “Say that again.”
“They boarded at JFK. Everyone but Maisy.”
Kai sets his drink down on the table. I’m certain it’s because he’s tempted to smash the glass.
Orion’s eyes meet mine. “What the hell has happened to Maisy?” he growls.
I can barely hear him over the pounding in my head. My thoughts fracture, rearrange, and settle into one singular truth—Maisy is missing. We don’t know where the hell she is.
Orion’s voice is sharp enough to cut. “Who was the last person to see her?”
Rosa hesitates. “…Sasha said she said her goodbyes and walked out.”
I brace my hands on the table, grounding myself before I shatter something.
Kai doesn’t have the same restraint. He picks his glass back up and it flies, smashing against the far wall, whiskey dripping down the matte black paint like blood. “You mean to tell me she fucking disappeared in a goddamn airport? ” he yells.
“She planned this,” Orion says, his grip on his glass almost tight enough to crack the crystal. “She wanted us to know she’s in control.”
Control . Maisy has always been two things—brilliant, and reckless. And right now, she’s out there alone, playing a game none of us understand.
“She didn’t disappear,” Rosa says. “Angelina and Celina must know where she is.”
The weight in my chest shifts. It’s not relief. It’s something heavier, and sharper, slicing through my patience.
“What the fuck do you mean?” Orion demands through gritted teeth.
“…Angelina and Celina are here, with Sasha and the kids,” Rosa responds reluctantly. “They say they’ll stay with us until they need to. They must know where Maisy is.”
It feels as if we are in a war zone of silence, the tension thick enough to suffocate all of us. “Put Angelina and Celina on the line,” I say.
Rosa takes a deep breath. “Logan—”
“Now.”
A beat later, the rustling of movement filters through the speaker. Then Angelina’s voice, cool and steady, fills the room. “I’m here.”
Celina’s follows. “Me too.”
I don’t waste time. “Where is she?”
“We don’t know,” Angelina says bluntly.
“Bullshit! Where the fuck did she go?” Orion barks, clearly unable to rein himself in. “You better start talking. Both of you!”
Celina exhales loudly, but she doesn’t lose her cool. “Maisy told us to stay with the kids. We’re just following orders.”
“Her orders mean nothing if she’s dead,” Kai snaps.
Angelina’s tone remains unshaken. “She’s not dead.”
“You don’t know that,” I fire back.
She doesn’t yield. “I know Maisy . She’s survived worse. And she did this to protect you.”
My jaw tightens, rage boiling beneath my skin. “For fuck’s sake! We don’t need her protection!”
“Maybe not,” Angelina replies, seemingly unbothered by my hostility. “But the kids do.”
Orion’s patience snaps. “You’re both coming to New York. Immediately.”
“We’re not leaving the kids. They know us. They trust us. You’d rather they’re alone with strangers?” Celina demands.
Rosa’s voice cuts in. “They’re right, Orion. The kids know them.”
My chest is heaving. I want to fire my blades at someone right this very moment. Nothing is going as planned. I’m angry, in shock, and so goddamn powerless.
Angelina’s voice lowers, softer but just as sharp. “Go. Find Maisy. Do what you need to do. We’ll be here.”
The line goes dead.
“They know everything,” Kai snaps.
“Of course they do,” I scoff.
Orion slams his fist against the table, the sound echoing around the room. “This isn’t a fucking game. She’s out there, alone, and no one knows where the hell she is?”
“I’m done with this shit,” Kai growls. “One minute, she’s here, the next, she’s gone. And in between all that, I’m betting it’ll be us—once again—putting our asses on the line for her. It’s like she doesn’t give a damn about what it costs us.”
ORION
Too many hours have passed, and we have nothing.
“She’s not picking up,” Logan grinds out. “She’s turned off her cell.”
“She killed every damn signal,” I snap, leaning over the laptop. My jaw is tight, my eyes locked on the airport feed which we managed to get hold off thanks to a few of our men and their extortion skills.
We’ve been looking through hours of footage, searching every shadow and face in and outside of JFK. It’s like looking for a needle in a haystack.
“There. Got her.” I jab my finger at the screen, finally relieved. “Let me zoom in.”
There she is—Maisy. My stomach twists at the sight. She has a cap on, lips pressed into a thin line. Walks fast, determined.
I scroll the footage frame by frame until the camera catches her from the side. She’s lifting her phone, her face unreadable.
I narrow in.
“Who does she call?” Logan squints at the screen.
“Does it say… Georgina?” Kai asks.
The name Georgina clearly flashes on Maisy’s screen as the call connects.
I grit my teeth. “Do we know who she is? Where does she live?”
Logan and Kai shake their heads.
“Then let’s find the fuck out!” I yell.
I don’t wait, I pick up my cells and start dialing. Kai and Logan follow suit. I don’t think calling Angelina or Celina would make a difference. They would not give us any information about Georgina.
I call Uncle Leo, he wouldn’t know who Georgina is, or where she lives, but I’ll ask him to spread the word. She must be found out by the end of day, no matter what.
Kai and Logan talk to their men too. My jaw aches from how hard I’m clenching it. Maisy slipped through our fingers, and we didn’t even see it.
It’s a good few hours before I think of calling my sister. Lisa. I call her—not because I expect anything, but because we’re running out of options. She answers on the first ring.
“Orion?”
“I need anything you’ve got on someone called Georgina. A phone number. An address. Whatever you have.” I shoot. I don’t fucking have the patience for pleasantries. Not when Maisy’s life is at stake.
There’s a pause. Then papers rustling. “Sure. Hang on… I keep notes for the club. We have a Georgina coming there, if that’s the person you’re after. Contacts, attendance logs, emergency details—Maisy insisted we be organized.”
Of course she did.
“Why do you need this?”
“It’s none of your God damn business, Lisa!” I snarl.
She doesn’t flinch. Keeps going like I didn’t just bite her head off. “I have her work address. And—wait—yes. I noted a personal number. Looks like she filled it out during the last committee update.”
She sends it within seconds. Then, another message follows.
Found her home address, too. I’ll send it now.
It hits me all at once. The stupidity of it. The blindness.
Why the hell didn’t I call Lisa sooner? She was right there. A woman Maisy trusted enough to help run the goddamn backbone of her club.
And I didn’t even think of her.
I’m supposed to be the one who sees every angle. Who predicts every threat. And I overlooked my sister, the woman who probably knows more about the club’s inner workings than any man.
I underestimated her. No—we all did.
Maisy tried to show us that.
“I got an address!” I nod at Logan and Kai, and we’re on the move within minutes.
By the time we reach her sleek Manhattan apartment, I don’t bother with the doorbell. I pound until the door creaks under the force. Logan stays two steps back. Kai’s arms are crossed, he knows he’s not supposed to hit a woman, but I can feel the restraint burning through him.
The door swings open and a drunken man shows up — hair a mess, shirt half-untucked, reeking of whiskey. Logan stiffens the second he sees him. “You’ve got to be kidding me! Benji?”
Benji blinks at us, squinting like we’re too loud for his hangover. “What… what’s going on?”
“You didn’t report in?” Logan snarls. “Uncle Jon put out the message hours ago. Where the hell have you been?”
Benji’s eyes widen like it just clicked. “I didn’t check my phone—I—I was out—”
A woman appears behind him in the hallway, pushing gently past. She’s dressed immaculately, her face composed, unreadable. This must be Georgina.
“Where is she?” My voice is low and lethal. I could end her right here if she wasn’t the only thread leading to Maisy.
“I don’t know.” Her lie is smooth. Almost believable.
Kai steps forward. “Stop lying.”
“Who are you looking for?” Benji slurs. “Tell them the truth, you whore!” He shoves her behind.
Georgina doesn’t flinch. “She hasn’t contacted me.”
I step into her space, close enough for her to feel the threat in my breath. “If Maisy dies, you’re as good as buried. And I won’t make it quick.”
There is a moment of deliberation before she exhales. Her mask slips just a bit. “I don’t know where she is right now.”
We don’t move. We don’t blink. We just watch her squirm, letting the silence tighten like a noose until she starts talking.
She crosses her arms, defensive. “She didn’t tell me everything. She only said she needed a safe place to lie low for a while.”
My patience snaps. “And you gave it to her?”
Her voice shakes now. “Yes. I found her a condo. Northern Yonkers. It’s quiet. New build. Barely furnished. No one’s supposed to be there.”
Logan’s jaw clenches. “Address. Now.”
With trembling fingers, Georgina writes it down.
As we turn to leave, Logan’s glare pins Benji in place.
“Sober up,” he says coldly, stepping closer. “You’re Vitali. You don’t get to disappear when the families need you. Uncle Jon’s not the only one who noticed.”
Benji swallows hard as Logan turns and we all walk out.
The drive to Yonkers takes forever. Every red light drags. I’ve got one hand clenching my knee, the other twitching near my holster. We don’t speak. There’s nothing left to say.