Chapter 37 Anthony
Anthony
Ipush the front door open with my foot, arms loaded with empty boxes.
“Lila? I think I got more than enough boxes this time,” I call out, stepping into the foyer.
The house is quiet. Too quiet. Something feels off right away, like the air itself has changed since I left.
“Lila?” I call again, setting the boxes down by the door.
No answer comes back, just the hollow echo of my voice bouncing off the walls.
A chill runs down my spine as I take another step into the house. My eyes scan the entryway, looking for any sign of her. That’s when I see it, a dark smear on the hardwood floor. Small, but unmistakable. Blood.
“Lila!” I shout, my voice cracking with sudden panic. I run toward the library, feet pounding against the floor, heart hammering in my chest. “LILA!”
The library door stands open, just as I left it.
Inside, the boxes she’d started packing while I was gone only have a few books inside.
Some books are scattered on the floor near one of the shelves, as if dropped in a hurry.
The lavender chair where I’d made love to her just an hour ago sits empty, the throw blanket half on the floor.
I spin around, rushing back into the hallway. “Lila, where are you?” My voice echoes through the empty house, mocking me with its empty return. I check every room on the first floor. Kitchen, dining room, living room. Nothing. No sign of her.
Taking the stairs two at a time, I race to the second floor, throwing open doors, calling her name with increasing desperation. The master bedroom is empty, bed still made. Eli’s old office sits untouched, dust covering the surfaces. Bathroom empty.
Back downstairs, I stand in the foyer, trying to make sense of what I’m seeing. The blood on the floor. The empty house. Lila, gone.
“Fuck,” I whisper, my mind racing through possibilities. Did she leave on her own? No. Not without telling me. Not with her books still here. Not with blood on the floor.
My stomach drops as the most obvious answer hits me. Eli. But he’s in jail. He can’t have taken her. Unless...
My hands shake as I pull out my phone, scrolling to Dillian’s number. He picks up on the second ring.
“Anthony? What’s up, man?”
“Lila’s gone,” I say, my voice tight with fear. “I left her at the house for twenty minutes to get more boxes, and when I came back, there’s blood on the floor and she’s nowhere to be found.”
“Shit.” Dillian’s voice changes instantly, all casual friendliness gone. “I’m on my way. Where are you?”
“Her old house. The one she shared with Eli.” I pace the foyer, eyes locked on that small bloodstain. “I think he took her, Dillian. I know he’s supposed to be in jail, but I can’t think of who else would—”
“Stay put,” Dillian cuts me off. “I’m bringing backup. I’ll call it in officially, get local PD there too. Don’t touch anything. Could be a crime scene.”
“Hurry,” is all I can say before hanging up.
My next call is to Jonathan. Unlike Dillian, he’s not a cop, but he’s the most level-headed person I know, and right now, I need that. He answers immediately.
“What’s wrong?” he asks, no greeting, no preamble.
“Lila’s been taken,” I tell him, the words burning my throat. “I think Eli has her. I need your help.”
“Where are you?” His voice is calm, focused.
“Her old house. Dillian’s on his way with police.” I run a hand through my hair, my whole body vibrating with adrenaline and fear. “Jonathan, there’s blood.”
“I’m on my way,” he says. “Twenty minutes. Don’t do anything stupid before I get there.”
“I won’t,” I promise, though every fiber of my being wants to tear out of this house and hunt Eli down myself. “Just hurry.”
After hanging up, I stand in the foyer, staring at that small smear of blood.
Her blood. The thought of Eli putting his hands on her again makes something dark and violent rise inside me.
I squeeze my eyes shut, trying to calm the rage threatening to consume me.
I need to think clearly. I need to be smart about this.
I dial Cainen’s number next. If anyone can find electronic breadcrumbs, it’s him.
“I’m in the middle of something,” he answers, voice clipped.
“Drop it,” I command. “Lila’s been taken. I need you to get into the police database, the court system, anywhere you can. Find out if Eli Fischer has been released from jail.”
I would normally have Dillian do this to avoid Cainen’s exposure, but Dillian is on his way to me right now. Cainen knows I wouldn’t ask him to do this unless it was necessary.
There’s a brief pause, then the sound of typing. “Give me two minutes.”
While I wait, I walk carefully around the foyer, looking for any other clues.
The front door wasn’t broken. She must have opened it, thinking it was me.
Or someone had a key. The blood is a small amount, not enough to suggest a fatal injury.
Maybe she fought back. The thought gives me a flicker of hope. My Lila is a fighter.
“Anthony.” Cainen’s voice pulls me back to the phone. “Eli Fischer posted bond six weeks ago.”
The words hit me like a physical blow. “What? That’s impossible. Lila would have been notified. She’s the victim, she would have been told he was out.”
“Checking notification system now,” Cainen says, more typing sounds in the background. “There’s a flag on his file. All notifications regarding his case were turned off or routed. Lila’s phone and email were removed from the notifications list.”
“Routed where?” I demand.
“Working on it.” More typing. “It’s a dummy account. Someone with access to the system redirected her notifications and removed her information.”
Cold dread washes over me. “He’s had six weeks to plan this. To watch her. To wait for the perfect moment.”
“I’m digging deeper,” Cainen says. “Looking for any properties in his name, any transactions, anything that might tell us where he’d take her.”
The sound of sirens in the distance interrupts my spiraling thoughts. “Police are almost here. Keep digging. Call me as soon as you find anything.”
“Wait,” Cainen says sharply. “There’s something else. I’m looking at Lila’s divorce file. Her maiden name is Angelo, right?”
“Yeah,” I confirm, confused by the change in topic. “Lilian Mae Angelo. Why?”
“And she’s from Florida originally? Adopted around age five?”
My brow furrows. “Yes. How is this relevant right now?”
Cainen’s breathing changes, becoming faster. “Holy shit. I think—I think she might be my sister.”
“What?” The word comes out like a punch. “What are you talking about?”
“My father had another child not long after me,” Cainen explains, speaking faster now.
“A daughter. My half-sister. Her mother took her and disappeared when she was little. My father’s been looking for her for years.
The timeline matches. The location matches.
And Angelo is mine and my dad’s last name. ”
The sirens are getting louder, police cars pulling up outside. “Are you sure?”
“No,” Cainen admits. “But it fits. I’ve been looking for my sister for years too, and now—fuck, if it’s her, and that bastard has her—”
“Focus,” I snap, though my mind is reeling from this revelation. “We need to find her first. Confirm the family connection later.”
“I’m on my way,” Cainen says. “I’ll be in Maryland in three days. Keep me updated. I’m sending everything I find to your phone and Dillian’s.”
I hang up as the first police officers enter the house, Dillian right behind them. He spots me and crosses the foyer, eyes immediately going to the blood on the floor.
“Tell me everything,” he demands, waving over a crime scene technician.
I explain what happened, how I left to get more boxes, how I returned to find Lila gone and blood on the floor. I tell him about Cainen’s discovery that Eli has been out on bail for six weeks, how the notification system was compromised.
“We should have been more careful,” I say, self-loathing burning in my gut. “I should have checked myself to make sure he was still in jail.”
“This isn’t on you,” Dillian says firmly. “Eli is a resourceful son of a bitch with money and connections. We’ll find him, and we’ll find Lila.”
The police work efficiently around us, photographing the scene, collecting samples of the blood, dusting for prints. I stand in the middle of it all, feeling helpless and terrified. Jonathan arrives as they’re finishing up, his solid presence a small comfort in the chaos.
“We’ve put out an APB on Eli Fischer and his vehicle,” Dillian informs us after conferring with the lead detective. “All available units are on alert. We’re checking traffic cameras, toll booths, everything.”
“It’s not enough,” I say, pacing now. “He’s had this planned for weeks. He wouldn’t use his own car. He wouldn’t take her somewhere obvious.”
“We’ll find her,” Jonathan says, his calm voice cutting through my panic. “We’ve tracked down people with a lot less to go on.”
My phone buzzes with a text from Cainen.
Cainen: Sending you coordinates for three properties that might be connected to Eli. Off the books, paid for through shell companies. I’m on my way.
I show the text to Dillian and Jonathan. “We need to check these places. Now.”
Dillian nods, already moving toward the door. “I’ll coordinate with local PD, get teams to each location.”
“I’m coming with you,” I insist, following him.
“No,” Dillian turns to face me. “You’re too emotionally involved. Let us handle this.”
“Fuck that,” I growl. “She’s out there, scared, hurt, with that monster. I’m not sitting this out.”
Jonathan steps between us. “He’s coming,” he tells Dillian. “But he’ll stay in the car unless we give the all-clear. Right, Anthony?”
I nod, willing to agree to anything that gets us moving faster. “Right. Just please, let’s go. Now.”
As we head for the door, I take one last look at the library doorway, where just hours ago Lila and I were happy, planning our future.
The rage and fear inside me turn into something harder, more focused.
I will find her. I will bring her home. And if Eli has hurt her, I will make him wish he’d never been born.
“Hang on, Lila,” I whisper as we step out into the gathering darkness. “I’m coming for you.”