Chapter 19
Chapter Nineteen
R ome fought back the fear filling his chest like concrete. He couldn’t fucking see a thing. “Sofie!”
Where was she?
The lights came back on and he blinked. Worried, he stared at the panicked people. Couples clung to each other. Others looked uncertain and upset.
He frantically scanned the room.
There was no sign of Sofie.
His gut clenched and he felt the same horrible sensation he’d had when he’d lost Lola that long-ago day.
Vander materialized. “You see her?”
“No.” Fuck .
Saxon, Rhys, and Easton joined them.
“Don’t see her anywhere,” Saxon said.
“Get everyone looking,” Rome ordered.
“I’ll ask Zane, Liam, and Mav to help,” Easton said.
“We don’t have penises, but our eyes work just fine.” Gia waved at herself, Harlow and Haven.
“Go,” Vander said to his sister.
The group spread out.
“You give her the ring?” Vander asked.
Rome nodded. He’d picked the ring because he knew it would look pretty on Sofie’s delicate fingers, and because there was a tracker embedded in it.
“Where the fuck is Ace?” Vander barked.
“Here.” Ace appeared. His long hair was no longer tied up, but instead brushed his shoulders. It looked like someone had been running their fingers through it. He had lipstick on the collar of his shirt.
Maggie joined them as well. “What’s happening?”
Maggie’s cheeks were flushed and her lipstick was gone.
Rome glanced between the two, but he had no time to contemplate them. “Sofie’s missing. Track her.”
Ace cursed and pulled out his phone. He swiped the screen, tapped. “Shit.”
“Ace?” Rome growled.
“There’s some sort of interference. Can’t get a clear lock.”
“Someone’s jamming it,” Vander said darkly.
Rome scanned and spotted the Italian brunette. “ Her . She was with Sofie when the lights went out.”
They shoved through the crowd.
The woman raised her head and when she saw them coming, her eyes widened.
She spun and ran into the crowd.
Rome broke into a sprint. He ignored the startled cries and shouts. He sensed Vander right behind him.
The woman sprinted out into a marble-lined hall. She wasn’t so fast in her sky-high heels.
Suddenly, somebody rushed Rome from the side. A man crashed into him.
Grunting, Rome caught the man’s weight and spun. He saw the uniform and recognized the face.
One of the Serbians.
“Where’s the princess?” Rome demanded.
“Not with you.” The man swung a fist.
Fear and anger coalesced into a horrible ball of rage. Rome blocked the man’s punch, then launched his own fist right into the man’s jaw.
With a grunt, the man staggered back. Rome kept hitting, his knuckles striking flesh. Soon, the man’s teeth were bloodied and he dropped heavily to his knees.
“Where is she?” Rome said.
The man gave a gurgling laugh.
Rome’s jaw clenched. He gripped the front of the man’s shirt and punched him again, then again. Blood dribbled from the man’s mouth.
“Rome, enough,” Vander said.
Rome looked up. Vander was holding the brunette in front of him. She struggled, spitting Italian at him.
Vander shook her, and then said something in Italian in a low voice. The woman blanched and went still.
“Where is Princess Sofia?” Rome enunciated each word clearly.
The brunette sucked in a breath and looked away. The man on the ground made a choked sound.
Rome dragged the man up, ready to hit him again.
“She got away,” the man bit out.
“When the lights went off, she ran,” the woman added.
Dammit . Rome met Vander’s gaze.
Suddenly, Ace sprinted toward them. “I got a faint trace. She’s upstairs.”
Rome released the man and he fell to the tiles. Vander waved some security guards over. “Hold them.”
Rome hit the wide stairs at the end of the hall, taking them two at a time. Vander and Ace ran behind him.
At the top was a mezzanine level. Most of it was concealed from the main hall below by textured, lattice screens. Along the walls were loads of doors. As he shoved open one, he saw a stylish meeting room. He guessed the place was a rabbit warren of rooms and offices.
“Rome.” Vander gripped his shoulder. “You can’t help her if you go in hot, without a clear head.”
Rome sucked in a breath. He knew that. He’d seen people die by running in without being prepared.
Right now, the soldier in him was fighting against the frantic man who knew his woman was in danger.
He couldn’t fail her.
He locked down the molten emotions as best he could and nodded.
“Good.” Vander turned to Ace. “Where?”
“This way.” Ace pointed.
Vander pulled a Glock from under his jacket. Rome followed suit and pulled his own.
“Let’s move.” Vander said.
For a second, it was like being back on a Ghost Ops mission, with Vander giving orders. But this time the stakes were even higher. Sofie, the woman Rome loved, was in danger. Her life was on the line. Some sick fuck had her and Rome was going to make him pay.
Ace nodded at a door.
Rome lifted his foot, kicked the door open, and moved in.
The room was empty. “Clear.”
Vander moved fast and silently, weapon up. “Let’s find her.”
Ace pointed and Rome advanced on the next door.
Hold on, Sofie. I’m coming.
* * *
She couldn’t see a thing.
The bag over Sofie’s head blocked all her vision, and she was being dragged by Lorenz. She stumbled.
“ Come, my sweet Sofie .”
He was still using the creepy whisper. She still couldn’t comprehend that her stalker was Lorenz .
She’d always liked the rare book dealer. He’d seemed decent, if a little quiet and staid. Tori had liked him.
But that bland face had been hiding a monster.
He dragged her up some stairs. The noise of the gala dimmed and she heard a door close.
All sound cut off, closing them in a private bubble. As far as she could tell, they were still in the building, but upstairs somewhere.
The bag was yanked off.
She blinked, and Lorenz’s unremarkable face came into view.
Sofie took a step back. “You wrote those notes.”
“Yes.” He cocked his head, reminding her of a predator. “Did you like them?”
“You’re sick, Lorenz.”
“No, I’m just embracing the real me.” His gaze moved to the top of her head. “I was hoping for the tiara as well. I have a buyer lined up, and they’re willing to pay a lot of money for it.”
Sofie’s belly churned. “You’re in the Black Fox gang too?”
His smiled sharpened. “Oh, I’m not just in the gang, my sweet princess, I run it. It was my brainchild.”
She shook her head. “No.” He’d been so unassuming.
“In my job, I have access to wealthy families, and the research on valuable, historic jewelry.” He shrugged a slim shoulder. “It was so easy to recruit others eager to join me. Eager to bolster their dwindling family fortunes.”
“You’re scum. Your gang hurt Tori.”
Lorenz’s smile twisted. “I know. I ordered it.”
Sofie felt like the floor fell away. She couldn’t breathe or find her balance. “What?”
“It started years ago, when I was at university. I found a pretty victim. I watched the light leak from her eyes while I loved her.” He shivered, clearly reliving his sick, twisted fantasy.
“It was near-perfect, but she died too soon. I wasn’t patient or experienced enough to dispose of her body well.
” He expelled a breath. “I was almost caught. It took me a long time to find the courage to indulge my passions again.”
Sofie couldn’t put all the pieces together. “Why? Why hurt people?” She couldn’t understand.
“We all have skills, sweet Sofie. Mine is showing a woman the ultimate death, and the pleasure in it.”
He was totally unhinged and made her want to vomit. “You didn’t rape Tori.”
“No, I had two of my men do it.” He smiled. “I watched. And I fueled her fear and paranoia afterward.”
Sofie felt a tear slide out of her eye and track down her cheek. “She trusted you, cared for you.”
“She wasn’t what I’d hoped she would be. I wish I’d been brave enough to take her life myself, but by then, I’d seen you .” Lorenz stepped closer.
Sofie steeled herself.
“That first woman I released into death, she had beautiful hair just like yours. The color of a beautiful sunset.”
“Well, you can’t have me.”
“You’re mine.” He leaped at her.
Sofie fell back and they hit the floor. They wrestled across the carpet, and he clamped his hands on her neck.
No! She scissored her legs and rolled. Lorenz cursed.
She scrambled onto her hands and knees. “Rome is coming. He’ll tear you apart.”
Lorenz’s face twisted. “You should never have let that big brute touch you, Sofia.”
Sofie shoved to her feet and edged toward the door. “I love it when he touches me.”
Lorenz made an angry sound and charged. He slammed her into the wall, all the air rushing out of her.
She elbowed him, then stabbed her fingers into his eyes.
He yelped.
She scratched his face. “Rome’s coming, and you’re going down. Your Black Fox gang is going down too.”
Lorenz made an enraged sound, like an angry animal.
“I’ve been gathering information on your gang for months,” she spat. “I’ll hand it over to the authorities, along with you, and your gang of criminals will be dismantled piece by piece.”
“You know nothing.” He advanced on her, his hair and jacket askew from their fight.
“I know a lot.” She lifted her chin. “I learned more every time I stole back the jewelry your gang had taken.”
His eyes widened. “ You’re Robin Hood.”
Sofie smiled.
Lorenz’s face twisted, a crazed edge flaring in his eyes. He sprang at her.
The elbow to her jaw had her seeing stars. They both gripped each other, staggered, and then he knocked her down. Her knees hit the floor hard.
He leaned over her, his hands clamping around her neck, fingers digging in.
Sofie coughed and struggled. It hurt so badly.
She thought of Tori.
She thought of Rome.
Dammit, she’d fight.
She punched Lorenz between the legs.
He let her go, and let out a horrible gurgle of sound.
With a sob, Sofie pushed to her feet and spun, cursing her skirts.
Lorenz grabbed a handful of her dress. She tried to wrench away and heard fabric rip.
Then she was sprinting.
She shoved out the door and ran through several rooms. Where was the way out? She sprinted through another door and came out on the mezzanine level.
She heard the sound of the gala below.
Find Rome. Get to Rome.
She ran, her dress flaring behind her.
“You’re mine, Sofie,” Lorenz gritted out behind her. “I’m going to kill you, here and now.”
She heard his footsteps. He wasn’t far behind.
Panting, she found herself hemmed in. At the railing, she looked through the gaps in the lattice, and saw people down below, resuming the party.
A hysterical sob built in her chest. She met Lorenz’s gaze.
He was disheveled, blood at the corner of his mouth, and scratches from her nails down his face.
“No, you’re not.” Sofie glared at him. “I have everything to live for, and one of those things is seeing you pay for your crimes.”
Lorenz shoved her and made an angry noise. Her hip smacked into the stone railing.
“Sofie!”
Rome’s deep shout.
Relief flared in her. She turned her head and saw him sprinting down the mezzanine level toward her. Ace and Vander were right behind him.
Rome—big, powerful, his eyes blazing.
She smiled. “And there’s the other thing I have to live for.”
“He can’t have you! No one can have you!”
She heard more shouts and looked the other way. Saxon, Easton, and Rhys were running up the stairs from the other direction.
“It’s over, Lorenz.”
“No! No .”
He gave her a vicious shove.
With a cry, Sofie fell back and Lorenz’s weight pushed her straight through the flimsy lattice. The wood cracked and she tipped over the railing.
No . For a second her heart stopped, then it raced with terror.
She fell through the air, and threw her arms out. Then a hand gripped her wrist, jerking her to a stop. She dangled in the air.
She looked up into Lorenz’s strained face.
“You’re mine, Sofie. Mine to kill.”