Chapter 32
LEX
Fayetteville, Arkansas
About to lose my shit.
We’ve been sitting at this damn lakehouse marinating in waves of sheer panic and red-hot rage for six days.
Six days staring at a black screen just waiting for it to flicker back to life. Six days of sitting on a couch that now smells like beer and sweat.
And six fucking days of looking out over a lake that is way too peaceful. Apparently, nature doesn’t give a shit that our girl is gone. If it did, the water wouldn’t be this perfectly calm.
I, on the other hand, am not calm. How the hell can I be?
Each time that tv screen flickers from the power cycling or whatever, my heart slams like it’s round one at The Pit versus Tattooed-Dragon-Dick. Adrenaline spikes, my muscles lock up, and I’m halfway to my feet before I even think.
But it’s never him.
Only static and a deafening silence that makes my ears ring.
Cade and I both look like shit. Neither of us have slept for more than a couple hours at a time. Haven’t left this damn living room except to piss or grab another bottle. My knuckles are split to shit from punching the fireplace when the screen glitched yesterday.
We thought that was it. We thought he was back.
He wasn’t.
Roman is the only one still here with us. The guy looks just as shitty as Cade and I. Just as worried, maybe even more. He spends most of his time pacing on the dock, rubbing his chest and looking out over the water blaming himself for his daughter getting taken by a psychopath.
He keeps saying that he should have seen it. Should have known who it was all along. That he should have stopped it. Sabine tried to talk him off the ledge before she left, but it was useless. I don’t think he’s going to calm the fuck down until we find Bella.
I guess we’ve got more in common than I realized.
Everyone else headed back to New York a couple days ago when Laing called. Something about having a lead on his sister or some shit. I don’t know, I tuned them out.
Don’t get me wrong, I hope they find Meilin. Honestly, I do. I just don’t have the mental fucking capacity right now for anything other than getting our girl back.
I’m pacing by the fireplace when my phone rings.
“Tell me you have something,” I snap.
“Hello to you too,” Knox chuckles.
“Knox,” I warn. “What do you got?”
Knox sighs. “Sorry, man. I was actually just calling to see how you were doing.”
“Living the dream,” I say, my voice pitched with sarcasm.
“So no news then?” he asks.
“Nope.”
“Damn.”
I nod, then realize that’s insane because the fucker can’t actually see me through the phone. “Yeah,” I add. “How’s it going with Laing’s shit?”
“Not the best,” he admits. “Charlotte—that girl they saved from the Lotus Market—said Chang was keeping her in London.”
I can hear the sound of shuffling pages and then him clicking some keys on his laptop.
“Laing and Kenji got there yesterday, but didn’t find her. They did find a laptop and a burner phone hidden under one of the mattresses, so they’re bringing them back for us to go through. Should be back by tomorrow afternoon.”
“Well hopefully you can figure it out. We could use some good news for a change.”
“No shit.”
My phone dings in my ear.
“Hold on,” I say glancing down, eyes widening when I see the name. “It’s him, Knox. I’ll call you right back.”
I hang up without giving the guy a chance to respond.
@LucaWasHere
My apologies, boys, but delays must occur.
When stubborn little bitches forget who they were.
Your masterpiece, Cade, would’ve been a lovely display.
But my Izzy and Zeke needed lessons that day.
They’re learning their manners, their patience, their place.
But some lessons are learned at a much slower pace.
So we’ll chalk that little trial up to a L,
And resume in a month, once my Izzy learns well.
But, Lexie, sweet Lexie please try not to fret.
For I haven’t forgotten my favorite brute yet.
Please try to be patient and try not to shout.
And I might let you join my little Blackout.
Cade leans forward, staring at the screen over my shoulder. Desperately hoping that the words might rearrange into something different.
They don’t.
“A month?” he whispers, stumbling back a step. “Lex, he’s going to keep her for another—”
“FUCK!” I yell, cutting Cade off so fast he flinches.
Roman yanks the phone from my hand and reads it over carefully. Eyes squinting and jaw locking tight when he gets to the last line.
“The Blackout,” Roman scoffs. “Fucker’s really trying to rewrite history isn’t he?”
“Looks like it,” I grit as I brace both hands on the mantle. “What the hell are we supposed to do for a goddamn month?”
“The first thing we’re going to do,” Roman says as he walks over to me to hand me back my phone. “Is get the hell back home.”
Cade and I nod.
“And then what?” Cade asks.
“Then we make a plan,” Roman mutters, rubbing a hand on his shoulder as he tries to roll it. “I’m not waiting another month before I get to see my daughter. It’s time to draw the bastard out.” His steel eyes meet mine. “It’s time to end this. Once and for all.”
“Finally,” I rasp, shoving my phone in my pocket. “A plan I can get behind.”