Chapter 35
The Monster
“ D o you have any contacts through your time with Carlos? That’s where we need to start. My rivals are going to be the ones he goes after, because they’ll do whatever it takes to hurt me,” I explain to Jonah as soon as I burst through the door and find him waiting for me.
That was his thinking when he sold her to Carlos, and I know that’s exactly what his plan will be this time, too. I just don’t know who’s next on his list.
I tracked Ainsley for as long as I could, hoping the tracker would save her this time. But when I was stopped on the side of the road with nothing around for miles, it became clear he had cut it out of her.
The image of Ainsley stuck in a car with a man that’s caused her nothing but harm is imprinted on my mind. She’s screaming while he slices into her neck to keep me from following them, and I can’t help her. I wasn’t there to help her.
Jonah was the first call I made. He was still wide awake and beat me to the house, ready to do whatever it takes to get Ainsley back. And that is why I hired him. It may piss me off at times, but he puts Ainsley before everyone else, just like I do, and that’s exactly what I need right now.
“I was not involved in his business affairs,” Jonah tells me with a frown. “I was merely a guard at his home, and he never conducted business there.”
“FUCK!” I scream as I slam the door shut, rattling the hinges on the door frame as they threaten to give out and let the door bounce back at me.
I’m at a loss on where to even start this time. There are no men to capture and torture information out of, no one to follow, no way to track her. She’s vanished into thin air again.
The longer I go without having Ainsley in my arms, the bigger the hole in my chest gets. I feel empty without her, but I can’t think about that. I need to be brave for her and figure this out. I’m her only hope.
My men are scouring Guerra’s compound, looking for any clue my father may have left behind. My fingers are crossed that they’ll find something, but it’s not going to be the only thing I rely on.
“Call the tech guy,” I bark at Jonah, not caring how demanding I sound right now. “Have them track any property that belongs to my father, under his actual name and any aliases he used. Have them compile a list of all the properties, and then have them compile a separate list of any abandoned properties within a fifty-mile radius.”
It won’t be that easy.
I know it won’t be, but it’s a start. And I have to start somewhere.
Jonah nods his head and pulls his phone out as he walks away from me, getting to work. I check my phone, hoping for any updates from my men, but there’s nothing.
Ainsley’s tracker was abandoned within ten miles of the bar. He could still be driving and be in a different state for all I know, but something tells me he wouldn’t have driven much further. He would have wanted to get to shelter and hide the car as quickly as possible to avoid getting caught.
It’s easy to get into his mindset. He raised me, after all, and taught me how to be good at my job. Everything he knows, I know. It’s what I hope will inevitably be his downfall.
I won’t have long. He won’t keep her this time, especially since he’s on his own. He’ll get rid of her as quickly as possible, which means every minute is precious. The second that list of properties is in my hands, I’ll be on my way. Any of my men that aren’t already dedicated to searching Guerra’s compound will be given their own section of the list so we can get through it as quickly as possible. If I’m lucky, Ainsley will be in my arms again by this time tomorrow.