My insides curdle. God, please just take me. Maybe I could piss Mason off enough to kill me. Would Cain continue to protect Jakey even when I’m dead? Would he burn this entire fucked up trafficking ring down to avenge me?
I can be a martyr if it means other children will be spared of these horrors. Gladly, I’d die for them.
Swallowing, I ask, “Why are you working for Gabriel?”
“Working for him?” Mason’s laugh is low. “Oh no, Leo. You’ve got that backwards. I hired Gabriel to help me with my business. I needed extra hands to keep up with demand.”
Dread coasts through my body. “You’re in charge.”
“I’m in charge.” He sweeps fingers over my pebbled nipple, and I let out a pathetic whimper. “You would have fetched a steep price, too, had I not been so captivated by you.”
I rage against my bindings once more, even though I know it’s fucking useless.
“Love is a powerful motivator. It can make you do foolish, out of character things. Like storm right into a trap. At least, that’s what your hot-headed CEO is going to do.”
No. No. No.
Tears leak from my eyes as I snap them shut, splattering onto my jeans. I pray for this to be a nightmare. A test.
“Sinro will no longer play vigilantes in this city. Then we’ll go back to the way things were. You and me, Leo. Forever.”
I start to sob as he slides a piece of silk fabric over my eyes.
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
CAIN
Alaric calls in the middle of a meeting. I hit decline and carry on with my virtual presentation, but the peace doesn’t last more than two minutes before Rev’s bursting into my office. His frenzied expression is one I’ve never seen him wear before.
“Apologies,” I say to my clients on the video call. “I’m going to have Rorik step in to finish the security run-through. He’s quite capable. He’ll be leading the team assigned to you. Thanks, Rorik. Thanks, everyone.” I click out of the meeting and turn my full attention on Rev. “What the fuck is going on?”
“It’s Ezra.”
I push up to my feet, dread spilling into my gut. “Where is he?”
“We don’t know. Forest called. Kate’s been found dead. Jakey’s missing. And no one knows where Ezra is.”
Immediately, I reach for my cell and speed dial Ezra. The call goes straight to voicemail. I open up the app to track him. Ezra’s phone pingsoutside of the city, and my heart stops beating for a few seconds. I grip my phone tighter. “Why the fuck…”
I shoot the location off to Alaric. Two minutes later, his text comes through.It’s an abandoned estate about seventeen miles north off the highway. I’ll send over details.
I smash my phone down on the desk, not giving a shit about the audible crack of the glass screen. Rev doesn’t try to console me. He’d suck at it, anyway.
“I need everyone on this, Rev. I need him back.”
“Already on it. Teams are prepping now.”
Sometimes I wonder if I have any business running this company when Rev is always a step ahead of me.
Ten minutes later, all available teams are loaded up in armored vehicles, scanning over maps Alaric feeds to our phones. I clutch the gun I gifted Ezra in my hands, my anger threatening to boil over at the fact that he doesn’t have it with him while I try not to let my brain conjure up horrible outcomes.
But when it comes to Ezra, I’ve never been in control of anything.
“He’s gonna be alright. We’ve run hundreds of successful extractions,” Rev assures me.
I tuck Ezra’s gun away before I sink a bullet in Rev. His ability to remain calm in stressful situations grates on my nerves. I have to remind myself that he was built differently, and that comes with its own challenges.
I drag a hand through my hair. “I’m more worried about the condition he’ll be in when we get him out.”
