Page 62 of Saviour
“Well,” he huffs, relaxing into his chair, interlocking his fingers over his stomach. “I don’t know her exact whereabouts, but she left in quite a hurry like I told you. Said she needed to get away.”
“You’re lying.”
I know he is. She wouldn’t just leave and Carlo constructed this whole plan immaculately.
“I told you, son, she heard me talking about King’s return and she panicked. She went so fast out the door I didn’t have time to catch her. She just ran away.”
I look at the gun I’ve lowered to his gut.
“Or she flew away. You called her Birdie, didn’t you?”
Now I really know he’s lying. He’s toying with me. Rori didn’t run. She might be exceptionally good at it, but not this time.
“You’re lying,” I repeat.
“Well, maybe, but you’re not going to find out either way. I might know where she is and if you shoot me now, that’s a gamble you’re going to have to take. Shoot me, Dax, and never find out where your little bird is or King—”
“I know where King is, you piece of shit,” I interrupt, not caring for the consequences.
“Then I have a proposition for you. You leave King out of this. You stop seeking him, you stop trying to do whatever the fuck it is you’re doing, and one day, I’ll give you back Aurora.”
“One day?” I shake, lowering my hand with the gun completely, curling my fingers into a fist with my left hand.
“One day. You stop going after King and I’ll give her back to you. I need King focused on this business, not on petty emotions and relationships with family or otherwise.”
I take a few steps closer until I’m leaning into him from over his big, stupid desk.
“One day, I’m going to have Rori and King by my side. And you’re going to be fucking gone. You understand me?”
He just smiles up at me, leaning back in his chair. The man isn’t threatened one little bit, but I’ll make sure I come through on my promise.
“We’ll see. And I’ll let you off for threatening me just this once, son, as I know you’re hurting.”
I scoff at him and turn around and just as I get to the door, he says one last thing to dig the knife in deeper than it already is.
“You are alone again after all.”
* * *
Days turnto weeks and weeks turn into a month and Carlo’s words ring in my head relentlessly.
You are alone again after all.
And I’ve never felt anything like it.
Four weeks I’ve been drinking myself into a blind stupor, desperate for relief or pain or anger. Just something to make me feel anything but alone and empty.
Rori has been gone for four weeks and I have no idea where she is. I torture myself with images of her back in Maxwell’s clutches after I promised she’d never end back there again. Battered and bruised. Used and abused.
I can’t take it.
I can’t take it.
I try Emerson every day, but he has no way to help me. He’s heard nothing. Aside from me, he’s never heard the name Aurora Shaw—no one has.
I try Sophie, but she’s not seen her since the last time she set foot in her club when Carlo took her seven months ago.
And when I’ve tried my best to hunt her down and come up with nothing, day in and day out, I drink.
