Ivan jogs around to the driver’s seat, and we are off before either of us can buckle up.
The ride to her apartment seems to take forever, even though Ivan seems to have his foot to the pedal most of the drive, it still feels like forever. Even if we were going a thousand miles per hour, it wouldn’t be fast enough when it comes to Dove.
“She just left the apartment,” Xander says over the car speaker.
“We’re almost there,” Ivan says as if he knows how anxious I’m feeling. Grinding my teeth, I hope and pray that we’ll catch her before she leaves. These last couple of days have been pure torture, and even if I am angry at her for pushing me away, I still want to hold her in my arms just to know that she is okay.
A few minutes later, we pull up outside her apartment. I open the door and jump out of the car before we come to a complete stop. Looking around, I wish nothing more than to see her. I scan the entire area, up and down the street, but she’s nowhere in sight… gone.
She’s gone.
I fucking missed her.
Looking down at the envelope in my hand, I read over the note for the hundredth time.
Zane, I escaped Matteo. Will be back in a few days.
I love you, Dove.
Refusing to return to Xander’s place, I meander back outside, I sit in the car and wait. I told Ivan he could leave, but he insisted on staying, mumbling something about how I might need him. Two more SUVs stayed as well, parked only a few spots behind us. I look out onto the street, watching every car that drives by and every person that walks out onto the street.
If I have to, I’ll stay here until she shows back up. Either way, I’m not moving until we figure out where the hell she is.
Xander has been trying to figure out where she went, calling in favors left and right while we wait around uselessly. When the phone finally rings, and Xander’s name flashes over the screen, I almost give up hope that he has some new information and is instead ordering us to return to the mansion, but that’s not what comes out of his mouth.
“Christian has her. There was some type of chase, and now they’re transporting her to his place. I’m sending more men your way, but it’s going to be a good twenty minutes before they get there, and I’m not sure she has that long.”
“We’re going there now,” Ivan says as the SUV roars to life. I clench my hands into tight fists at the thought of a fight. Why is he taking her to his place? What the fuck is going on?
My heart beats in my ears, and all I can think about is rearranging Christian’s face, and wrapping my arms around Dove. Making sure she’s safe and secure. Clenching my jaw, I try not to think about what might be happening to her. I can’t believe this is happening again. I should have killed him when I had the chance. If they’ve hurt her in any way, they’ll be wishing for death by the time I’m done with them.
“I’m guessing you know where to go?”
“Yes, head east.” I continue giving Ivan directions until we arrive at Christian’s private mansion. It’s not as heavily guarded as Xander’s place, but it does have its own security. Luckily, I know that security system well, and if I’m lucky, he was stupid enough not to change my code to get in.
“Is there a back way in?” Ivan asks.
“No, but you can pull up to the gate and try to enter my code. It’s 891384.”
Ivan drives up to the code pad and punches in the numbers. I hold my breath as he pushes the enter button, and I don’t breathe until the green light blinks, and the gate starts to creak open. I suck in a ragged breath as Ivan drives through the gate and toward the house.
“I can’t believe he didn’t change the code.” Ivan shakes his head.
I snort and say, “I can. He’s too confident, and that’s exactly what’s going to get him killed… tonight.” I half expect Ivan to tell me not to do it, that Xander wants to bring him in and torture him, but to my surprise, he only nods as if he was expecting me to say that.
“Xander told me to kill him if you didn’t want to do it in front of Dove. I know you don’t trust him yet, but I can tell you, he’s nothing like Matteo. He actually loves his family, and now that Dove is a part of that, he’ll spare her any type of pain that he can,” Ivan says as we pull up in front of the mansion.
“Then let’s go inside, get her, and kill the bastard who’s trying to hurt her,” I say while opening my door with my gun in my hand.
As soon as we’re out of the car, a handful of Christian’s men pour out of the house, guns raised. I stay close to the car, using it as a shield while I raise my own gun and start shooting. The first bullet hits my target right between the eyes, his body crumbling to the ground. The second one hits another guy in the arm, but Ivan gets him in the side of the head without even blinking. The other two men retreat into the house but fail to close the door. Idiots. Not that a closed door is going to stop me from getting to Dove. I’ll rip this fucking place down to the floorboards to find her.
More shots are fired, some by us, some by Christian’s men, but everybody is keeping themselves covered. I know I need to act fast; I don’t have time for a fucking standoff with these idiots. Taking the risk because a bullet to the chest is nothing compared to the pain Dove will endure if we wait any longer, I push off the car and spring up to the front of the house. A guard sticks his head out the door in a failed attempt to survey the area. Without thinking twice, I lift my gun and pull the trigger while running toward him.
He falls back against the door and then crumbles down to the ground just as I get to the door. The last guard lunges for me, fear trickling into his features as if he knows the fate he’s about to be delivered. Expecting it, I greet him with a punch to the chest, knocking the air from his lungs. A gasp slips from his lips, and before he can recover, I press the muzzle of my gun to his stomach and pull the trigger. Like a tiger, I move through the foyer and toward the kitchen.
A scream pierces the air and bounces off the walls of the house, and like a beacon, I’m drawn to it. Dove needs me, she fucking needs me, and I’ll be damned if I fail her again. Turning, I walk back toward the hall, where I hear a whimper instead of a scream this time. I’ll rip his heart out of his chest if he hurts her.
Uncontrolled, and like an animal hunting its prey, I move deeper into the hall. I can sense Ivan behind me, his movements mimic mine, but he doesn’t intervene or try and stop me.
“Time to go, princess.” Christian’s smug voice pierces through the heavy fog around my head, and I hide slip into the room, hiding behind the door. When I peer back around the corner, Christian is tugging Dove down the hall with him. I only catch a glimpse of her face; her cheeks are stained with tears. “Your little knight thought he could save you, but all he did was damn you. You should thank me for killing you and putting you out of your misery.”
Dove’s cries are muffled, but I can feel her pain, taste her fear on the tip of my tongue. I have to stop them before they get to an exit and get outside. Christian wasn’t prepared for us to show up here, and so we have the element of surprise right now, but I’m sure he’s called more men in, and they’ll be here soon.
Too bad Christian will be dead before that happens. Tiptoeing in the direction he went, I lift my gun, watching as he tugs Dove by her arm toward a door. She struggles in his grasp, and as she fights him, her gaze swings toward me. Panic. Fear. Adoration. Love. Each emotion reflects back at me.