Page 70 of Controlling Chloe

“Cullen.”

“Bash, she’s gone! I waited out front. When she didn’t come out within ten minutes of her class ending, I went in to search for her. She wasn’t anywhere in the building. I tracked her location to the courtyard where her phone was lying on the ground. I also found an empty syringe.”

“What?” I roar, jumping from my chair.

“I did a perimeter search of the campus, but I’ve found nothing else,” Cullen says breathlessly.

“Find an admin or a security guard and have them show you the camera feeds. We’re on our way.”

I’m already moving when the call ends. “Chloe’s missing. Her phone was left on the ground of the campus.”

Declan, Alessandro, and Andrei start barking out orders. My vision blurs. My baby. My girl. Is she hurt? Scared? Fuck. I should have had bodyguards on her at all times. Why did I let my guard down? She’s the most precious person in the world to me and I didn’t keep her safe.

Get your shit together, Bash. She needs you.

Shaking all the thoughts from my head, I look around the room as everyone, even men who aren’t part of our family, works furiously to help. It’s going to be okay. We have all the money and resources in the world. I’ll get her back, and hell will rain down on whoever dared to touch what’s mine.

Cage sits calmly with his laptop, tapping at the keys, ignoring the rest of us. I’ve always liked the guy, but his lack of interest is pissing me off. I’ll have words with him later about it. Right now, my only focus is finding my girl.

“Let’s go to the campus and start there. I want Cali and Scarlet in the safe-room with guards until we know what’s going on,” Declan says to Grady.

Grady nods and disappears from the office. Andrei and Alessandro are on their phones, Russian and Italian flying too fast for me to understand.

“Got her location,” Cage says lazily, his head resting against the back of the chair.

Every single person in the room turns to look at him. I take a step closer, narrowing my eyes. “How do you have her location?”

He shrugs. “Lipstick.”

Blinking several times, I try to wrap my mind around whatever the fuck he just said. I’ve got nothing. I tilt my head. “Come again?”

“She never goes anywhere without at least one of her lipsticks, so I put a tracking device in each of them. Did you know your girl owns over two hundred tubes?”

My knees wobble. For a second, I’m not sure I’m going to be able to keep standing. “How the fuck did you get my girl’s lipsticks? Were you near her? Did you touch her?” I’m ready to blow this fucker’s brains out.

Cage sits back and sighs. “I’ve never talked to or touched your girl. I visited your place and her townhouse last night while everyone was sleeping.” He pauses for a beat. “I also have trackers on Scarlet and Cali. Scarlet’s trackers are all in the bottoms of her shoes. Cali’s are sewn into her bras.”

“You touched my girl’s bras?” Declan demands, his gaze dark and deadly.

Cage shrugs. “You asked me to make sure your women were all as safe as possible. You may not like how I do my work, but I get it done. Your girl is on the highway moving north as we speak.”

I stare at the big, muscular, slightly odd man sitting in front of me, and I can’t decide if I want to shoot him, hug him, or ask him for tips on how to stalk my girl more thoroughly. I can figure that out later. Once we get my girl back. And after I kill whoever the fuck took her. They’re a walking corpse. They just don’t know it yet.

25

CHLOE

Open your eyes, Chloe. Open your eyes.

I try. I try so hard but they’re so heavy. My head pounds like someone’s taking a jackhammer to it, and my body is fuzzy. Why am I so tired? What’s that sound? An engine? Am I in a car?

Using all my strength, I slowly lift my eyelids as much as I can. Dreary daylight streams in through a window in front of me. Drops of rain run down the glass.

A car. I’m in a car. When did I get into a car? This isn’t the Escalade that Cullen drives. The interior is different. It’s tan instead of black. It also reeks of cologne. I know that smell. I’ve never liked it. Where do I know it from, though?

As gently as I can so my brain doesn’t pound any harder against my skull, I turn my head and quietly gasp. My father. Old Spice. His signature scent. He’s driving. This is his car. Why am I with my father?

“Since you fucked up my chance to make the money back, you’re going to pay it back personally. Your body for my freedom…sweetheart.”

---