Page 118 of The Price of Forever

And I waited. Waited to see if Seven came to talk. To console. To hold me and just enjoy our togetherness. But he never did.

Because I was on my own. Just like I always had been.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

SEVEN

SEVEN: You okay if we move the dinner to another night? Something came up and I can’t go. We’ll meet soon to talk about protection for Mercedes’s sister-in-law, I promise.

I fired off the text to Trace then threw my phone on my bed. Fuck. There was no way in hell Jordan would go to Eli’s with anyone but me at her side. I wouldn’t allow it. So I didn’t tell Chico shit. Instead, I focused on getting ready for this unexpected adventure.

I cleaned my guns. I loaded them. I got dressed in the standard black-on-black attire. I grabbed a bite to eat from the fridge before giving myself a once-over in the long mirror in the hallway. Then I knocked on Jordan’s door.

Silence.

I knocked louder. “Jordan?”

No response.

She was probably still mad. She’d been right—I was acting weird. Only because I was still committed to proving to myself I wasn’t in love with her. We needed space, both physical and emotional, for everyone’s best interests. So why did it sting so much to put space between us?

I knocked again, and when there was no answer this time, I tried the knob. Unlocked.

The door swung open and I stepped inside, assessing her dark room. The bedcovers were rumpled but made, like she’d sat on the side of the bed. Everything looked in order. But there wasn’t a trace of Jordan. I jogged to the hallway.

“Jordan?” My voice sounded like a bellow. She wasn’t in the bathroom. Not in the corners of the living room. She wasn’t in the fucking apartment. I swore to myself, whipping out my phone.

I called her first. It clicked over to voicemail almost immediately. Probably ignoring me.

I knew who to call next. Chico. If she wasn’t here, it was because she’d snuck out early. I prayed she’d called Chico to tag along with her. If she’d gone there on her own, there was no telling what would happen—or if she’d even give me an address to send some protection her way. My heart hammered in my chest as the phone rang.

Just when I thought it was going to voicemail, Chico answered.

“Hello?”

“Are you with Jordan?” There was no time for niceties. Not when my tension was skyrocketing by the second.

“Yeah,” he said brightly. “She’s right here with me. She said you’d assigned me to help out with an event she’s going to tonight—”

“Do not let her get out of the fucking car until I get there,” I snapped. “Send me the address and hold her until I get there.”

“Okay…” Chico sounded unsure.

“Send me the address. And remember—she stays in the car.”

I hung up, a string of curse words escaping my lips as I called both Legs and Harry—whichever one was carrying Jordan, I’d tell them to start picking detours. And whoever was free needed to come get me ASAP.

Once both drivers were up to speed, I checked the address that Chico had sent through. Plugging it into the GPS, it looked like a brownstone in SoHo. Not terribly far away. It might almost be faster to run there than wait for Legs to come. I went to the lobby, watching the blue dot of Legs’ car get closer to my apartment building. Was he coming fast enough? Or should I start sprinting? If I sprinted, I’d save about ten minutes—but I’d arrive a sweaty mess. And running while packing wasn’t the easiest.

Fuck it. Run anyway.

I checked Legs’ location one last time. He was a block away. I pushed out onto the sidewalk, peering down the street to spot him. Instead of running to SoHo, I’d at least run to the car. I met Legs in the middle of traffic, weaving between cars as I navigated to him. I slipped into the sedan while he looked on, bewildered.

“Jesus, ya in a hurry?”

“Sort of an emergency situation.” I checked my phone. I could see that Harry was about three blocks from Eli’s house. I typed out a quick text to Harry.

SEVEN: Make another lap around the block. I need you to stall. Almost there.

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