Page 87 of Miki

“He kidnapped her. That’s a good sign that she is still alive. He could have killed her in the changing room if he had wanted her dead. He wants her alive, and she is smart. She’s a trained detective; she will do what she can to remain alive, giving us time to find her and bring her back. You need to stay positive and focused,” Marko told me firmly.

“Miki, you are the best planner and strategist I know; you solve problems daily. This is another problem. Focus on solving it like you do any other!”

I blew out a breath and nodded. He was right.

“Keep monitoring everyone and let me know the second anything happens about Eilidh or the handover! While you’re at it, hack into the investigation on Johnson and the fire again and see if anything gives us a clue where the bastard might have taken my woman. Luca, you help Marko with that.”

“Vlad and I will head to Johnson’s place and see if we can get any information. There might be something they missed.”

To be honest, I doubted it. However, there could be something, a photograph, anything that might hint at where the bastard taken Eilidh, so I had to try it. Besides, it gave me something to do to stop my anger from getting out of control.

The place was clean, almost void of personal items, and nothing in Johnson’s house gave us any bloody clue where he had taken my heart.

Several hours later, we were still no nearer finding Eilidh. My stomach was clenched in a tight knot and my heart pounded in my chest, and I was amazed that it could still beat under the pressure of the mix of anger and utter despair I felt.

Unable to sit still, I paced the suite, my fists clenching and unclenching in agitation. My nostrils flared with my short shallow breaths and my jaw ached from grinding my teeth. I was ready to explode, barely holding on to my anger and my sanity. My mind bombarded me with questions I couldn’t answer.

Where was she? What the hell was he doing to her? Would he contact me? Try to ransom her somehow?

What if he took her somewhere, and I never saw her again?

Fuck! I hated feeling this powerless. Fury boiled my blood.

Unable to contain it any longer, I let my rage engulf me.

With a loud roar, I hurled a lamp, smashing it into the wall. I was vaguely aware of Luca jumping out of the way as I launched a vase next. The sound of breaking glass, serving only to heighten my anger.

Yelling in fury, I smashed the television on the floor, the screen cracking and splintering. I upended chairs, tore down the curtains, threw anything I could get my hands on, and ripped apart cushions, imagining I was ripping apart Johnson, limb by limb.

By the time I stopped, the room was in shambles, a chaotic mess that mirrored the storm inside me, and I slumped into the sofa, completely drained.

Marko, Vlad and Luca stood off to the side, all wearing matching looks of shock. Nobody moved as they held their breath while I panted and fought to get mine under control.

As my breathing calmed, my gaze tracked across the room and landed on the broken pieces of a vase. Images of my sister’s broken, battered body flew through my mind and I roared again, this time in despair.

God, please don’t let that be Eilidh’s fate, too! I pleaded, praying for the second time in as many days to a deity I wasn’t sure even existed, desperate for any help I could get.

As I sat slumped on the trashed sofa, with my head in my hands, I was unaware of time passing or the guys quietly rearranging the furniture and tidying up the mess I’d made.

After a while, Marko placed a hand on my shoulder rousing me from my stupor.

“Eat!” he said, holding out a sandwich for me.

I grimaced and shook my head.

“Eat! You need your strength. You look like you are about to pass out,” he said firmly, and shoved the sandwich into my hand.

“Bossy bugger,” I mumbled.

“What? You don’t like the tables being turned for once?” he laughed, and I growled at him in response.

The thought of food made me nauseous. With every passing second my worry for Eilidh grew and I knew, just like the others did, that the longer she was gone, the less chance there was that she would be found safe and well.

Marko must’ve known what I was thinking by my expression.

“You really need to eat, Miki. Or you’ll be no good to Eilidh when we locate her…and we will!” he raised his hand, cutting off my words as I was about to argue.

“We will find her, and we will get her back. We won’t stop looking until we do.”

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