Page 63 of Secured By the Buyer

“I’ll slaughter every last one of them.” White-hot fury explodes through my veins. “Rip them apart with my bare hands for daring tothinkabout laying a finger on you.”

As if my anger soothes him, Milo relaxes against me, and his warm breath ghosts across my collarbone. “Instead of going on a murderous rampage, how about we circle back to the original plan?”

My brow crinkles in confusion. “Original plan?”

“How quickly you forget.” He reaches up to run his fingers through my hair. “First, we’re going to wash this horrible black dye out, and you’re going to shave, because I don’t like beard burn. Then, you’re going to do your best to knock me up. Even if it takes a week.”

“I like the way you think.” I sit up and bundle the sheet around him. “I’m going to soap you up, cover you in my scent, and Mark you again so the whole world understands you’re mine.”

Milo matches my smile. “Now that’s a plan I can get behind. Or in front of, whichever my Alpha prefers.”

With a growl, I sweep him up into my arms. “You’re such a good strategist. Maybe that’s what you should do for a job. The Rockfords need a brain like yours.”

“You sure know how to sweet talk a guy.” Milo nuzzles my ear. “You’re not just saying that because you don’t want to buy me a horse, are you?”

Chuckling, I stride toward the bathroom.

About to kick the door shut, a loud bang comes from the entrance to the suite. I drop Milo to his feet and shield him before I spot Caleb barging in, a wild expression twisting his face.

Careful to ensure the sheet covers Milo’s slender frame first, I turn to face my brother. “What’s going on?”

“Is Jade with you?” he demands, face tight with restrained panic. “Have you seen him?”

My stomach drops like a stone. “Last we saw, he was helping with clean-up in the parking lot. Why?”

Caleb rakes a hand through his hair, leaving it sticking up in agitated tufts. “Clean-up is done. Has been for a while now. But no one can find Jade anywhere. It’s like he fucking vanished!”

Dread claws its way up my throat. Jade may be young and reckless, but he’s always been reliable on the job. For him to up and disappear without a word to anyone, not even Caleb…

Something’s wrong.

“Okay, let’s not jump to conclusions.” I try to keep my tone level, because seeing my emotionless brother freak out is giving me anxiety. “When and where was he last seen?”

“The team said he finished up his part and was going to meet me back at the warehouse to interrogate Bugrov, but…” Caleb shakes his head, jaw clenched tight. “Fuck, Liam, what if those bastards got him? What if they?—”

“Hey, none of that,” I cut him off, gripping his shoulder. “Jade’s a smart, capable kid. And a great fighter. No way he’d let himself get snatched without one hell of a struggle.”

Even as the words leave my lips, I can’t help but remember the scene I walked in on earlier, of Milo terrified with pants ripped open.

The monsters who did that to him, who dared to lay their filthy hands on what’s mine…

If they somehow got ahold of Jade…

I stride into the bedroom to grab my clothes. “We’ll go back and search every square inch of it.”

“The cops are already swarming all over it.” Caleb turns and punches a wall. “Dammit, I promised his mom I’d keep him safe!”

I grip his shoulders. “We’ll find him.”

“There are cameras all over the casino.” Milo steps forward, wearing the sheet like a toga and looking like a goddess. “If we can access them?—”

“Sebastian took them down when we went in after you,” I remind him. “They won’t have come back online until after our people were all out.”

“Which doesn’t mean they weren’t on when Jade was moved.” Milo opens a wardrobe door to block Caleb’s view and drops the sheet to dress. “If they took him while our people were still there, they would have stayed low and waited for us to leave, then moved Jade.”

“I’ll meet you in the surveillance room.” Caleb storms back out of our suite.

I catch Milo’s hand. “You can stay here if you want.”

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