Page 30 of Forbidden Obsessions

In a way, now that I see her in this state, I feel she’s my responsibility. Mascara runs down her face in thick, black streaks. She’s swaying on her heels like she can barely stand. It’s clear she can barely talk. On the other hand, though, she’s a hindrance to my objective right now. “Goddamnit. We have togo, Mia. Where’s Alexandria?” I’m so fucking pissed at the both of them, I could kill them myself.

“Dunnoooo,” she shrugs.

“We need to find her,” I urge, taking her arm.

“Did you find Liv?” she asks, hopeful.

I give her a pointed look. “Do you fucking see her, Mia?” She shakes her head voraciously, knocking herself off balance. I pull her into me before she falls.

“Why you so mean tonight, Professor? I’m sure she’s fine.” She pats my arm, and I’m one step closer to life in prison.

“Because,” I bite out, “while you’ve been downing drink after drink, Olivia has likely been kidnapped by Nathan and Vanessa.”

Mia staggers back, knocking into someone. Her eyes are as big as saucers as she apologizes to the random girl. “How do you know they’re here?”

I pull out Olivia’s phone and show her the unsent text message. “I found her phone on the floor in the corner,” I say, pointing. She studies the spot intently.

“We were there at the beginning of the night. She went to the bathroom. That’s the last time I saw her. Lex was with Dagny. I haven’t seen them since,” Mia recalls slowly.

“Okay, that’s good. What bathroom did she go to? Are there any nearby?” Mia tries to process my rapid-fire questions.

“There are a million bathrooms here, Professor.”

Another deep sigh. “Just call me Tomas, okay, Mia?”

“Okay, Prof—Tomas,” she corrects mid sentence.

“Did she go upstairs?” After a moment of pensiveness, she nods.

“Yeah, there’s a bathroom up there,” she says, pulling me along to the marble staircase. The second floor matches the bottom, except for being more cramped. A dozen rooms or so line the hallway. The lights flash incessantly, making it hardto see if it’s empty or if there’s people lurking. The doors look closed from my vantage point.

“Do you know where the bathroom is?” Mia points to the door at the top of the steps.

“There.” We descend the hall a few paces and stop short. “Do you want me to go in?” she questions.

“Is it not the women’s room?” I shut my eyes, begging myself for some patience.

“Okay,” she finally agrees, swallowing thickly.

Someone sprints to us from the darkness. Her black dress is torn across the waist. Thick black makeup runs down her cheeks as tears continue to spill.

“Vanessa,” I growl, grabbing her by the hair and slamming her into the wall. She groans at the impact.

“Tomas, he…” she starts weakly.

“Where is she, Vanessa?Take me to hernow.Go find Alexandria, Mia, then hide.” Mia nods and takes off down the stairs we just ascended.

Vanessa leads me down the hall and stops in front of a door.

“I’m sorry, Tomas. I didn’t do this. I was trying to—”

“Save it,” I say, preparing myself for whatever comes next.

Chapter Thirteen

Olivia

My eyes feel like someone has glued them shut. I blink, trying to open them, but they’re stubborn and desperate for more than the appetizer of sleep that I’ve had. I realize it’s not my eyes. It’s the pitch black room.

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