Page 136 of Sinful Pleasure

It’s my fault.And I fucking hate it. None of this would have happened if I was there.

But I wasn’t.And now she’s fucking gone.

We don’t know where they took her. It’s like she vanished off the face of the earth.

Two weeks.

Two weeks of searching with no results.

And I can’t bring myself to stop. It’s pathetic how low I’ve sunk just trying to find her. No one knows the cost—the money, the blood, the hours I’ve spent tracking down every lead.

My team, the best in the world, came up empty-handed.

I can feel my knuckles throbbing with pain, but I don’t stop.

Hit. Hit. Hit.

I’m not even sure what I’m fighting anymore.

The bag, my thoughts or both.

I don’t hear Angelo come up behind me until his voice cuts through the madness.“I think you need some rest.”

I don’t stop punching.

“I’m fine,” I growl, swinging another blow. My blood smears across the bag, streaks of red mingling with sweat.It’s the only thing I feel right now—the pain.

“Your hands are bleeding.”

“Your face will be bleeding if you don’t shut the fuck up.”

There’s a pause.

Angelo clears his throat behind me, and I can feel him standing there still, waiting for me to acknowledge him.

“Lydia woke up,” he says finally, breaking through my haze. “The surgery went well. She’s resting now. She’ll be fine.”

I don’t answer right away. My eyes stay focused on the bloodstains on the bag in front of me, my knuckles raw and torn.

Finally, I nod once, more to myself than to him, and sit down on the bench, wiping sweat from my face with a towel.

My hands are an ugly mess. Blood, bruises, torn skin.It’s not enough. I should have done more.

I should have been there.

“Our father hired new people to track Allyn.’’ He said. ‘’She can’t be that far away.”

“You’re delusional.” My words come out in a low growl. I shake my head. “We won’t find her.”

I’ve been to the best in the business, and I still came up empty. I failed her, and I can’t fucking let that go.The worst part?

I know she’s somewhere where she belongs.

She’s supposed to be there—with them.

But I’m a fucking selfish bastard, and I want her back.

I need her back.

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