Page 114 of Sardonic Burn

“Understood.”

By the time I return to the front of the building, Niko and Lyla have someone taking away all the girls to the hospital. Later, they will be handed to the police to find their families. Those without one will be provided with a fresh start, somewhere far from this fucked up place.

Niko is immediately on me, his fist colliding with my cheek. The salty copper fills my mouth, and I spit it out immediately, a drop or two sliding down my chin. Niko is shaking with anger, and he swings his fist again.

This time, I catch it, twist his arm, and push him away.

“You fucking imbecile,” he screams. “You were supposed to protect her! You were supposed to be with her! Is this all a fucking joke to you?”

My jaw clenches, my hands fisting at my sides. The urge to knock the life out of him is slowly winning, but Lyla comes to my side, stepping in between us. The look in her eyes is as serious as ever, and she shakes her head.

“Not now, Hudson.” She glances at Niko. “We need to find Noelle. Time is ticking.”

Niko doesn’t listen to her. He tries to pounce on me again, but I dodge it with ease. Fury is radiating off him, eyes bloodshot and ready to kill. He’s shaking, unable to hold himself back.

If he wants to fight, I’ll fight him and win.

I’m fucking angry, too.

But I can’t let it show. I can’t focus on it now. It will cloud my judgment, and the main priority is getting Noelle home safely. The anger can be kept away until I meet Dylan again and then I’ll unleash years’ worth of rage upon the bastard.

“You can either calm down or continue your fit, but the latter won’t help Noelle,” I spit out, venom on my tongue. The mere thought of what the motherfucker must be putting her through makes my entire body go into a massive fit of rage. “I’m not going to wait for your little tantrum to be over with.”

“You sick fuck,” he spits. "It’s all your fault.”

“I know!” I yell out. “I know it’s my fucking fault, alright? And you can fucking kill me, but save it for after Noelle is safe.”

That seems to do the trick.

The anger still lingers in his eyes, but he stops shaking. His eyes close, and he takes a deep breath before nodding his head.

“If you don’t find her in the next two days, I will kill you.”

“Be my fucking guest.”

On the way to the underground bunker, I pick up Mika. Usually, he throws a fit, especially so late in the night. But given that I showed up unannounced and that I didn’t even ask if he wanted to join, he didn’t say anything.

He and Lucas barely introduce themselves, but Mika is definitely impressed with the set up. The two begin their work immediately, searching furiously.

Lucas is on data collection duty, trying to find out every little corner of Dylan’s life. He was unaware of his involvement, and now he’s even more pissed. That anger is only pushing him to work faster and harder, making me keep my mouth shut.

Mika is focusing on any CCTV he can find that is near the forest. He’s searching through every vehicle, and every single one that he flags as suspicious is sent to Lucas to find the owner. Thus far, Lucas was able to find four different properties that Dylan frequents but aren’t in his name.

Two are penthouses near Noelle.

The motherfucker was stalking her. The closest penthouse to hers was a four-minute walk. How the fuck did I not notice it sooner? No. Why the fuck didn’t I get rid of him while I had the chance?

It still bothers me that someone snuck into my home, which is as protected as Fort Knox, and set him free. Despite having multiple cameras, they were all disconnected when he was released.

“Lucas, Mika,” I growl, getting impatient. It’s been four hours since we got here and neither of them has found a single fucking thing. “Hurry up.”

“We’re doing our best,” Mika says, though his voice isn’t as loud. “We’ll find her soon. Does her family know?”

I glance behind me to Niko, who is still shooting daggers at me. Lyla is trying to keep him calm, but he’s barely paying any attention to her. He’s constantly staring at me, then switching to the many monitors.

“I haven’t told Ray yet,” Niko responds. “If she’s not found by morning, I’ll have to tell him. He’ll notice it himself, if he hasn’t by now.”

“It’s four in the morning.”

---