Page 73 of Kortlek

“Rose?” I yell out, grabbing a kitchen knife.

No response.

I make a quick inspection, and it’s empty. My empty hand reaches for my phone in the back pocket, and I dial her number. It starts ringing, and it’s coming from her bedroom. I push the door open, only to find it as empty as the rest of the apartment.

Her bed’s messy, clothes thrown on the floor and her books spread across the edge of the bed. Rose’s only messy when she’s studying, and once she’s done, she always cleans up. She’s too much of a neat freak to leave her personal space in such a state.

I grab her phone, which is just under the duvet, and I feel anxiety start to rise in my chest.

Where the fuck is she?

Quickly, I head to my bedroom, and find it just as I left it. A few duffle bags that I wanted to fill with clothes to take to Mom’s, the underwear drawer slightly ajar. I’m about to leave the room when something catches my eye.

My feet move on their own accord until I’m standing next to my bedside table.

A small note is on it, something that definitely wasn’t there before. I pick it up, and my blood runs cold.

“Tick-tock, baby. Better hurry up or your friend dies.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

Idon’t know how I managed to get to Arlo’s apartment without bursting out with rage.

Granted, the building is right next to mine, and it doesn’t require a lot of walking. There aren’t many people outside, and I just waltz right into the building, entering his code and taking the elevator up to his penthouse. It’s on the top floor, and once I am inside, I immediately march over toward the kitchen, where I can hear him and Blair talk.

“Arlo!” I yell out, pushing the door open.

Blair’s the first one who turns around. Her hair is tied up in a high ponytail, wearing a matching set of shirt and pants. Immediately, she notices the anger I’m trying to suppress, and it doesn’t take a genius to figure out that she’s aware why I’m here and why I’m pissed.

Arlo’s eyes shift to me, and his body goes rigid for a moment. He puts down the glass of whiskey from his hand and takes a step toward me. The two of them exchange a glance, and their silent conversation annoys me. Luckily, it lasts half a minute at most, before Arlo’s attention turns back to me.

“Aria,’’ he greets back. “You’re not supposed to be here.’’

“Oh? And where am I supposed to be? In Italy?” My tongue drips with sarcasm, which he promptly ignores, stepping closer.

“Where’s Cove?”

“Last I checked, passed out back in Rome.’’

My brother curses under his breath, immediately grabbing his phone. It takes him a while to get a hold of Cove, and he leaves the kitchen to talk. My hands tremble next to my body, the piece of paper with the note firmly fisted in my left hand.

“That was both reckless and fucking stupid, Aria,’’ Arlo returns, tossing his phone on the kitchen table. Blair makes no attempt to give her input, which is good, because I wouldn’t be able to handle both of them at once; hence, I’d most likely say things I’ll regret.

“What was?’’ I fold my arms in front of my chest. “Whatever you think you’re doing, it’s over. You have exactly five minutes to tell me everything that you’ve been hiding from me; otherwise, I will do something really stupid.’’

His eyebrow twitches and his jaw clenches as he stands tall in front of me. The height difference doesn’t intimidate me, not in the slightest, and him trying to use it to his advantage is rather laughable. Arlo takes a deep breath, then seemingly relaxes.

“I need you to know that everything we did, we did it for you.’’

“Who fucking asked you to do it?” I snap.

“Calm the fuck down,’’ he snaps back. “All I did was try to shield you from this mess.’’

“What part of ‘I want to do this myself’ did you not comprehend?”

“The part where seeing Wyatt still makes you freeze! The part where he’s the reason I almost fucking lost you! The part where this isn’t something you can do on your own, Aria. I’m just looking out for you.’’

“Yeah? And how the fuck did that include not telling me that Rose’s missing and that she could’ve possibly been taken by Wyatt?”

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