Page 84 of Beneath the Thorned Crown

“Dominic,” Charles’s voice comes through, calm and steady. “I tracked down Nico.”

Nico.

Ice grips my veins. I stop dead in my tracks, gripping the phone tighter. “Where the hell is he?”

Charles hesitates before responding. “I know where he’s been hiding. I think it’s time you knew everything.”

I don’t care. I don’t need this right now.

“Nico is the reason Jayden is dead,” I growl, the anger making my fists clench. “He’s the reason things are spiraling out of control. He’s the reason Isabella is missing. Unless he knows something about that, he’s completely useless.”

I turn away from the window, walking toward the door, ready to get the hell out of here.

“Dominic, please,” Charles presses, sensing my frustration. “We need to talk about this. I think it’s important.”

“I don’t give a damn about Nico, Charles.” My voice is harsher than I intended. “I need to find Isabella. Get rid of him”

There’s a moment of silence on the other end of the phone.

“What?” he asks.

“Get rid of Nico yourself. I don’t care if you shoot him or burn him. He’s a traitor and there’s nothing he can do to make up for his mistakes.”

“I’ll handle it.” Charles replies, hanging up.

My mind races, my thoughts spinning out of control.

Isabella’s gone. She’s disappeared.

I don’t have time for this.

Then it hits me. A bitter realization that turns my stomach. Samuel Delgado.

Samuel. He has her.

The feeling that knots inside me makes me nauseous, and I know in my bones I’m right. He’s the only one who could have taken her. The idea of her being with him, at his mercy, makes my blood boil. Rage fills me, burning hotter by the second.

I can’t lose her. Not now. Not when I’ve let myself feel emotions I never thought I’d experience for her.

The thought of her in danger makes my hands shake. She’s not just some woman, not just a possession. She’s Isabella. And no one, especially Samuel, is going to hurt her.

I don’t care what it costs.

I turn on my heel and walk out of the apartment, slamming the door behind me. I head straight for the car, trying to steady my breath, but it’s hard. My mind is racing faster than my body can keep up.

The only place she could be is with Samuel.

I get into the car, my heart pounding in my chest.

I dial Hugo’s number with urgency, my grip tight on the phone. The engine of the car rumbles beneath me.

“Hugo,” I snap the moment he picks up, my voice strained. “Where is Samuel Delgado?”

There’s an echoing quiet on the other end of the phone before Hugo responds, his voice low, filled with a calm that only makes my frustration rise higher.

“You know what this means, Castellano,” he says, his voice a mixture of warning and challenge. “If I tell you, you’ll owe me. You’re aware of that, right?”

I can feel my jaw clench. I don’t care about what he’s going to ask. I don’t care about anything except finding Isabella.

---