Page 87 of BounBound By Scars

He looked up briefly, then did a double take when he saw my face.

I dropped into the chair across from him and fired up my own laptop. My fingers flew across the keys, accessing Blackthorn’s internal logs. Zane’s RLM was active nineteen minutes ago. Now? Nothing. Not a single blip. I cursed so violently it echoed.

Ronan jolted up, instantly alert. “What? What happened?”

“Zane’s RLM,” I said through clenched teeth, eyes glued to the terminal. “It went inactive. No last location.”

Ronan’s whole body locked. “What?”

“I’m pulling the last pings. Trying to trace him through our private channels and local feeds.” My voice was clipped, focused.

Ronan didn’t move. His fingers trembled slightly over his keyboard. “He… uh… he said he had something to check. Then he was gonna meet me here.”

I glanced at him, reading the panic on his face.

“Where did he go?” I demanded.

Ronan hesitated.

“Where?”

He swallowed hard. “He went to his apartment. Outside the compound.” He rattled off the address, and my fingers were already flying across the keys again.

And suddenly, I didn’t just feel the weight of an alert.

I felt dread.

“Call an emergency meeting. I’ll be right back.”

I didn’t wait for Ronan’s response before I stood and bolted out of the Command Center. My heart was pounding in my chest like a war drum. Fuck.

Was Zane dead? Captured?

Where the hell was he?

I practically sprinted back to my room, every worst-case scenario playing on a loop in my head. As soon as I opened the door, both Amelia’s and my phones buzzed simultaneously. I glanced at the screen—Ronan had sent out the emergency alert.

Lia didn’t stir.

She was still curled up, peaceful, unaware that our world might’ve just cracked open.

I walked to her side and gently traced a knuckle across her cheek. “Lia.”

She mumbled something against the pillow and stretched.

“Wake up,Heer,” I whispered, a little more firmly. “We need to go. Command Center.”

Her eyes snapped open, and the sleep vanished instantly. “What happened?”

“Zane’s missing.” My jaw clenched. “We lost his RLM.”

She inhaled sharply, panic flashing across her face, but she didn’t waste time. She threw off the covers, already moving. A few minutes later, we were striding into the conference room, side by side.

Ronan had already done the job—everyone was here. Their faces grim.

Zarek and Leora, back early from their honeymoon. Logan, Kaylan, Amelia, Seb, Delara… all seated. All tense. All waiting.

No one spoke.

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