Page 164 of His Ruthless Match
Ifound The Shadow in a sitting room, but we quickly moved our conversation to his study, where we could talk in private. He stood behind his desk, his hands braced against it as he stared at me with impatience.
“Why are you even here, Jareth? I thought I made it clear you were to stay focused on the Crimson Dominion investigation and not come near Eva. I’m keeping her safe. You don’t have to concern yourself with her well-being right now.”
“I was in the Crimson Dominion,” I said, my voice low but urgent. “Until Eva summoned me with her bracelet.”
That got his attention. His brow furrowed, and he straightened. “She summoned you?”
“Yes.” I stepped closer to the desk, my hands balling into fists at my sides. “She got a call from one of the guards at Genevieve’s safe house. They told her Genevieve is missing.”
The Shadow’s expression didn’t change immediately, but I saw the subtle tightening of his jaw, the slight flare of his nostrils. “That’s impossible,” he said flatly. “I just talked to one of the guards twenty minutes ago. They said everything was fine. Genevieve is completely secure.”
“Well, someone told Eva otherwise,” I snapped, the frustration boiling just beneath my skin. “And if it wasn’t one of your men?—”
“They’re supposed to go through me,” he interrupted, his voice sharp. “Not Eva. Why the hell would they contact her directly?”
I opened my mouth to respond, but the words didn’t come. A cold realization crept over me, and I saw the exact moment The Shadow came to the same conclusion. His dark eyes narrowed, his expression turning lethal.
“Fuck,” I muttered under my breath.
Without waiting for his response, I spun on my heel and bolted out of the study. My boots pounded against the polished floors as I sprinted toward the dining room where I’d left her. She wasn’t there.
I turned and ran to the room where she was staying, my heart hammering in my chest. This couldn’t be happening. I prayed to all the gods that I’d find her safe in bed, reading a book.
I threw open the door to her room, the sound echoing like a gunshot in the empty hallway. The sight that greeted me stopped me cold. The bed was untouched, the curtains drawn, and the room was eerily silent. She wasn’t there.
“Fuck,” I hissed, slamming my fist against the door. My chest heaved as I tried to make sense of the situation. She must have left the estate. The guard’s call—whoever it had come from—had rattled her enough to make her run. And I hadn’t been there to stop her.
I had to fill The Shadow in on what I’d discovered in the Crimson Dominion before it was too late.
As soon as I entered his study, recognition flashed across his face. “Tell me she’s not fucking gone.”
I grimaced. “Sorry, boss. She’s not here.”
The door to The Shadow’s office slammed open so violently that it hit the wall with a deafening crack. Two guards stumbled in, their faces pale and their breaths coming in short gasps. Before they could even explain, I caught the words “Izo” and “emergency,” and my blood immediately ran hot.
The Shadow stood slowly, his hands braced against the edge of his desk, his dark gaze boring into the guards. “What’s the meaning of this?”
The first guard stammered, “Izo is here, sir. He’s coming up now. We tried to stop him, but he said it’s an emergency.”
The Shadow’s eyes narrowed dangerously. “Tried to stop him?”
“He wouldn’t listen,” the second guard added, his voice trembling. “He said he needed to see you immediately. Wouldn’t take no for an answer. He’s waiting in the hallway to see you.”
I looked at The Shadow, my jaw tightening. “I’ve got a lot to tell you about that motherfucker, but we can wait and see what transpires here.” Surely, Izo wouldn’t be stupid enough to make a move against The Shadow in his own home.
He gave me a slight nod and turned back to the guards. “Let him in.”
The guards hesitated, clearly uneasy, but they stepped aside to let Izo through. The bastard strode in like he owned the place, his tall frame cutting an arrogant figure even in the face of certain danger. The black mark The Shadow had placed on him crawled up the side of his neck, a constant reminder of the leash he was supposed to be on.
The sight of him made my blood boil. My hands itched for my daggers.This is the man who betrayed his second chance? Who dared to cause this much chaos in Eva’s life?I was going to kill him. I didn’t care what The Shadow decided to do. This wasn’t going unpunished.
Izo stopped just short of the desk, his expression unusually tense. “I need to speak with you in private,” he said to The Shadow.
“Like hell you do,” I snapped, stepping forward before Raffaele could respond. “Whatever you have to say, you can say it in front of me.”
The Shadow raised a hand, silencing me without a word. “Jareth stays. Now, talk.”
Izo glanced at me, clearly annoyed, but he didn’t push back. He swallowed hard and began, “The magistrate approached me not long after the incident in my territory.”
