Page 182 of Ruins
My phone is in my hand before I even realize it, my fingers dialing on instinct.
Luca.
He picks up on the second ring.
I don’t let him speak. “Where is she?”
There’s a beat of hesitation. “Angelo said he told you.”
My breath turns sharp. “Told me what?”
Impatience coils like barbed wire in my chest.
“He took her to the penthouse. I thought she was with you when you didn’t show up here.”
I don’t bother responding. I hang up and immediately dial Angelo.
It rings.
And rings.
And rings.
Voicemail.
I try again.
Same fucking thing.
A growl rips from my throat as I shove my phone away and bolt down the stairs, my body a live wire, my head pounding with a single, blinding thought—
I need to see her. I need to get to her.Now.
I don’t remember the drive, only that I press my foot to the floor, weaving recklessly through traffic. The city blurs past, nothing existing outside of my singular goal.
By the time I tear into the parking garage of the penthouse, it’s eight in the morning and Nico is not at his post.
Something in my gut twists.
I shove the feeling aside, storming toward the elevator. Tapping my access card on the panel, the doors sliding open as I step inside, my pulse hammering in my ears.
The moment the doors open, it hits me.
Her scent.
Warm. Sweet. The unmistakable perfume that clings to her skin, the scent that has haunted me since I met her.
She’s here.
My breath leaves me as I move, following the faintest trace of her. I need to see her. To touch her. I rush toward the guest room, her scent strongest here. My heart slams against my ribs as I grab the handle and turn—
Empty.
The room is void of her presence.
My relief evaporates.
“Vasilisa!”
