Page 54 of Lycan King's Claim
“We need to trace this number,” I instruct Javier, trying to rein in the whirlwind of emotions threatening to consume me.
Javier nods, determination evident in his eyes, “Leave it with me.”
Every tick of the clock becomes a painful reminder of the time slipping away, and the urgency to find her, to make things right, becomes paramount.
As I watch Javier plugs Sienna's phone into my laptop, he fiddles with something accessing her messages to see if Sienna has deleted anything while the company tries to track Tasha's phone using the cell towers placed around the city. However, Javier finds no texts on Sienna's phone that we haven't already seen.
My heartbeat reverberates in my ears, punctuating the urgency of the situation. Each thump is a visceral reminder of Sienna's absence.
Javier concentrates on my laptop screen while I pace tracks into the carpet, his face etched with concern; when his phone rings, he answers it, and I pause.
“Keep looking but for now, give me her home address,” Javier speaks to whoever is on the other end. He grabs a piece of paper, writing something down, and hangs up. He hastily hands me Tasha's address. “Tasha's address?” I question, and he nods, rising from his seat.
Without a second thought, I'm stalking out of my office and storming toward the foyer doors. Javier follows silently, knowing it's best to leave me be while I'm on a warpath.
Jumping in my car, I jam the keys in the ignition, eager to see if Sienna is hiding out at Tasha's. Yet, some part of me fears finding her, finding out why she is hiding from me.
While I drive, Javier is texting and answering calls, finding out information on where Tasha has been the past few days. Nothing suspicious shows, only work and home, besides meeting us at the restaurant and meeting with Sienna at the café.
I drive like a madman to the other side of the city before turning down an alley beside where she lives. Parking the car, I jump out. Emerging from the shadowed alleyways, I confront Tasha's apartment building, its looming facade gleaming in the moonlight.
The entire bottom level of the building is boarded up as renovations take place on the lower levels.
Walking inside, I climb the stairs, not willing to wait for the elevator. As I approach the front door, I can feel my heart racing in my chest. With a single kick, the door gives way, revealing the dimly lit interior.
The apartment is a tidy, and cozy place with artwork on the walls. The carpets are freshly vacuumed and everything appears to be in order.
A plush leather sofa sits beneath one wall adorned with an array of pictures tucked within heart-shaped frames; each photo captures moments shared between Sienna and Tasha's friendship over their lifetime together. Their laughing faces look back at me almost mockingly as I enter the room, wishing they could offer some insight into Sienna's current whereabouts, so far away from my reach right now.
A small bookshelf is situated against one wall, conspicuously filled with various hardbacks ranging in genre from fantasy to science fiction.
Despite the place feeling overly feminine and cozy, the air is cold, and the place is empty of any noise.
My eyes scan every inch, every possible hiding place, but there's no sign of Tasha. The eerie silence is maddening.
“Tasha!” My voice ripples with fury, echoing through the desolate space. The void of response feeds the growing storm within me. Retrieving my phone, my fingers shaking with a mixture of rage and concern, I dial Tasha's number. Where the heck are they?
“Answer the damn phone,” I mutter, a bitter blend of hope and anger making me pace restlessly as I continue to scour the small apartment. But it remains silent, amplifying the gnawing dread as the phone rings out. With a growl, I move back toward the front door to spot Javier entering. “I spoke with the maintenance man. He said Tasha left this morning and hasn't returned,” he tells me, and I nod, moving past him to head back to the car. Just as despair begins to take hold, my phone vibrates in my hand. Hope surges when I hear it ring.
“Sienna?” But it's Tasha's name that glares back.
“Where is she, Tasha? What have you done with Sienna?” My voice trembles, straining against the raw emotion threatening to spill. A raspy voice answers, interlaced with fear and pain.
“Xandros…” Tasha groans, and I can hear the sound of her moving, for a second, it falls silent, and I hear what sounds like Tasha dropping the phone. “Tasha?” I snap angrily before hearing more fumbling and pained groans. “Isador?” Tasha murmurs. I hear another noise in the background. “Where is she?” comes a second voice, sounding dazed.
“Sienna?” I hear Tasha call out, and my stomach sinks.
I hear coughing and moving, yet my patience wears thin. “Tasha, answer me! Where is my mate?” I snarl. “Oh gosh, Xandros. You have to help her… He's taken her.”
“Who has, Tasha? Tell me!” Desperation tightens its grip around my throat as I wait for an answer, my heart beating faster with each pacing second as fear envelops me.
“Vin,” she murmurs, the name falling like a death sentence. King Vin. Cold fury courses through my veins, along with dread. The mere thought of him laying a hand on Sienna—the mother of my child—ignites a fire of vengeance in my stomach. My eyes move to Javier, whose eyes dart to me at her words. I race out of the building and into the winding streets, my mind racing.
“Xandros, please save her,” Tasha's voice is barely above a whisper before the line falls dead.
Racing to my car, I climb in just as Javier does. “Sienna is with King Vin. Gather the elite guards, I want everyone out looking for her, and call the Council and get them here too. And someone needs to locate Tasha and whoever she is with,” Javier nods, pulling his phone from his pocket.
Navigating the city’s labyrinthine streets, shadows of possibilities seem to dance just out of reach. Desperation mounts like a rising tide threatening to drown me. As I contemplate my next move, Javier's voice speaks calmly as he organizes search teams and speaks with the Council, “My King, Tasha's been found. She's hurt but alive. She was found with another woman, I have someone bringing them to the castle,”
