Page 3 of Wed to the Devil

I watch as the door opens and Talia emerges from the building. At first, she just stands near the door, leaning against the bricks and looking out at the gardens just beyond. But then she fidgets a bit and pulls her cell phone out of her tiny purse.

She tosses her hair, looking at her cell phone. I don't know exactly what she is reading, but her eyes widen. Her hand flies up over her mouth and she looks horrified. She fidgets again and shoots an angry look at the house. Then she looks down and reads some more. When she's done, she drops her hand, her cell phone still loosely grasped in it. She leans back against the house and closes her eyes for a moment.

She just stays like that for the longest time. Then apparently,she makes up her mind and starts heading towards the front of the house.

The video jumps, suddenly showing the front door footage. I see Talia stalk out toward the front door and then she stops, looking around. She waves to one of the waiting chauffeurs, who is perched on the bonnet of his black Lincoln town car. He straightens and she says something to him. But though the security camera does record sound, it is too far away to make out what she says.

The young man that she called to bows, doffing his hat. He is a fit looking guy with sandy blonde hair and he is just a little taller than her.

He says something unintelligible and then she hurries over to the car, popping open the passenger side door and sliding in. He climbs in, too, and turns the car around, giving us a good view of his license plate. He pauses before he drives off, his brake lights soon the only thing visible in the darkness.

My whole body goes rigid as I watch the video. I don’t know what Talia read on her phone that made her run away without a word. A million thoughts pour into my brain, tumbling over one another. It could be some sort of threat to her well-being. Or some kind of lie about me, I guess.

Whatever it is that made her run, I have to track my wife down and bring her back, whether she likes it or not.

My future hangs in the balance.

“Fuck,” I mutter. I run a hand through my hair, gritting my teeth.

“She obviously left of her own accord,” Frick says. “That’s a pretty good thing, as far as I’m concerned.”

I shoot him a sour look. “I need you to hunt down that chauffeur. She’s not stupid enough to run off alone. She had help, that I am sure. Find out everything he knows about where Talia could have gone.”

“Of course.” Frick bows her head and leaves the security footage there with Carlos, who looks as though he is trying to blend in with the wall. I stroke my chin and stare at the darkened screen in the surveillance room.

What do I know about Talia and where she would run to?

I know that she has an aunt. I know her friend Olivia is heavily involved with her day-to-day life under normal circumstances. And I think she said she volunteers at some charity… For the life of me, I can’t remember exactly which one or even what type of organization it was. Dogs and cats? Sick old people? Breast cancer awareness?

It honestly could have been any of those or a million other bleeding heart sad sack charities.

I pull out my phone and call Rob. My personal assistant picks up on the second ring, sounding more than a little perplexed. “Dare? Do you need something?”

“Remember the background check I had you run on Talia and all her known associates?”

I hear a sharp intake of breath. “Yes… I hired your usual private investigator to run down all the people in her life. There were many.”

“I need to know everything you know. Including any locations that she would run to if she were in danger.”

There is silence for a few moments. “And is she in danger?”

“Maybe,” I growl. “Or maybe she is just trying not to be found. Who the fuck knows what goes on in her mind?”

“But she’s gone missing,” he says, his voice puzzled. “That’s what you’re saying?”

“I have security camera footage of her sneaking away from the estate. Talia stole off into the night without a word.”

Something crackles on Rob’s end of the phone line. “What the fuck?” he asks. “Why would she just leave like that?”

“I don’t fucking know!” I explode, gnashing my teeth. “All I know is that we have to get her back. So I need you to look up places that she’s been associated with in the past. I will send my security team to each and every location you dig up.”

“Of course,” he says. “I have the folder that the private investigator gave me right here. I’ll compile the list and send it to you shortly. Do you need anything else from me?”

“No. Or… I don’t know. Let me call you back. Right now, I can hardly think of anything but where Talia could possibly be. I am going crazy trying to remember if she ever mentioned any people or places to me. I can’t believe that I don’t even know where she would run to for safety.”

“Well, you’ve only been married for a few hours…” Rob says. I can hear the uneasiness in his voice, though.

“I’ve got to go.” I hang up the phone without another word because I realized that I am literally shaking with rage and no small amount of fear.

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