Page 42 of Shattered Reign

Nash didn’t say a word for a moment. “I still don’t think he would have enough time to do what Bianca’s stalker has been doing and keep Iris. Also, based on what I know about said stalker, they don’t seem to have Soren’s… abilities.”

I actually agreed with his assessment, but wanted to see if he had anyone else in mind. “But was there anyone else that might have a similar skill set?”

“None that I can think of,” Nash replied. “But it’s worth looking into. I’ll see if there’s anyone else with the same skill set.”

As I was about to hang up with Nash, my phone began vibrating in my hand, alerting me to another call. When I pulled the phone away from my ear, it gave me the option to answer Bianca’s call or send it to voice mail.

Having her call me when I was supposed to be leaving my apartment for hers in a few minutes told me something was wrong.

“Shit, Nash, I have to go. I’ll talk to you later.” I didn’t bother telling him goodbye as I quickly switched over to answer Bianca’s call. “Bianca, what’s going on? Are you okay?”

“You need to get back here now,” she said, her voice shaking slightly. “Someone has been in my apartment. I’ll be downstairs in the lobby waiting on you.”

“Fuck,” I muttered under my breath as my adrenaline kicked in. “Okay, just stay put. I’m on my way. I’ll call you when I’m in the car.”

“Please hurry,” she pleaded before hanging up.

I grabbed my coat and bag and bolted out of my apartment like it was on fire. Hearing the fear in her voice made me throw my bag in the passenger seat and tear out of my parking lot.

I used my SUV’s Bluetooth to call Bianca, just like I promised, and I swore I could hear my pulse racing in my ears. Thankfully, she put me out of my misery and answered on the second ring.

“Easton.”

“I’m in the car right now and I should be there in about twenty minutes, depending on traffic.”

“Thank goodness,” she replied before going silent for a few moments. “Easton?”

“Yes?”

“I’m scared,” she said softly.

My heart clenched at hearing her say those words, feeling helpless because there was nothing I could do to make it better until I arrived at her apartment. “Bianca, just stay calm until I get there, okay? We’ll figure this out together.”

Whoever had put this fear into her heart was going to pay, and I couldn’t wait to find the fucker.

Thankfully, my apartment wasn’t too far away from hers, and I’d barely pulled my vehicle into a parking spot before I’d turned it off and was sprinting toward her building.

When Bianca spotted me, she ran toward me and ran into my arms. “Easton, thank fuck you’re here,” Bianca exclaimed.

We were attracting attention, but neither one of us cared. When she pulled away, her eyes were wide and frantic, and her chest was heaving as if she’d just run a marathon.

“You need to see this. Now.”

“Okay, let’s go,” I said. The two of us took the elevator up to her apartment, but when she opened the door, I didn’t immediately notice that anything was wrong. It wasn’t until she stepped forward and bent down to pick up something that it all clicked into place.

“Look at this,” she said, shoving the item in my face. I recognized it immediately, and I wasn’t surprised that she had done the same. It was a coin with the Chevaliers emblem, and someone had left it in her apartment. It wasn’t mine because it was something you received once you were placed in one of the three chambers of the Chevalier organization: Owl, Eagle, and Sparrow. That wouldn’t happen until the beginning of next semester.

“Who the fuck was here?” I demanded, wanting an answer immediately. I clenched my fists so hard I could feel my nails digging into the palms of my hand.

“I have no idea,” Bianca said, weighing the coin with her hand. “But now we definitely know that the person who is stalking me is a Chevalier.”

“Well then, we know what our next stop is. Let’s go.”

I stormed out of Bianca’s apartment, angrier than I’d ever been in my life. I didn’t know exactly what was going on, but having it confirmed that the Chevaliers had sent someone after my girl was enough for me to want to make the world burn. The organization that I’d pledged to had just become enemy number one.

24

BIANCA

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