Page 36 of Caged By the Ruthless Thief

“Yes, he’s strapped down. Kai and Ophelia didn’t like it. But it’s just one step, and they’ve brought in a nurse to sit across from him with a tranquilizer large enough to bring down a blue whale if he goes at it again.”

“Good.” I pinch the bridge of my nose and open my eyes, staring at my block. Willing there to be an answer from the hired wolf shifter in the States.

Holter nods at my block. “What’s going on?”

Fuck. “Annabelle.”

He’s on his feet. “Yourhagissais with her already? Tell her to stop.”

“No—damn, I need to contact her—but no. I hired a bodyguard to watch Annabelle.”

“Yes.”

It was something that both Nico and Holter wanted to do. I even vetted the firm with Holter. “Lucius called me. Annabelle didn’t get on the plane.”

“What in the fuck are you talking about? We should have taken her all the way to the gate. Where is she?” Holter paces in front of me. Well, at least he hasn’t thrown a punch. “Damn it, Castor. We need to get to Athens now.”

“No, there’s no point, not yet. We don’t know where she is. The American is looking into the CCTV at the Athens airport. And they have a European division who will be on the ground in Athens soon.”

Holter’s face is red. I’m surprised he hasn’t stripped his clothes off and headed for the airlock. With the way he looks, he could be on his way to Athens within minutes.

“Holter, there’s nothing we can do right now. If I had a time machine, I’d change everything. But I’m not going to dwell on things that can’t be changed. And I didn’t think you would either. Right now, it’s hard, but we need to sit and wait.”

“I’m going to sit and wait in Athens. That way, I’m closer to where she is.” He points his finger at me and then retracts it, both of his hands clenched at his side.

I get it. Or maybe I don’t. I’ve never been without power. And he’s lived his adult life in the military, where he has to bite down and follow someone else’s rules constantly.

I’m not going to get in his way. If he wants to go back to Athens, I’m not going to stop him. “And if she’s not in Athens? If she’s made it back to the Veiled City?”

“You think she’s here? Where, with whom? No. She’s not here.”

“Stop and think this through. She didn’t get on the plane.”

“Someone took her.” Holter slaps his hands together.

“Or she didn’t get on the plane because she didn’t want to.” I pull up the security camera in my apartment in Athens. But there’s nothing on it. Only rain slapping on the large window panels for the last few hours.

“What’s that?” He nods at my block.

“The closed circuit around the headquarters and my apartment. But there’s nothing.” I pause and scroll back through the feed to where Annabelle stepped out on the terrace. I can hear her voice.“It’s beautiful out here. I’m not sure who has the better view—you or your mother.”

I switch to a wider view from the top of the building and scroll through the shots. I own the whole complex—a perk for loyal employees, to give them luxury apartments with an open view.

I pause one of the cameras and watch the recording of Annabelle leaving with us on the way to the airport. There’s an odd light out in the water.

“What is it?” Holter’s glaring at me, his hands still balled into fists.

“It might be nothing. But I think when we took her to the airport, someone might have followed us. Look here.” I slow the video down and show it to him. A few clicks and I send it to Lucius. “It might be nothing, but I’m going to have Lucius send it in for analysis.”

“Fuck that. Let’s run it ourselves.”

“No, give him a minute. I don’t want it on the internal systems here. The governors are still upset with Nico. We’re being watched, from where we go to what we run.” I hold up the block. “Give him a few minutes to run it outside of the Veiled City network.”

“You think I care about those assholes? The ones who were willing to let my brother die on the speakers’ floor while they debated whether he fucking did what they asked him to do?”

“No, I’m quite aware neither of you cares about them. But if we are going to change things, you’re going to have to start caring, Holter.”

“My mate could be anywhere. Alone. Hurt. Kidnapped.”

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