Page 98 of Claimed By The Dragon Daddy

“Fine,” I said once I felt I’d gotten sufficient control. “Send your team in. But if they don’t find anything, I won’t wait any longer.”

“Deal.” Sebastian nodded, the tension thick in the air between us. I couldn’t remember the last time he’d raised his voice at me, and I felt ashamed. Sebastian was right. I was better than this.

“We'll do everything we can, I promise,” he said, and I knew it was the truth. He’d done nothing but help me from the very moment I’d come home. He’d welcomed me back into the clan, made me part of the family.

I wondered if I’d always felt our connection as father and son, even before I’d known the truth of my heritage. Now, more than ever, I considered this man my father.

“I’m sorry,” I said after a moment.

Sebastian held my gaze, giving me a smile and a wink, just like he had when I was younger. “We’re going to get through this, son.”

He left the room to give orders to his team, and I collapsed onto the couch, my body trembling from the intensity of the emotions. Images of Mariah haunted my vision whenever I closed my eyes.

“I’m glad to see you pulled yourself together.” Mason came around the couch to face me.

“Is that what I did?” I opened one eye.

“Yes. And you better keep it that way. This isn’t just about you.”

“Clearly,” I said, sitting up.

“What I mean is that you need to think about your daughter. Sofia is in there taking a nap, completely innocent in all of this. Her mother just ran off and washed her hands of her. Mariah is missing. The last thing Sofia needs is for her father to fly off in some crazed rampage where he could possibly get himself killed.”

I glanced toward the door that led to Sofia's downstairs nursery, where she still slept peacefully, unaware of the turmoil her father faced. A weight pressed on my chest as I slumped back onto the couch, exhaustion creeping in. I closed my eyes and quieted the raging storm within. For Mariah and Sofia's sake, I had to find a way to keep it together long enough to save them both.

* * *

The next morning, there were still no updates on Mariah’s whereabouts, and my dragon grew more restless. I was feeding Sofia in the kitchen, thinking back on how Mariah had taught me everything I knew about taking care of a baby right here in this apartment. It was halfway through her meal when I noticed a shift in her demeanor. Her hazel eyes gazed up into mine, and she reached out a tiny hand to touch my face, as if to comfort me in her own way.

“Dada.”

The sweet gesture brought a sad smile to my lips, and I kissed her little fingers softly. It was as if she could sense my distress.

“Thank you, baby girl,” I said, feeling a rush of gratitude for her. Yes, I was beside myself with worry for Mariah, but I had to appreciate what was right in front of me, too.

Just then, a loud banging at the door shattered the stillness of the moment.

“Who could that be?” I muttered under my breath, taking Sofia from her high chair and setting her down in her playpen before heading for the door. We had the place covered. No one came in this building without my team knowing it, and no one got on the elevator to the penthouse. If they did, they’d find three armed guards waiting for them.

I was at the door when the urgent banging sounded again. I yanked it open, and my heart stuttered. The sight that greeted me was horrifying.

Jax stumbled inside, his face pale and gaunt, his hair and skin smeared with dirt and blood. He looked like a man who’d been to Hell and back, ten times more ragged than when we’d found him in the Atlantic City warehouse. His legs gave out, and he fell to his knees just inside the door, gasping for breath.

"Jax!” I slammed the door and dropped down beside him, bringing my fingers to his throat to check his pulse. “Sebastian! Come quick!”

Jax’s heartbeat was erratic under my touch, and I feared he might be on the verge of a heart attack. “What the hell happened?”

Sebastian quickly raced down the stairs, then helped me move Jax to the couch in the living room. “Stay with us, Jax.”

Jax's eyes fluttered. I gently slapped his cheeks, trying to keep him conscious.

“Come on, man, we need you to tell us what happened,” I said. We needed to a medic, to get Jax taken care of, but I also needed answers.

Jax took a few shuddering breaths before nodding weakly, his eyes fluttering open again. Sebastian handed him a bottle of water, and he sipped at it, some of it spilling down his chin as he drank.

“Mariah…” he said in a croak, and I nearly came unglued.

“What do you know, Jax? Do you know where she is? Tell us everything. We need to know.”

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