Page 68 of Christmas with Four Tattoo Artists

The others watched me, waiting for an explanation. I took a moment, gathering my thoughts.

"I bugged Adele's purse a few weeks back," I said calmly, gauging their reactions.

Andrew frowned. "You did what?"

Kai looked surprised, but Finn's face was stoic, almost prideful.

"I had a feeling," I explained, my voice cold and steady. "I didn’t trust her from the get-go, from the moment she walked into this place begging for her old job back.”

Finn chuckled darkly. "Always the detective, aren't you? Trust no one and all that shit."

I nodded. "Sometimes it pays off."

"Is that even legal, James?" Kai asked, eyebrows raised.

I smirked. "Let's just say it’s a gray area. And right now, with Julia's life on the line, I couldn't care less about the technicalities."

Andrew leaned against a wall, crossing his arms. "So, what did our little spy device pick up?"

"Well, I've been collecting information. Most of it was irrelevant—Adele chatting about her latest shopping spree or gossiping with her girlfriends. But occasionally, I'd pick up snippets of her talking to someone, telling them about what was going on at the studio. I wasn’t sure who it was, fucker was always too quiet. Looking back, no doubt it was Klaus.”

Kai narrowed his eyes. "That bitch! Right under our fuckin’ noses."

Finn clenched his fists, eyes cold. "It's one thing to play games with us. It's another to involve an innocent woman and an unborn child."

I couldn’t have agreed more.

"I didn’t mention it before because, honestly, I was waiting for a more direct connection. I wanted to ensure I wasn't overreacting and accusing without enough evidence. But now," I held up my phone, "this might be the breakthrough we need."

Andrew looked skeptical. "So, this FBI contact of yours, can we trust them? Can they help us get Julia back?"

I hesitated, weighing how much to reveal. "They're not directly involved, but they're keeping an eye on things for me. Let's just say they owe me a favor. As for trust? Right now, it's our best lead. And I'd take a shaky lead over none at all. Not to mention that if we can connect Klaus to a kidnapping, that opens his sorry ass up to a world of hurt.”

Kai released a heavy sigh. "It's a start. We'll use whatever we've got."

I nodded. "For now, let's keep this between us. I’ll update you as soon as I know more."

The air in the room felt bleak, the gravity of what was happening pressing down on us. It was a game of cat and mouse, and we were done being the prey. No matter what the cost, we were going to bring Julia home.

Chapter 31

Julia

Isat in the dim room, hands trembling. The weight of my situation felt suffocating. Tears streamed down my face as I tried to stifle the overwhelming fear clawing at me.

The same thoughts kept spiraling through my mind. My writing, the dreams of publishing my work, the ambition that drove me… all of it began to feel like a distant fantasy. Even a potential book deal that could have become the pinnacle of success felt trivial, nothing more than a reminder of everything I stood to lose.

And the baby.Mybaby. The tiny life growing inside of me, unaware of the danger swirling around it. The emotions were all-consuming: fierce protectiveness, guilt, anguish. The sheer unfairness that an innocent being might never get to experience the world beyond the confines of the godforsaken room I was being held in.

I took shaky breaths, trying to push back the rising tide of despair. Drowning in sorrow was not an option. It would make me vulnerable, and vulnerability was a luxury I couldn't afford.

The room was bathed in a sickly yellow glow from the one dim light above. I could still hear the muffled voices of my captors outside, the distinct rumble of bikes in the distance. I knew the odds were stacked against me, but there was no way in hell I was letting that room become my grave.

I had to fight. For my baby, for the love I shared with my four men, and for my very existence. The resolve began to form, my brain ticking through possibilities. I wasn’t done yet. Not by a long shot.

A faint knock interrupted my thoughts, and the door creaked open. Adele sauntered in, her heels clicking against the grimy floor. Her typically gaudy makeup was even more pronounced in the dimness of the room, and she looked around with barely concealed delight at the state I was in. I wish I could say I was shocked to see her, but it all made a sick sort of sense—of course, she’d been involved all along.

"Look at you," she sneered, a venomous smile crossing her face. "Queen of Blackjack’s, reduced to this."

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