Prologue
ANONYMOUS
"Cappuccino!" the young woman behind the counter yells.
Since I entered the room, I haven’t been able to stop staring at her. I’ve never been a huge believer in fate, although I’m starting to reconsider it now.
I've been wandering around aimlessly without a specific destination in mind since leaving my asshole family behind on the East Coast, until today.
The moment I laid eyes on her, I knew I had found what I was looking for. That broken look in her eyes beckons me. The beast within me hears her cries for help and rattles its cage in response.
Obviously, I have no interest in helping her. After all, why mess with perfection?
As I approach the counter, I reach for the awaiting coffee. "Thank you," I say, my gaze falling to her name tag, "Emilia."
She gives me a weary, professional smile. "You’re welcome. Have a great day."
Instead of leaving with the coffee as intended, I settle into a seat at a table at the back of the busy cafe and observe her for the remainder of her shift.
When her shift is over, I sneak out the door as she goes to grab her belongings and clock out of work. I keep my distance when she finally emerges, stepping outside into the balmy summer evening and strolling down the street. Since I was only passing through when I stopped for coffee, I have no idea where we’re headed. Hell, I don’t even know the name of this place.
As we approach a college campus, I look up to read the name of the university inscribed above the metal gates. Halston University. I make a mental note to Google it as I follow her across a deserted campus. I wonder why she’s staying here? It’s gotta be three or four more weeks before classes start for the semester.
I follow her all the way to her room, shrugging off the question because I don't really care why she's here, only that she is. I watch as she enters a code before disappearing through the door. A slow grin plays along my lips.
For the first time since putting my family in the rearview mirror, I feel like I have a purpose, something to look forward to. Someone to look forward to seeing again very soon.
Chapter 1
KAI
As I sprint down the hallway toward Emilia's classroom, the sound of my hasty footsteps reverberates off the walls. I'm five minutes late to pick her up because of the goddamn cyclone that is blowing a gale outside. Which isn't actually a problem, except I have this nagging feeling that something is wrong. I can’t quite explain it. Call it a sixth sense, Marine training, or even superstition, but that feeling is heavy in my gut, propelling me forward.
It’s the reason I called her—not that hearing her voice put my fears to bed. The reason why I blasted my horn repeatedly and flew dangerously around slow drivers, battling the wind and rain to get here as fast as possible. Why I yelled at Hawk to get his ass to her classroom.
And still, that nagging feeling gnaws at me.
It might simply be the storm. The thick, oppressive feeling in the air, like a bolt of lightning about to strike, complete with the sour aftertaste of electricity. Perhaps it's simply the dark clouds creating shadows everywhere I look that's making me feel uneasy. Hell, maybe it’s my own failure to find her stalker that’s eating away at me.
Only I don’t think it is.
Approaching her room, I catapult through the open doorway, my shoes squeaking against the tiled floor as I skid to a stop. Any hope I’d been clinging to that I’d find her here, safe and sound, vanishes in a puff of smoke when I spot Hawk kneeling on the floor beside a body.
Even though I can't see their face, I can tell it's a man based on his apparel and body type. Not Emilia, then. Grateful for small mercies, I guess. Hearing me, Hawk glances over his shoulder, his face pulled tight. I step to the side to get a better view and immediately recognize the person as one of the men protecting Emilia. My chest tightens even more as my eyes flit about the space, hoping—though not expecting—to see her standing somewhere close.
“She’s gone,” Hawk states, putting words to what I already knew.
Fuck.
Fuck!
“Nigel is breathing but unconscious. I can’t see any obvious signs of injury, but it seems like he was knocked out with some kind of drug or tranquilizer.”
My voice is husky as panic tears at my insides, "When did you get here?" Fortunately, years of training keeps my head clear as I take in the scene with a critical eye.
“Only a minute or two before you.”
I nod. “Okay. Good. I just spoke with her five minutes ago. Whoever this guy is, he was just here. She could still be on campus.”
"Yeah, but where?" Hawk asks, pushing to his feet. “We have no idea where to search, and with the storm, everyone will be holed up inside or rushing to get out of the rain. They aren’t going to notice some guy dragging a struggling woman or carrying an unconscious one.”
Stupid fucking storm. I have no doubt it provided this asshole with the perfect opportunity to strike.
I don’t have answers to Hawk’s question yet, so I ignore it. “Have you called Wilder? He didn’t answer me, however we need all hands on deck.”
Hawk shakes his head. His face is set in a deep scowl, anger radiating from him. “He didn’t answer my calls either.” Still, he pulls out his phone, dialing Wilder’s number, and puts it on speaker. I’m only half listening to the sound of Wilder’s phone ring as I put together a plan of action.
The call rings out, and we hear Wilder’s voicemail before Hawk curses and hangs up. “Why is he never around when we fucking need him?” He immediately redials.
This time, it only rings once before someone answers, and Hawk is growling down the line before Wilder can get a word in. “Where the fuck have you been?” Shaking his head, he must decide he doesn’t care. We don’t have time for whatever bullshit Wilder has been filling his time with while he wallows in self-pity or whatever the fuck he’s doing. “Where are you?” Hawk demands instead, still not waiting for his response before barreling on, “Get to Emilia’s classroom. Now. She’s missing. Her stalker has her.”
“I’m coming,” is Wilder’s only reply before hanging up, and then Hawk meets my gaze, ready and waiting for my orders.