I didn’t realize how much having an offspring would make me feel this good. I’d been spending as much time with Adele as Isabella allowed. The visits were brief, always supervised by Isabella, but it was enough to start building something. A relationship. My daughter was brilliant. Funny. She had Isabella’s fierce spirit and—I liked to think—some of my stubbornness. Every moment with her felt both wonderful and heartbreaking, a reminder of everything I’d missed.
Everything I’d lost.
But I was here now. And I’d make sure I was going to be a steady presence in her life.
In both their lives.
My phone rang, shattering my warm thoughts. I snapped my eyes open and picked up my phone. Edmund’s name flashed on the screen.
Dread pooled in my stomach even before I answered. “What?”
“We lost her.” Edmund’s voice was tight. “Isabella’s car. She left the office for lunch with Adele about twenty minutes ago, and the security team on her trail just called to inform me they’d lost her.”
My blood went cold. “What did you say?”
“The security team on her trail just called to inform me they’d lost her.”
A single beat passed. My hand tightened around the edge of the desk. “Lost her?” I repeated quietly, the words tasting like iron. “How does a trained team lose a woman and a four-year-old?”
“They said she took a different route than usual. By the time they realized and tried to follow, we’d lost visual. I’ve deployed more—”
I didn’t wait for him to finish. The moment I heard “lost”, my mind had already split into two: one part running through contingency plans, the other screaming silently inside my skull.
I yanked open my drawer, pulled out my tablet, and tapped the app that tracked Adele’s location.
The app loaded with agonizing slowness.
Then the blue dot appeared, revealing their location. They were at a children’s boutique three blocks away from Ravencrest Global.
“I’ve got her location,” I said, grabbing my keys and racing for the door. “Send backup to 5th and Morrison. Children’s boutique called Little Wonders.”
“Got it.”
I hung up, silently praying that they were not in any danger. I’d seen things like this before. Things would be quiet for weeks, and then the moment you let your guard down, your enemies would attack.
The three blocks felt like three miles. I drove like I’d gone crazy, not bothering with traffic regulations. My wolf pushed against my skin, wanting—no, urging—me to move faster.
By the time I reached the boutique, my heart was hammering so hard I could barely hear anything else. I pulled over haphazardly and jumped out of the car.
And then I saw them.
Isabella was coming out of the shop, Adele’s small hand clutched in hers, both of them laden with shopping bags. Adele was chattering away, her face bright with happiness, and Isabella was smiling.
They looked perfect. Safe.
Relief crashed through me, and I let out a breath, lettingmy nerves relax. But that didn’t last long. It started with a scent. I could smell a rat anywhere. It was unmistakable. A rogue. And rogues were never up to anything good.
My eyes darted around, trying to figure out whose scent it was amongst the few people on the street. And then my eyes snapped to the man walking quickly toward them from across the street. Everything about him screamed wrong—the too casual clothes, the purposeful stride, the way his hand was reaching into his jacket.
The way he was focused entirely on Isabella and Adele.
Time seemed to slow down.
I saw the gun clear his jacket.
Saw him raise it.
Saw Isabella notice him, her eyes going wide, her body already moving to shield Adele.