“I mean, sure. We know she was in care, so that could include foster parents, foster siblings, or even her biological family,” Felix interjects.
“I’ll hack her phone logs. Can you give me her devices?” Atlas asks, looking at me.
“She left her laptop, but her phone went missing with her.” I pause for a moment. “Can you come round today while I’m out and search her room? Maybe I missed something when she first disappeared because I was too involved in it.”
“Sure. I can still remotely access her phone. I took all your details in the first year just in case something like this happened.”
“Wait, what? You mean to tell me you have access to all my phone data?” Riggs asks.
“Yep. I can see all that furry porn you’ve been watching. Who knew the Labrador had a dog kink?”
“The fuck I do, you little shit. My porn is delicious pain sluts who can’t get enough of calling me sir.”
“You like to implement pain?” Atlas asks, frowning. “Well, I wouldn’t have pegged you for that.”
“You’re the only one who likes pegging here, Atlas,” Felix cuts in.
“Fucking hell,” I snap. “Focus, boys.”
“Sorry, Mum,” Riggs mumbles and I sigh.
“Okay, so Atlas, do your hacking as soon as possible. Victor, start tracking. When we have something to go off, we’ll meet again. Felix, I want you to start putting together strategies forevery situation you can think of and Riggs, you just sit there and look cute, okay?”
“Thanks for the vote of confidence, Fairy,” he scoffs.
“I don’t have time to stroke your ego. I have to go. Let’s meet back here in forty-eight hours and see if we’ve got anything to go off.”
I give them each a small smile as they wish me luck and stand to kiss my cheek. I need to get my head back in the game. I have no idea what The Company are doing with my new mission but I do know one thing. I am a Swallow and tonight I have been let out of my cage.
CHAPTER 4
ROMAN
Every single person out there believes that men rule the world. The women think it, the men live it, but the truth is… men are only ever as powerful as the woman standing beside them. We see it in history time and time again; politicians and kings cannot reign without a strong woman by their side, but the females… they make waves without ever needing a man to support them.
You see, it is the women children run to without thinking. It is the women men crave without understanding why. It is the women the world instinctively trusts, even when they are afraid to admit it.
But I am not afraid.
My dad made sure I knew from an exceedingly early age just how important the woman I chose was going to be… and I made my choice three years ago.
Sure, she does not know she is my queen yet…but she will.
I have been obsessed with her since the moment I saw her. I watched the way a room shifted around her without her even realising. The way all eyes turned to her beauty as she holds something none of them can name but all of them feel.
Her strength and beauty is not loud, nor forced, it just exists, and that makes her far more dangerous than anything The Company has ever tried to create and the perfect person to bear my name and children.
It is why I tolerated her annoying brother for so long. I mean, sure, he would say we are best friends, but I am not entirely convinced you are supposed to fantasise about driving a knife through your best friend’s throat as often as I do. Although, in my defence, he does drink my milk straight from the bottle, which I think justifies at least some level of violence.
Emotions and I have never mixed well. The only one that has ever managed to exist without irritating me is the one tied to her. For a while I was confused by how I felt, how she managed to infect me with a look or a smile. It was only when I realised her touch was welcome on my body that I understood I was probably in love.
I had to ask my mum what loveactuallywas and she told me it was sacrifice. So… I sacrificed. It started with befriending her twin, then dealing with a group of rowdy men. It then went to infected milk bottles and filthy cars. Whatever Felix threw at me, I took. Because I am in love.
And love is sacrifice.
And finally, my patience is being rewarded.
For the next twenty-four hours, Tinkerbell is mine.