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Son of a bitch.

Pushing open the door to the stairs, I ran down quickly. When I got out front, I caught a glimpse of the man from the elevator hailing a cab. I grabbed him by the neck and shoved him to the ground, as the cab stopped in front of me.

“Hey, that’s my cab,” he whined from the ground.

I stalked over and bent down in front of him. Grabbing the front of his shirt, I pulled him up so my face was inches from his. “Don’t be a fuckin’ asshole next time.” My voice lowered before I added, “Be thankful there are cameras everywhere. I suggest you check the fuck out before I get back.”

I dropped him to the ground once more, then climbed in the cab. The cabbie entered in the new destination, and I offered him three times the fare if he got me to Freyja in half the time his GPS allotted.

When the cab pulled up in front of a small cottage, Freyja was gone. I knew the dark-haired woman talking to Rian wasn’t her.

“Where is she?” I asked, my voice showing my anger that he let her leave.

“I’m sorry, boss. I tried, but aside from kidnapping her—”

I grabbed Rian by the lapels of the tuxedo jacket he still wore. “Then you should have fuckin’ kidnapped her. Where the fuck is she?”

“Mr. Murphy.” The woman from the street placed a hand on my arm. “Please let Mr. Rafferty go. It wasn’t his fault.”

I released Rian and dug in my pocket for my hotel key. “Go pack my shit and tell Mac I’ll meet him at the airport.”

“Yes, sir.”

I turned back to the woman. She looked similar to Freyja, but slightly shorter. Freyja’s head fit perfectly against my shoulder. Like that was where she was made to be.

“Who are you?”

“I am Athena Malpas, Freyja’s sister.”

That made sense. I had read about Freyja’s parents and siblings. I knew their names and what they did. But nothing Cian had sent me mentioned Lucille.

“Are you into this voodoo shit, too?”

Athena chuckled. “You could say that.”

“Why did she leave?”

“Go home, Duncan. My sister needs you.” Athena turned and walked back toward the cottage.

“What does that mean?”

Athena looked at me over her shoulder. “It means you had better get to her before he does. Because if he finds her first, my brother will never let you near her.”

“Find her? Is she in trouble?”

“Hurry, Duncan. Time is wasting.”

The cryptic woman disappeared through the doorway, and I stood there stunned.

God damn secrets.

I hailed a cab and headed straight to the airport. I called Sal on the way and let him know I was leaving on the first available flight to New York, and I would fill him in when I found Freyja and got back to Boston.

Athena’s words ran through my head in a loop. Was Freyja in danger? Had the whispered voice I heard been a warning? One I had ignored as my imagination.

If something happened to Freyja, I would never forgive myself.

As I boarded the plane, I heard the voice again.