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When I woke up, I made my way to the shower and stood there for a long time, just letting the water hit my shoulders, trying to erase all the bad memories from the past months.
I tried to forget about Nico, Matteo, and most of all Dario. But a part of me felt sad inside. I missed Dario. I refused to acknowledge that.
It was only natural to grieve something I would never have, right? I touched my belly unable to stop a tear from falling.
I’d grown up without a father, and I’d come out all right. My child would too. We would be fine.
I had gotten away from Dario, so why didn’t I feel a sense of relief? Why was I still scared? Why did I feel as if I had done something wrong?
I’d made the right decision. Right? I’d done what was best for me and my child.
I felt like I had to convince myself and that feeling unsettled me.
But it was not as unsettling as it was to hear the doorbell ring.
I peeked out the window and felt faint.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
Dario
The fearI felt chilled me to the bone when I realized she was gone. I’d gone on a rampage, threatening anyone who didn’t give me answers fast enough.
I’d underestimated her. I had slipped up, and now she was gone. I didn’t think she had planned to leave like this. She hadn’t taken anything with her.
I was scared that she had been taken by someone who might want to harm her. Not for the first time, I felt like an idiot for withholding the truth from her.
I had to find Mya. I had to know she was okay.
“We’re checking all avenues, sir. We’ll find her,” Ivan said to me, fear in his voice.
He was right to be afraid. How well did I know Ivan?
He was a few years younger than me. He’d been part of the family since I could remember. His parents had been friends with my father.
I’d known him longer than Joseph, who I knew little about besides the basics. I’d done a background check on Ivan years ago and nothing had stood out.
But my gut told me that there was something I was missing. Something that was right under my nose. I would figure it out, but I had to find Mya first.
I didn’t think she had been kidnapped. There weren’t any signs of a struggle, and I know she was a firecracker, so she would have at least thrown a punch or two. No, this was smooth. A quick smash-and-grab job. Someone had known how to get into the elevator and she had gone with them.
Had she thought it was me coming to rescue her? Or had she just leaped at the chance to escape my control?
It took all my strength to not shove someone through the closest window and watch them fall and crumple to the ground like a ragdoll.
I had already pictured a hundred different ways to murder whomever it was who took her. Those thoughts calmed me.
Joseph took a call and walked away from me. Could he be on the phone with the people who took Mya? Was he pretending to report to me while feeding information to the enemy?
I shook my head. I didn’t have time to be paranoid. Mya’s life was on the line.
“We found her,” Joseph said to me.
“Let’s go,” Ivan said.
“I need you to watch the house,” I said to Ivan sharply. He stared at me and I stared back at him.
Finally, he nodded. It had been a calculated choice. I couldn’t trust Joseph or Ivan.