Page 101 of Duty Unbound

I looked around the car for anything that might give us clues but didn’t find anything.

Logan was back after just a few minutes. “I showed the coffee shop barista a pic of Mel. The girl remembers her because Mel tried to use some coupon that wasn’t valid. But besides that, nothing unusual. Mel was polite, took her coffees, and left.”

I’d learned a long time ago not to jump to conclusions in this business—I was always cautious but rarely paranoid. But I’d also learned to trust my instincts.

And my instincts right now were telling me one thing: Mel had been taken. The stalker who’d been tormenting Nova had finally escalated from threats to action—just not the way we’d anticipated.

“We need to get back to the estate,” I said, my voice tighter than I intended. “Lock down everything.

“You think it’s the stalker?”

“Yes.”

The drive back passed in tense silence. I stared out the window, not really seeing the suburban landscape flash by, my mind already calculating next steps, scenarios, contingencies.

When we arrived, I gathered my team in the security room, away from Nova and her entourage.

“All right, we’re treating this as a kidnapping situation,” I said, forcing myself to remain analytical despite the fear clawing at my gut. “Jace, I want you monitoring all communication channels—phone, email, social media. The stalker will make contact with some sort of demand, and we need to be ready when they do.”

“Do we know this is connected to Nova’s stalker?” Ty asked.

“Not for sure, but I’d rather be prepared for that. Then if we find out in a couple hours that Mel walked some old lady home and cooked her dinner, leaving her phone and some random rose petals in her car, we’ll all have a good laugh about how she scared the shit out of us.”

We all looked at one another. That Pollyanna scenario, although possible, wasn’t what had happened here, and we all knew it.

Ty nodded. “Taking Mel could be a way for the stalker to get to Nova or force her to cancel the tour.”

I nodded, acknowledging the possibility. “Which is why we’re doubling down on Nova’s protection. Jace, get every bit of footage you can from that parking lot. Ty, you’re Nova’s shadow from now on. She doesn’t go anywhere without you, not even to the bathroom. Logan, you’ll coordinate the house security.”

“What about you, boss?” Jace asked.

“I’ll be coordinating the search for Mel.” My voice came outharder than I intended. “And when we find who took her, they’re going to wish they’d never been born.”

The team exchanged glances but didn’t comment on my tone. They knew better.

“Let’s move,” I ordered. “Logan, we’re going to need to bring Nova in on this. There’s no way around it.”

My second-in-command was the best person for that job. He was unflappable. Dealt in facts, not emotions.

Meanwhile, I seemed to be fucking drowning in mine. Somewhere out there, Mel was scared, possibly hurt. Every minute that passed decreased our chances of finding her unharmed.

And the last words I’d said to her had been cold. We’d pulled back onto the estate, and I’d let myself switch over to business-mode, when I should’ve let her discuss her concerns more.

“I’ll talk to Nova.” Logan nodded at me as he left. “And I’ll call in backup. Get everybody ready to move.”

As they filed out, I stayed behind, staring at the security monitors that showed every angle of Nova’s estate. The place was locked down tight now, but it was too late. The damage was done.

I sat alone in the security room for a long time, trying to evaluate our options logically. If this was about Nova, we’d likely receive some kind of demand soon.Cancel the tour. Make a statement.Something public that would satisfy the stalker’s need for control or attention.

My thoughts were interrupted by a soft knock. Nova stood in the doorway, her usual glamorous appearance disheveled. Her eyes were red-rimmed, makeup smudged.

“Logan told me.” Her voice was barely above a whisper. “About Mel. Is it true?”

I nodded, not trusting myself to speak.

Nova’s face crumpled, her carefully constructed persona finally breaking. “Do you think… Is it because of me? Because of the stalker?”

“We don’t know yet,” I said honestly. “But we’re doing everything possible to find her. Either way, this isn’t somethingyoudid. No one is to blame but the person who took Mel.”