Page 23 of Imperial: The Corvidae Family

Chapter

Fourteen

Emir.

I stood in my brother’s office, arms crossed, jaw locked tightly, watching as he worked through screen after screen of nothing.

Trent had disappeared. No visuals. No active devices. Not one digital footprint in the last couple weeks.

Just fucking gone.

Yair was leaned forward with his fingers moving over the keyboard focused as hell but also just as frustrated.

“He’s off the grid, Mir.” His voice was flat, but I could hear the edge behind it. “Nothing’s pinging. His phone, tablet, not even a damn watch.”

We had access to all his shit and had been searching it for the past couple hours but still had nothing. I dropped onto the sofa that lined one side of his office.

“Then he’s been planning this. This isn’t a random disappearance. He’s been flying under the radar on purpose and that is pissing me the fuck off.”

Yair nodded and his eyes were narrowed as he stared at the blank tracking data. “Yeah. And if he’s been this quiet for this long, it’s because he’s setting up for something.”

“Setting up to come for me.” My jaw locked tight and I yanked on my beard in frustration.

Yair didn’t argue because we both knew that was exactly what this was.

Trent wasn’t just laying low. He was waiting, planning, and now that I had no way to track him, I had no fucking way of knowing when or how he was going to make his move.

How the fuck this simple ass shit get to this point.

How the fuck this simple ass muthafucker get so obsessed that he was coming after me and stalking my girl. Trent was ghost and that complicated things, because now, I wasn’t just playing defense. I was blind.

I clenched my fists with my jaw tightening more. “The second I find him?—”

“You’re ending him,” Yair finished for me before he added, “I still don’t get why the fuck he’s so obsessed.”

“Shit me either but you know Pops always put us on to stuff like this. People be obsessed over the most simple shit. Especially when ego is involved and we all know Trent isn’t right in the head. He never should have been locked in our network.”

There were always whispers about Trent having mental issues but from what I understood, it didn’t start that way.

Everybody wasn’t built for this life and seeing the things we experiencing and moving how we moved, was a lot.

If your mind wasn’t right, it was wouldn’t take much for your shit to snap and lose touch with reality.

Trent had damn sure lost touch…

“Yeah, you’re right.”

The only reason why I even care was because of her…

“I just hate that Baylyn is caught up in this shit,” I said speaking my thoughts out loud.

He leaned back in his chair. “Yeah, you need to keep her close, Mir. Real fucking close. If you can’t find Trent, it means he has plenty of opportunity to find her .”

Baylyn staying at my place wasn’t just for comfort. It was for control and her protection. I wasn’t letting her too far out of my sight until I knew Trent was handled.

“She’s with me. She’s good,” I confirmed.

Yair nodded and his eyes moved back to the screens. “Good. Because we’ve got nothing on where he is, and until we do, we’re stuck waiting.”

I hated fucking waiting. I ran a hand over my head. “I’m not taking any jobs until I figure this out.”

Me being out of pocket meant Baylyn was unprotected.

Yair glanced at me after I said that. “You still have Mendez and Lyons to deal with.”

“Kades can handle it.”

Yair studied me for a second and agreed. “Yeah, he can.”

There was a pause before he added, “I’ll pick up the slack. Any extra jobs that come through, I’ll take them.”

I lifted a brow at that. Yair wasn’t like me and Kades. He mostly handled tech, surveillance, security. He was the brain behind our operation but that didn’t mean he wasn’t just as lethal as the rest of us. He just preferred the tactical over the kill.

“You sure?” I asked, tilting my head.

Yair shrugged. “We can’t afford to lose our footing while you deal with this and Kades can’t do everything.”

Another reason Trent had an issue with me was because there were jobs people only trusted to us. Shadow Court included. They never had to worry about shit getting fucked up when the Corvidae name was attached. Me being inaccessible messed with that.

“I appreciate it.”

“Don’t get used to it. Soon as this is handled I’m back to doing my own shit,” he mumbled making me smirk at how little he liked crossing over to this side of things.

I glanced at the screens like something would magically change but still nothing.

Yair leaned back in his chair, running a hand over his jaw before his expression turned serious.

“You talked to Dad yet?”

I shook my head. “Nah, not yet. But I need to.”

“Yeah, you do.”

We didn’t need to ask permission from our father for anything but when we made moves that affected the family, we always gave him a heads-up.

Especially when that move involved killing a man who would cause problems for us. Not that he would stop me but he would expect to know out of respect for his position in the family.

“I’ll handle it,” I muttered.

Yair nodded. “Good because Trent definitely has to go. That muthafucker has been on borrowed time for awhile now.”

“Yeah he has. I’ll let Pops know but he isn’t going to care?”

Yair laughed, shaking his head. “Shit, you know the deal. He’ll grunt, act like it doesn’t matter, then make some cryptic-ass statement about you needing to clean up after yourself.”

I chuckled because he wasn’t wrong.

“So…” He dragged the word out, smirking. “You gonna bring Baylyn?”

“To see Dad?”

He shrugged. “This is getting serious, right?”

I considered that for a second, the answer came easier than I expected.

“Yeah. It is.”

Yair’s smirk widened. “Damn. You finally caught one that has you acting right.”

I wouldn’t say that shit out loud but Baylyn definitely had me coming correct… and cumming.

“She needs to meet the family.” My voice was casual, but we both knew what I really meant.

Baylyn wasn’t just someone I was fucking. She was important.

“ Your mother is gonna love that,” Yair said smugly.

“ Our mother.”

“Nah, she’s all yours when she’s on that ‘get married, have kids’ bullshit,” he said bluntly.

I chuckled, thinking about how our mother damn sure would love meeting a woman one of her sons was serious about. “Yeah, I already know how that is gonna go.”

He smirked. “Good luck with that shit.”

“Right but let me head out. I have to pull up on Baylyn. You find anything let me know.”

I lifted from the sofa and tossed my chin head to the door.

Yair grinned. “Muthafuckin’ whipped.”

I flipped him off on my way out but wouldn’t say I wasn’t because one thing I prided myself on was never being a liar and Baylyn for sure had me on lock.

By the time I pulled up to Baylyn’s office, it was late enough that most of the employees were leaving. I found a spot near the entrance and got out, leaning against the side of my car, legs spread shoulder-width apart, one wrist gripping the other.

I was posted up waiting to get my hands on her.

I didn’t take long before I was locked on her.

She stepped out of the building but didn’t see me right away because her attention was on something the woman beside her was saying.

She smiled so fucking big, making me smirk at how beautiful my lady was, but then her eyes lifted and narrowed.

Her steps faltered as she looked around.

Yeah.

She sensed me watching her. I could see it in the way she straightened her shoulders and her fingers twisted around the strap of her bag.

The woman with her noticed too.

“Ohhh,” she sang loud enough for me to hear. “So that’s the fine ass man you’ve been keeping a secret?”

Baylyn groaned. “Cami, please.”

Cami, okay that’s who she is. Baylyn had mentioned her a few times but I didn’t meet her when I pulled up last time.

“What? I feel betrayed, Baylyn. I thought we were friends.”

Baylyn grumbled something under her breath before she was close enough that I could make contact, gripping her hip, bringing her to me. She stepped between my legs and her hands landed lightly on my chest.

I lifted her chin and kissed her. She sighed against my lips but when I pulled back, I caught the way her eyes darted around.

“You embarrassed to let your people know you have a man, Baylyn?”

She rolled her eyes. “No.”

I lifted a brow. “Then why are you blushing?”

She groaned. “Because—” She cut herself off. “Can we go?”

I chuckled, brushing my thumb over her hip before releasing her. Cami was still watching and grinning way too hard. I shook my head, rounding the car and opening the passenger door for Baylyn. She got in quickly, like she was escaping.

Cami watched my every move but I didn’t pay her any mind.

I wasn’t fucking this up and having my lady second guessing me.

I just shook my head, got in, and pulled out of the lot.

My hand found its way to her thigh as I drove with my fingers mindlessly gliding over it.

She was watching me. I could feel it, so I checked her occasionally, but mostly, I kept my eyes on the road.

“How was your day?”

She sank into her seat. “Busy.”

“Yeah? That why you forgot to eat?”

She side eyed me. “I didn’t forget. I just got distracted.”

I dragged my fingers higher up her leg. “I’m starting to think you need me keeping tabs on you full-time.”

She scoffed, shaking her head. “That would be exhausting for you.”

I glanced at her, grinning. “You saying you’re a lot to handle?”

“I know I am.”

I chuckled, squeezing her thigh. “Lucky for you, I don’t mind putting in the work.”

She bit her lip and I caught the way she fought a smile.

“Just say it.”

“Say what?” she asked innocently.

“That you like the idea of me putting in work and that you missed me today.”

“I am not saying that.”

“Why the fuck not. It’s true?”

“You shouldn’t assume things,” she said smiling at me.

I just chuckled, dragging my hand higher up her thigh. “It’s okay, beautiful. I already knew.”