Page 29 of Kortlek

I don’t know how I managed to get to Arlo’s apartment without bursting out with rage.

Granted, the building is right next to mine, and it doesn’t require a lot of walking. There aren’t many people outside, and I just waltz right into the building, entering his code and taking the elevator up to his penthouse. It’s on the top floor, and once I am inside, I immediately march over toward the kitchen, where I can hear him and Blair talk.

“Arlo!” I yell out, pushing the door open.

Blair’s the first one who turns around. Her hair is tied up in a high ponytail, wearing a matching set of shirt and pants. Immediately, she notices the anger I’m trying to suppress, and it doesn’t take a genius to figure out that she’s aware why I’m here and why I’m pissed.

Arlo’s eyes shift to me, and his body goes rigid for a moment. He puts down the glass of whiskey from his hand and takes a step toward me. The two of them exchange a glance, and their silent conversation annoys me. Luckily, it lasts half a minute at most, before Arlo’s attention turns back to me.

“Aria,’’ he greets back. “You’re not supposed to be here.’’

“Oh? And where am I supposed to be? In Italy?” My tongue drips with sarcasm, which he promptly ignores, stepping closer.

“Where’s Cove?”

“Last I checked, passed out back in Rome.’’

My brother curses under his breath, immediately grabbing his phone. It takes him a while to get a hold of Cove, and he leaves the kitchen to talk. My hands tremble next to my body, the piece of paper with the note firmly fisted in my left hand.

“That was both reckless and fucking stupid, Aria,’’ Arlo returns, tossing his phone on the kitchen table. Blair makes no attempt to give her input, which is good, because I wouldn’t be able to handle both of them at once; hence, I’d most likely say things I’ll regret.

“What was?’’ I fold my arms in front of my chest. “Whatever you think you’re doing, it’s over. You have exactly five minutes to tell me everything that you’ve been hiding from me; otherwise, I will do something really stupid.’’

His eyebrow twitches and his jaw clenches as he stands tall in front of me. The height difference doesn’t intimidate me, not in the slightest, and him trying to use it to his advantage is rather laughable. Arlo takes a deep breath, then seemingly relaxes.

“I need you to know that everything we did, we did it for you.’’

“Who fucking asked you to do it?” I snap.

“Calm the fuck down,’’ he snaps back. “All I did was try to shield you from this mess.’’

“What part of ‘I want to do this myself’ did you not comprehend?”

“The part where seeing Wyatt still makes you freeze! The part where he’s the reason I almost fucking lost you! The part where this isn’t something you can do on your own, Aria. I’m just looking out for you.’’

“Yeah? And how the fuck did that include not telling me that Rose’s missing and that she could’ve possibly been taken by Wyatt?”

Arlo freezes. It’s evident on his face that he’s not surprised — he knew about this. He’s shocked I found out this quickly. I take the piece of paper with the note and toss it at him. He catches it with ease, not looking away from me while unfolding it.

He reads the words quickly and curses, tossing the paper into the trash. He sits down and gulps down the remainder of his whiskey. He’s no longer looking at me — he’s looking through me. His mind is elsewhere, going into a deep overdrive.

“Well?” I demand, tapping my forearm with my index finger impatiently. Arlo snaps back into reality, releasing a deep sigh.

“Four days ago, Rose called me.’’ Blair speaks for the first time and takes a seat next to Arlo. My attention splits between the two of them as I sit across from them. “She was out for the day, probably visiting James, and noticed a car following her. She was on her bike and did her best to lose them. Arlo and I were on our way immediately, and she was safe. But that same night, I couldn’t get a hold of her again.’’

“And no one thought to check in on her? To have her sleep at your place? Or how about not leaving her out of your sight?!”

“Aria,’’ Blair softens her voice slightly. “We had no idea they’d come for her. Why her?”

“Because out of all the people close to me, she’s the easiest target!” My voice raises. “Rose is a lot of things. A spitfire, amazing on a bike, and overall an amazing person. But fighting? Using weapons? That’s us. Not her.’’

“I know,’’ Blair admits. “I know we fucked up. We’re currently looking for her.’’

“I can’t believe no one thought of telling me this.’’ I bury my face in my hands. Now that the emotions have settled, an immense sense of guilt and worry washes over me. I don’t know where she is, if she’s even alive, and the thought of Rose being dead makes my skin crawl.

“We were going to tell you,’’ Arlo says. “And we’ll find her, safe and sound.’’

“You sound almost convincing,’’ I scoff. “Is there anything else you’re keeping from me?”

“The reason I had Cove take you to Italy is because we found out what Wyatt’s planning,’’ he pauses momentarily, glancing at Blair. She gives him a firm nod of approval, and his eyes flicker back to me. “He wanted to kidnap you.’’

I blink. “Excuse me?”

“We couldn’t track him down or confirm the plans, so you leaving was the safest option. All we knew was that he was staying somewhere in Brooklyn. Our men were immediately on him, but to focus on Wyatt and finding him, I needed you gone, Aria.’’

I swallow the lump that forms in my throat and lean back into the chair.

“Rose didn’t get the license plate numbers off the car that was following her, nor did she remember the model, just the color. I put two people on the lookout outside our buildings, but a black SUV isn’t a rare thing in New York. Especially in this part of the city.’’

I take a deep breath. “How did it happen?”

Arlo shakes his head.

“I don’t know. My best guess is that they got into your apartment and snatched her.’’

“And the men you had watching over the building never noticed a thing? I sure hope they were fired.’’

“They didn’t notice because technically, she never left the building.’’

My back straightens and brows narrow. “What?’’

“We searched the building top to bottom many times, every nook and cranny, and nothing — she’s nowhere to be found. There isn’t an apartment, basement, or room we haven’t searched. Yet the cameras aren’t showing Rose leaving the place, and our men didn’t see her leave either.’’

“Are you telling me she just vanished into thin air? Because I found the note in my bedroom, which means they were there.’’

Arlo pauses. “Your bedroom? Where?”

I nod. “Bedside table, why?”

“Because we went through your room and there wasn’t anything there yesterday.’’

Realization dawns on me slowly. “They were there today,’’ I whisper. “They’re fucking playing us like a fiddle.’’

“The only reasonable explanation would be tampering with cameras and switching out the footage, but it doesn’t explain Rose vanishing.’’

“She didn’t vanish,’’ I retort. “Given the note, Wyatt has her. The question is, how did he get her out?”

Arlo sighs and shakes his head.

“Maybe it’s time for us to involve Mom and Dad,’’ I say. “If anyone can find her, it’s them.’’

I hate the thought of involving Hudson and Noelle. When it’s about me, I don’t want them involved. I’m not sure if it’s to prove to them or to myself that I can handle it, or that I’m no longer the same person Wyatt had a massive grip on.

However, this goes beyond my pride. Rose’s life is at stake, and by extension, mine. When Jason finds out — and he will find out, I’m as good as dead if a single hair’s missing from Rose’s head. Which is understandable, to an extent.

Finding Rose and bringing her back is my top priority. Her safety beats my comfort by a lot, and I don’t care if it’ll make me look like a dog wagging its tail in front of Mom and Dad. I’ll do anything I possibly can, bend the possibilities and realities, and bring my best friend back.

“It’s your decision,’’ Arlo says. “If you’re sure, then we’ll involve them. Dad’s throwing a massive tantrum that I’m not letting him near any of this. If anyone wants Wyatt’s head and balls hanging, it’s our Father, and you know it.’’

I nod. “Yeah, I do. But that part is mine. I need to beat the anxiety and take back control over my fears. I can’t let him control the rest of my life like this.’’

Blair stands, then walks over to me. She wraps her arms around me from behind, giving me a reassuring squeeze. Her hug’s gentle, maternal almost, and she feels so soft. She smells great, too. No fucking wonder Arlo loves her. She’s impossible not to love.

She releases me, offering a smile. “Then, are you telling Noelle and Hudson?”

I’m about to respond, but the words die in my throat when the front door of Arlo’s penthouse opens. Soon enough, Cove strolls into the kitchen, and immediately, the rage that I managed to let go of for the time being returns in full force.

He looks like shit.

There are bags under his eyes, the dark color giving contrast to his pale skin. His shoulders are tense, and his hair is at its messiest. I’m pretty sure a part at the back is matted. His eyes land on me immediately, and something dark flashes behind his hazel eyes, causing slight goosebumps to tug on my skin.

“You,’’ he hisses.

“Me,’’ I nod.

“What in the world were you fucking thinking?” He spits out and takes a step toward me.

Blair thinks it’s the perfect chance to grab Arlo’s hand and start dragging him out. Arlo shoots a warning glare at Cove, who ignores it. Instead, his focus is on me. He’s quiet, listening carefully for the front door closing as Blair and Arlo leave, then stands in front of me.

“You will be the fucking death of me,’’ he grunts out.

My brows raise slightly as I get off the chair, standing in front of him. Immediately, I’m hit with that damned scent of his, and my knees start to wobble a little. I take a deep breath, and the mere thought of him lying to me, withholding information about Rose, and the anger’s back. I’m done holding back.

“Funny,’’ I say, sarcastically. “What happened? It felt bad to have done something to you without your input? Oh, how strange.’’

“Don’t fucking use that sarcastic tone on me, bunny. We both know it’s not the same.’’

“No, it’s not,’’ I said. “Tell me, why the fuck did you not let me know about Rose as soon as you found out?”

More than anything, I’m hurt.

Arlo keeping shit from me isn’t new, and it’s something that’ll likely never change. I just didn’t expect Cove would do it, too. It hurts more than I thought it would hurt. The fact that he knew about Rose’s disappearance and Wyatt wanting to kidnap me, yet deliberately chose not to tell me, hurts.

Because if the roles were reversed, I never would’ve thought twice about telling him. He’d know about it the moment I found it out.

The look in his eyes tells me everything I need to know.

Cove’s aware he fucked up.