Page 27

27

Hugo

H ugo chuckled as he left the bakery. It was hard to believe he’d turned into the kind of person who’d pay five euros for a loaf of bread. But Jo had told him she wanted to try the bread from every single bakery in town, so that’s what he was doing. One loaf at a time.

He had the perfect cheese at home to go with the bread, an artisan cebreiro cheese from the north of Spain. It was made with pasteurized milk, so Jo would be able to eat it. Since she couldn’t have wine, he’d also stocked up on sparkling apple juice. Hugo didn’t want to go overboard, but today marked two months since he and Jo had met. Two months since his life had changed forever.

The last year, he’d seen many of his friends fall in love—one after the other—and he’d respected their decision, hell, after meeting their women, he agreed they were all wonderful people, and he’d been happy for his friends. But he’d never been able to fully understand why . Until he met Jo. Now he knew what it was like, to meet someone who felt like your forever . And there was no going back from that. He ran his hand through his hair. Shit, he was starting to sound like a Hallmark card.

He clutched the expensive bread under his arm and rang the doorbell to Jo’s office. There was no answer. He raised his hand to ring again—and realized the door was ajar.

Hugo’s heart skipped a beat. Jo never left doors open—she’d always been security conscious, even before Horns had texted her. Hugo pushed the door open cautiously. It slid open without a sound.

“Jo?” he called, stepping into the reception area. “ Madame Lagarde?”

The room was eerily still. The faint scent of lunch—something spicy—lingered in the air. But there was no sign of—Something peeked out from behind the receptionist’s desk. A pair of sensible black pumps. The loaf of bread fell to the floor as he strode forward, his boots heavy against the polished wooden floor.

“Jo!” His voice was louder now, laced with urgency.

He stopped short when he saw Madame Lagarde sprawled on the floor. Hugo crouched beside her, pressing two fingers to her neck. Her pulse was strong, her breathing shallow but steady.

“ Madame Lagarde? Can you hear me?”

She groaned faintly but didn’t wake. Hugo picked up his phone with shaking hands, dialing the first number on his speed dial. “Beau. I’m at Jo’s office. She’s gone. I need help.” Beau’s response was clipped but told him all he needed to know. His friends were on their way.

He positioned Madame Lagarde’s body on her side, in the recovery position, and rose, moving toward Jo’s office. Every instinct screamed at him to run, and at the same time told him he was too late. He stepped over Jo’s cane on the ground. Proof that something bad had happened, if he’d still needed it. She never would have left it behind willingly. Never.

The door was open, the office and the small bathroom empty. The faint scent of Jo’s clean, floral soap lingered, but she was gone. As was her handbag, he noticed.

He went back out to the reception area. From the trash, he picked up their take-away order bag, checked the receipt. One thirty-five p.m. A late lunch. The paper containers and chopsticks were neatly stacked in the trash—the women had had time to finish the meal and organize everything. Hugo looked at his watch. It was four thirty. Which meant Jo couldn’t have been gone that long. Hope rose inside him, warring with the dark fear that kept him from filling his lungs.

His chest tightened as he scanned the room. There was no sign of blood, but that didn’t mean anything. Horns had her. Beside the fallen cane, a jagged scratch marred the wall—Jo hadn’t gone down easily.

“Damn it.” He headed back to Madame Lagarde. The tough, icy woman looked pale and fragile. His hand hovered over her shoulder. He was suddenly sorry he hadn’t bothered to ask what her first name was. “Hang in there. Help is coming.” As he spoke, he realized maybe he was the one who needed to hear the words the most. Because Jo was out there, in Horns’s hands, and Hugo would stop at nothing to get her back. Even if it meant burning the world down to find her.