Page 84 of Reckless Dynasty (Knight's Ridge Empire 9)

“So you’re just going to stand there and do fucking nothing? He’s got her, man. He’s fucking g-got—” The words get stuck in my throat as fear like I’ve never known threatens to rip me in two.

Hearing her voice on the phone while the building burned around her was bad. Running in there to get her was fucking terrifying.

But I could do something then. I could make a difference. I could help. Right now, I’m useless.

“If he touches her—”

“Then we’ll gut him like a fucking fish. We’ll find her,” Nico promises, taking my face in his hands and pressing his head to mine. “We’ll fucking find her.”

His amber eyes stare into mine, darkening with promises of pain and retribution with each second that passes.

“Let’s get that door down,” Seb says, clamping his hand over my shoulder. “Something has to point us in the right direction.”

The three of us line up as Stella backs away, her face twisted with concern and helplessness as we slam our combined weight into the door.

It groans and creaks, teasing us. But we don’t give in until it finally swings open and the three of us crash to the floor in the hallway.

“Get your fucking elbow out of my balls,” Nico barks.

Ignoring him, I climb from the top of the pile and race farther into the house.

Everything looks exactly as I would expect it to, apart from one thing. The sight of the overturned chair in the dining room makes my blood run cold.

“He was here,” I breathe.

“Shit,” Seb says, stepping up behind me and taking in the room.

“There’s got to be something. Anything. Search the place.”

I spin on my heels, ready to check the living room, and I run straight into Nico.

“Get the fuck out of my way.”

“This might be a trap,” he says, sounding way more serious than he usually does about anything.

“If he wants to jump out and try to take me on right now, then he’s more than fucking welcome,” I spit. “Move.” I shove him aside, and thankfully, he lets me go this time.

“You really think he’s planned this enough to start setting traps?” Seb asks.

“He managed to escape from a high-security cell,” Stella says sarcastically. “He has a fucking plan.”

“Someone let him out,” Nico adds as I search the room, keeping one ear on their discussion.

“Tobes, you did all his background checks. Who did he have in his back pocket that could have helped pull this off?”

“It would probably be easier to ask who he didn’t have in his back pocket, from what I can tell,” I mutter, rejoining them when I find nothing suspicious.

“Who would want him back? What benefit did he serve to your enemies?” Stella asks.

“He was probably selling us out left and right. Everything that has ever gone wrong was probably his doing.”

“Fight night, the Halloween party. I bet he even knew about the fucking Lovell riot,” Seb lists off.

“Well, it can’t be Luis or Ram,” Nico argues.

“They had plenty of loyal followers, though. No reason why it couldn’t be any of them.”

Nico, Seb, and I share a look.