Page 124 of Red Fury

Webb rubs his chin, looking confused. “What are you talking about?” He sighs. “Not this again. Surely Claire is seeing Kozlov now? They’re together. Dating, even.” His eyes narrow slightly. “You made a mistake before with this whole situation, and you’re probably jumping to conclusions again. What evidence do you have that Claire was abducted this time?”

The dismissal in his voice makes my dragon roar with fury. I want to grab him by the throat and shake some sense into him.

The human side of me can’t blame him for feeling this way since I cried wolf once before.

“Her flight was diverted after takeoff,” I say instead, forcing myself to stay calm. “There was some sort of incident on board. The cockpit said it was a misunderstanding and announced a new flight plan to ATC.” I lean forward, my hands braced on his desk. “It’s highly unusual for something like that to happen. I know Claire is in trouble, Laurence. You’ll have to trust me.”

Webb leans back in his chair, skepticism written all over his face. “You’re overreacting. How can you possibly know that? There must be a good explanation. I’m not calling in another favor based on your gut feeling.” He waves a dismissive hand. “Claire is dating Kozlov. It’s a simple case of—”

“Claire isnotdating Kozlov,” I interrupt, my voice low. “She never dated him.”

Webb frowns, his expression shifting slightly. “Damien, you have this all wrong. You need to calm down. Claire went to Chicago to see Kozlov. To be with him. You told me that yourself. They’re dating. She—”

“I know for a fact that Claire and Kozlov aren’t dating.”

“How can you possibly know that?” Frustration bleeds into his voice.

“Because Claire and I had sex that night,” I say, meeting his shocked stare head-on. “Thompson heard us. He assumed it was the redhead, but it wasn’t. It was Claire.”

Webb’s jaw practically unhinges. “You and Claire?”

I nod, my chest tight with emotion.

“Is it serious?”

“It is.” The words come out rough, but they’re true. God, they’re so fucking true it terrifies me. “I care for her. We have something that could very well end up being very serious.” I swallow hard. I mean it wholeheartedly. I wish I had never let her go. I shouldn’t have. I’m a fool.

Webb clears his throat, still looking stunned by my revelation. “Maybe Claire is seeing Kozlov as well. Maybe she isn’t as serious about you as you are about her. Maybe—”

“It isn’t the case,” I say firmly. “Weareserious.”

“Yes, but she went to see Kozlov in Chicago the day she dropped her bag—”

“Shewasabducted then, too,” I snap. “She didn’t drop her bag and leave her car open. She was taken by that asshole.”

Webb’s frown deepens. “But you said she was fine when I asked before.”

Here it comes. The part I’ve been dreading.

“I lied,” I push out. “I didn’t want you and Sentinel Security involved. Or Secretary Harrison. Not with everything going on. It would have complicated things.”

Webb nods slowly, understanding dawning in his eyes.

“I had the ability and training to go in and get Claire, which I did. But now Kozlov has her again.” My dragon roars inside me, demanding blood and vengeance. “He’s obsessed with Claire. I know that Kozlov, or one of his cronies, was on board that flight.I know he orchestrated the whole rerouting. He has the money and the connections to make it happen.” I lean closer, my voice dropping to a growl. “I know Claire is in trouble. I swear it. I have to get her back, and this time I will kill Kozlov.”

Webb’s expression hardens instantly. “I’m going to pretend I never heard the last bit of that sentence.” He looks at me long and hard for what feels like an eternity. Then he nods and pulls his phone out of his pocket, his fingers already moving. “Is it the same cell number as before? And do you have the flight details?”

Relief floods through me so suddenly that I almost sag against his desk. “Yes, same number.” I rattle off the flight information, every detail burned into my memory like a brand.

“I’ll be back,” Webb says, already heading for the door.

He disappears into the hallway, leaving me alone with my racing thoughts and the barely contained fury threatening to tear me apart from the inside. I pace the length of his office, running my hands through my hair. My dragon is going insane. I work hard at staying calm.

Shadow. My beautiful, fierce Shadow. The thought of Kozlov’s hands on her again makes me want to burn the entire world down.

I’m practically climbing the walls by the time Webb returns a few minutes later. He’s carrying a printout, and his expression is grim.

“And?” I ask, frantic. My heart is going wild like it’s trying to break free. “Is it Chicago?”