Page 88 of Red Fury

It doesn’t matter why I care. All that matters is finding her.

My phone buzzes with an incoming text, and I nearly drop the fucking thing in my haste to check it.

It’s just a spam message about extending my car warranty.

“Goddamn it!” I snarl.

I’m losing my mind here. Every minute that passes is another minute Shadow could be suffering, could be—

No. Stop.

She’s tough. She’s a trained operative who can handle herself. She’s probably already working on an escape plan.

The knock at my door comes so suddenly that I nearly jump out of my skin.

Finally!

I rush across the room and yank open the door to find Webb standing in the hallway. He looks spooked, his face pale and drawn with concern. His usually perfect hair is messy, and there are stress lines around his eyes I haven’t seen before.

“Come in, Laurence,” I say, stepping back. “Thank fuck you’re here. What did you find out? Do you know where she is? Is she okay? Did your FBI contact—?”

“Slow down, Marsh,” Webb interrupts, holding up a hand as he steps inside. “Let me catch my breath first.”

I can’t slow down. I can’t catch my breath. My dragon is thrashing beneath my skin, and every second that passes feels like an eternity.

“I’ve been going out of my mind here,” I continue, closing the door behind him. “It’s been hours. If someone really has taken Claire, then every minute we waste—”

“I know, I know.” Webb moves into my living room, immediately heading for the window and pulling aside the blinds to peer out at the street below. “I’m sorry it took so long. Setting up a phone trace isn’t exactly a quick process, even with connections.”

“But you found something?” I ask, following him across the room. “Please tell me you found something.”

Webb turns to face me, and the expression on his face makes my stomach drop.

“We found her phone,” he says quietly. “My buddy ran the trace, used triangulation to narrow down the location.”

Relief floods through me so fast it makes me dizzy. “That’s great news. Where is she?”

“That’s the problem.” Webb’s expression grows more troubled. “The location… It doesn’t make sense.”

“What do you mean it doesn’t make sense?” Panic starts up again. “Just tell me where she is, Laurence.”

Webb takes a deep breath before speaking. “Chicago.”

I stare at him, certain I heard wrong. “Chicago? We just came from Chicago. Why would she be back there?”

“I thought the same thing, but I had my contact double-check. Triple-check. The phone is definitely in Chicago, in a very upscale area downtown. Near the lake.”

My blood starts to turn cold as implications race through my mind. “What kind of upscale area?”

“Gold Coast district. High-rise apartment buildings, luxury condos worth wads of cash.”

The description sounds familiar. Too familiar.

“Which building?” I ask, though I’m starting to suspect I already know the answer.

Webb’s expression grows even more grim. “That’s where it gets really concerning. The trace led to an apartment building owned by Kozlov Enterprises. In fact…” He pauses, swallowing hard. “Roman Kozlov himself lives there. He lives on the entire top floor. It is my understanding that it is his main residence when in Chicago.”

My vision actually goes red around the edges as rage explodes through me like a detonation. My dragon roars insidemy head, demanding blood, demanding vengeance. Scales rub against the inside of my skin.