Page 89 of Red Fury

Kozlov.

“That fucking bastard,” I snarl, my voice dropping to something barely human. “That piece of shit has her.”

I start pacing again, every muscle in my body is coiled tight with the need to tear something apart.

“Marsh, you need to calm down,” Webb says, his voice careful and controlled. “We don’t know for certain—”

“He has her!” I roar, spinning to face him. “That sick fuck took her from the airport parking garage, and now he has her in his apartment. What the hell does he want with her? What is he planning to do?”

Webb takes a step back, his face pale. I must look unhinged right now, barely human. My dragon is so close to the surface. I force myself to breathe. I can’t shift. Not now!

Easy. Easy.

My phone dings with an incoming message.

I dive for it, my hands shaking as I swipe to unlock the screen.

It’s from Shadow.

I’ve been abducted. I don’t know where I am. Please help!

My worst fears are confirmed in a few simple words. She still has her phone. I can find her.

“Who is it?” Webb asks, trying to peer over my shoulder. “What’s wrong? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

I ignore him, my fingers flying over the keypad.

I know where you are. I’m coming for you. Hold on.

I hit send and wait, watching the screen for any sign that the message has been read.

A full minute passes.

The message remains unread.

“Marsh!” Webb’s voice cuts through my focus. “What the hell is going on? You’re scaring me here. Who was that message from?”

I force myself to look up at him, schooling my expression into something that won’t send him running for the hills. I can’t tell him the truth. If he knows Shadow’s been abducted, he might want to call in law enforcement. At the very least, he’ll want to alert the Secretary. I want to handle this myself.

Getting others involved could spell disaster. The moment official channels get involved, any chance of keeping this quiet disappears. Not to mention that Shadow is a dragon shifter operating under false credentials. If the government discovers who she really is—

Nope!

I can’t let that happen.

I take a deep breath and force what I hope is a relaxed smile.

“That was Claire,” I say, dropping my shoulders and pushing out a breath like I’m relieved. “She finally read my messages of concern from earlier. She wants me to know that she’s fine.”

Webb’s eyebrows shoot up. “Fine? Then where the hell is she? Why was her purse scattered all over the garage floor?”

“She’s with Kozlov,” I continue, the lie burning like acid in my throat. “Apparently, they’re spending the next few daystogether. She’s there as his guest. She says she must have dropped her purse when she was in a hurry to leave with him and asked me to keep it for her.” I shake my head with a laugh I don’t feel. “You know how women get when they’re excited about a new guy. She probably wasn’t thinking straight. God, and here I was thinking… Well, thinking the worst. Can you blame me?”

I’m amazed at how steady my voice sounds when, inside, I’m screaming.

Webb stares at me for a long moment, his expression skeptical. “She’s with Kozlov? Romantically?”

“Looks that way.” I shrug, hating every word that comes out of my mouth. “I guess they really hit it off last night at the club. More than I realized.”