Page 121 of The Colour of Revenge

Didn't see that one coming.

Kai watches me carefully as if he's expecting me to lose it. Instead, I nod.

"I'll call him."

Because if Carina were here, she'd want me to.

Kai already has his phone out, his fingers moving fast, and then my phone dings. It's a text. A number.

I don't hesitate. I hit a call.

It rings once.

"Nate." There's no surprise in Enzo's voice.

I don't waste time. "Carina's gone."

There’s a pause.

"Gone… how?"

"Her father." The words taste like acid. "He tricked us. He took her."

A sharp curse in Italian—then silence.

When he speaks again, his voice is deadly calm. "I'll be on the next flight. Meet me at her place. We'll come up with a plan."

The line goes dead.

Kai drives us home.

I barely notice.

The rain streaks down the windows, and the city is a blur of neon lights and wet pavement, but all I see is her.

Her laughter. Her fire. Her touch.

The space beside me feels hollow, wrong, unbearable.

She is my heart. And now it's lying in pieces at my feet.

I can't function without her. Not anymore.

Enzo shows up the next day, weary, but there’s determination shining in his expression. His dark eyes land on me, assessing me. I hate how he looks at me—like he's measuring me, deciding if I'm worth his time.

We don't waste it on pleasantries.

“First thing you guys should probably know is her real name.” Those are the first words from Enzo.

“Naomi Beckett, I know.”

Enzo looks surprised for half a second before he masks it. “So, you know who we’re dealing with.”

For three days, we go in circles. Dead ends. No leads.

Nothing.

I barely sleep. Barely eat. Every hour without her tightens the noose around my throat.