Page 135 of These White Lies

“Did anyone see her?” I rasp, already knowing the answer. Both trackers are lying on the floor in front of me. “The cameras. Did anyone see Elizabeth fucking leave?”

Vincent’s face draws taut. “No. Nobody’s got eyes.”

The floor tilts under me. Rage and fear slam together, the pressure in my chest unbearable. “We need to move. Now.”

I run.

Back through the hallway, feet pounding on the carpet as we burst into the ballroom.

The world hasn’t changed. The chandeliers still glow. The music still drifts. Wait staff float through the crowd with trays; laughter hums across polished floors.

But she’s gone.

So are Seth Wyland and Anna Lindquist.

I scan every face, every shadow, every dress. My eyes rake corners, exits, blind spots. Nothing.

My stomach turns into ice. My hands clench into fists.

Elizabeth is gone.

I was too late.

Again.

38

BRADY

We regroup near the service corridor, Finn and Sera joining us from the van. The hallway stinks faintly of bleach and kitchen grease. Rhodes meets us there, sweat darkening the collar of his shirt.

“Ray’s stable. Medics have him. He’s just a little woozy from whatever they gave him.”

None of it matters.

Becausesheisn’t here.

The noise of the ballroom fades down the corridor, but inside my head it’s deafening. I can’t think straight. My ribs feel carved open, every breath jagged and raw.

I can’t think. Can’t focus.

I promised her. I swore she’d be safe. I failed her.

The thought nearly takes me to my knees.

“We need to find her fast,” Sera says, her voice catching. This is her first time in a situation like this.

Another woman I’ve failed.

“No shit,” Rhodes mutters, dragging a palm over the back of his neck.

“She’s not dead yet,” Vincent says flatly. “If they kill her, they lose their only leverage.”

Finn nods grimly. “They’ll want the necklace. She won’t give it up right away. Which means they’ll…”

He doesn’t finish.

The silence crushes in on us. My stomach twists so hard I think I’ll throw up. Natalya Carrow’s crime scene photos flash in front of me. Only it’s Elizabeth’s face on the broken body.