Page 5 of Wrathful King

“Took you long enough,” I heard him say under his breath. Then, “I was too late.”

Too late.

Fear rendered me speechless, and for a moment, I forgot to breathe. Every muscle in my body twisted up into knots. An avalanche of emotions boiled inside me.

I lost her.

For the second time in this cursed life.

No, no, no. God, please no.Anything but her. Anyonebut her. I’d tasted life without her once before; I refused to endure it again. It was a slow, painful death.

“What happened?” I demanded with a low growl, which only increased the throbbing pain in my body. I ignored it. My fear for Reina was a thousand times worse.

My brother’s dark blue eyes locked with mine. “Darius got to me after you snatched Reina at the rehearsal dinner.” The blond fucker. “He mentioned an attack at his gym while he was there with Reina the day before the rehearsal dinner. When she disappeared after the party, he thought they’d gotten to her. He tried to call you but couldn’t reach you. We all did. I even tried calling Reina’s phone.”

My brows pinched. That couldn’t be. Neither one of us received any calls and—

“Fuck. Our communication system must have been hacked,” I muttered. “Reina kept trying to message her family and friends.” I was so stupid. I should have recognized that something was going on. Instead, I let myself get tied up with enjoying my wife. Goddammit, I should have been thinking with my brain, not my dick.

My chest tightened. “Who was it that attacked them? Where?”

“Brazilians. At his training center.” Why wouldn’t the motherfucker have told me that at the rehearsal dinner? “Luckily, his buddy was there, and they fought them off. Darius questioned one of the attackers Reina shot. It took him a bit to drag the truth out of him. Initially, they thought the Brazilians were after something else. I guess some shit they have going on.”

It would seem we all had some shit going on.

“How did you know where to find me?”

Dante rolled his eyes. “To tell you the truth, I wasn’t sure at first whether you and Reina had been taken by different people. I thought maybe your idiot cousin might have tried something, but then realized the fucker could never get to you. Although, I have to tell you, I think he sold you out.”

I didn’t think my cousin was the one who’d sold me out. Not on his own, anyway. He wasn’t bright enough for it.

“So how didyouend up here?”

“I followed Mother’s digital footprint,” he stated matter-of-factly. “I knew she and Hiroshi would track you down once we found out you left with Reina. Good thing I brought Darius and Ghost, too. It was a full-on battle when we got there. Except… we didn’t get to you in time.”

Regret passed his expression. “You did for me, but Reina—”

God, what were they doing to her at this very minute? She had to still be alive, although knowing the horror that trafficked women went through, I wasn’t sure if I should hope she’d hang on to life. Selfishly, I prayed she did.

“Ghost disappeared right after we rescued you,” Dante added, probably following the dark train of my thoughts.

“They were right behind me,” I muttered. When Dante gave me a puzzled look, I explained, “Right before the attack, Hiroshi and Mother were following behind me.”

He shook his head. “Are you sure? We combed the area and didn’t find any trace of them.”

“I’m sure.”

Pain throbbed in my chest and I grunted as I attempted to shift into a more comfortable position.

The moment turned stagnant, worst-case scenarios filling my mind. Tension, heavy and dark, lurked in what should’ve been paradise. We were supposed to be swimming in the turquoise waters beyond this room by now, and I was alone. I wassupposedto keep her safe, and I’d lost her.

“The Omertà’s helping with the search.” His words barely registered.

I. Fucking. Lost. Her. That familiar bitter taste of failure filled my mouth, clogging my throat. Nothing in the world mattered but her. Not to me.

“How many days ago?” Dante’s brows creased with confusion. “How many days was I out?”

“Five.”