That is why I can’t allow you to go up against Carmine for me. There are still some things you don’t know. Things that would put you in too much danger if you did. So let me deal with this, and then I can come back home to you all and tell you the whole truth. Every single secret. The ones that I’ve kept for far too long, the reason I’ve been a target for Carmine’s hatred since the day I was born.
Please don’t worry about me. I have more allies than you know, and I have a pretty solid right hook. I’ll be home soon. I need to do this alone, so please don’t come after me. I’ll be back before you even have a chance to miss me. And if I’m not, know that you three are the only men who will ever have my heart. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you the whole truth, but you’ve always known the most important truth I possess—I love you.
Always and forever, your Lily xxx
My heart drops to the ground.
Zeke lets out an animalistic howl. “She went after him?”
I can only nod. Glancing between him and the email, I wonder what the hell she was thinking. Although I want to be angry with her for doing it, I should have known that she’d never let West and Zeke put themselves at risk for her. She’s the most selfless person I’ve ever met in my life.
Zeke sums up the situation with one succinct sentence. “Goddamn it all to hell.”
Chapter
Sixty-Nine
ZEKE
An indescribable rage, the likes of which I haven’t felt for a very long time, courses through my veins like blood. Every cell in my body simmers with it, making every single move I make feel a thousand times more difficult than it actually is.
Closing my eyes, I grip the edge of the desk. My knuckles turn white. It might just be the only thing holding me up.
“Zeke?” Xander’s voice comes from a distance. I can’t focus on him. All I can think about is how she’s walking into the lion’s den; all I can feel is acute fear that I won’t be able to save her.
His warm hand grips the back of my neck, grounding me.
I focus on his bright blue eyes that are filled with the same anguish I’m sure must be in mine. I swallow down all the emotion desperate to pour out of me. “I’m here.”
“We need to think. Find out where she went and get to her as quickly as possible. West is on his way here.”
I mentally check off the things we need to do. I know people in Vegas, people who can get me access to as many weapons as we need. I’ll blow that motherfucker and his entire empire to pieces if necessary. “Make sure the jet is ready to go as soon as possible.” Xander already has his phone in his hand, and he nods. “Check in with her office too. See what time she left. That will give us an idea of how far ahead she is.” He nods again.
Redirecting his attention to me, I grip his face, if only to stop my hands from shaking. “I’m going to make some calls. As soon as West gets here, we’ll be ready to go.”
By the time West gets to the penthouse, I’ve arranged for a small arsenal of weapons to be at our disposal when we land at LAS. He comes straight to my office with Xander close behind him.
“Someone fucking took her, Z,” Xander blurts. My veins expand with the force of blood hurtling through them, and I absent-mindedly wonder if this is what a stroke feels like.
West looks as strung out as I feel. “What the fuck are you talking about?”
“She never made it to the office. She’s been clocking time on a big story, so they assumed she was working from home. But I knew West dropped her off, so I had the security footage pulled. As soon as she got to the lobby, she was stopped by two mean-looking fucks. She left with them two minutes later.”
West pinches the bridge of his nose. “She left or they took her?”
Xander’s face is etched with worry. “She walked out, but the footage is pretty clear. They weren’t friendly.”
My head spins. “But her email. It was sent like forty-five minutes ago.”
West shakes his head, his jaw working, and I know he’s as fucked up over this mess as I am. “Maybe she didn’t send it?” The look on his face tells me he doesn’t buy that.
“No way.” Xander pulls his phone from his pocket. “I know my girl’s writing. Those are her words.” His eyes go wide. “She sent it using Schedjunkie.”
He looks up and must notice our blank expressions because he rolls his eyes. “It’s an app we developed for our Hellsgate employees, but I downloaded it to Lily’s phone for her to use. It allows you to schedule emails and messages ahead of time.”