Scorch (Virtues & Lies 2)

“It’s not her fault. She’s wasn’t even here.” Mum’s cool tone is an echo of mine.

I want to hate her for putting Fleur above me and Arabella. My stomach twists with the anger knifing through me.

My vision hazes as uncontrollable shakes wrack my body, my hands fisting at my sides.

“Why? Why isn’t she ever around when this happens?” My sharp words become a resounding shout. “Why isn’t it ever her? Why isn’t she here?”

“Because she’s pregnant, and after what happened…” Cassie looks up at me with sorrow in her eyes. “You’re focusing on the wrong thing. Blame isn’t the important thing right now. Revenge…those things won’t get her back, Christopher.”

I know she’s right. So fucking right, but I’m angry and terrified that I won’t get to Arabella in time.

She looks at Freddie, chewing her lip like she’s scared he’s going to think she’s crazy as she goes on. “Maybe I’m being silly, but if you can hack into the traffic cameras, can’t you hack into the house cameras? You can check if Charles is there. Can’t you?”

He humours her with a soft smile. “I can hack into them, but let’s be honest, would you go back home if you knew we were after you?” Pausing, he takes a couple of steps back, doing another lap of the room before he starts fucking around with his phone. “Motherfucker.”

“What?”

“It’s not Charles we need to be chasing for Arabella. Is it? The Law Society dinner…it wasn’t Charles she was going to.”

Grinding my teeth, I inhale a deep breath, hoping it soothes the burn inside me. It adds to the flames inside. The inferno blazes so fucking wild that I might as well be physically in hell.

“She wasn’t going to Heath House.” Spinning to face us, he exhales the breath he’s been holding. “The card gave her the details for the vodka and caviar lounge.”

“And?” Benedict presses.

“What’s the bet that that’s where they’ve taken her?” He shrugs. “It’s easy to check. I don’t need to do it. You’re the fucking Deputy PM. Ask one of your guys to get the Transport Office to look at the footage from that road.”

“That’s not possible. At least not right now—it’ll take them hours if not days to get back to us.”

“Fuck this!” All this talk is doing nothing but giving the fuckers more time to hurt Arabella.

“Where are you going?” Leo steps in front of me.

“Get the fuck out of my way.” Shouldering past him, I swing the door open and leave.

Striding down the corridor, I pull my loosened tie off, wrapping it over my pulsing fist like I would wrap my hands before going at the sandbag at the gym.

“We need a plan, Christopher,” Freddie blows out as he catches up to me.

Leo keeps the pace on my other side. “We’re naked, man. We can’t walk around with nothing to protect ourselves with.”

“We’re not walking around.” Taking two steps down at a time, I breathe in the cool air rushing up from the lobby. “If they were taking her to the Russian’s club before, that’s where we’re going now.”

“Not without me,” Ryan calls a couple of steps behind.

“Or me,” Wayne adds.

“I told you to stay with Mum and Cassie,” Leo grinds as we hit the revolving doors.

“I have the car.”

“Seriously, Wayne, just—”

“Don’t argue with me.” Wayne takes his keys off the valet, as does Ryan. They exchange words, and as we get into the cars, they’re each on their phones giving each of their teams orders to meet us at our destination.

“When we get there, you’ll let me go ahead. The team will have surrounded the place; some of the guys are going to go into the premises and act as civilians. They’ll keep shit locked down when we’re in. At no point do you go rogue. Understand?”

“I understand.” It doesn’t mean I’m going to follow his instructions. I’m getting my wife back, and where her life is concerned…all bets are off.