me somewhere else? Was the other agent being serious about charging me with murder after the fact? They couldn’t do that, right? Right?
I couldn’t get control of my thoughts as they whirled around my head, not when the elevator doors opened, not when the agent marched me past the other agents on the lower level, and not when he spun me around and undid my cuffs.
“You’re free to go,” he said, sounding bored.
“I’m…” I turned to look out of the windows, where morning light was starting to shine through. “I can go?”
“Yeah.” He stepped closer, towering over me. “You may have gotten away with it this time, but I’ll be watching.” He paused, his face turning red with his anger. “I’ll be watching all of you. Waiting for the mistake that you will make.” His lips curved on one side. “And I’ll be right there, dishing out the punishment trash like you deserve.”
I raised my brows, not sure what to say to that, so instead of opening my mouth, I spun around, not wasting a single second to get the hell out of here. I darted for the main doors, hearing the agent’s laughter follow me out.
The cool morning air slapped me in the face when I made it outside. I’d been in there all night. They’d kept me in that room for at least ten hours, but it hadn’t felt like it. It had felt like moments in time rather than hours shooting by.
I glanced down at my wrists, seeing the purple bruising banding around them, and stretched my fingers out. My arms felt like they weren’t mine as I gained the feeling back in them. I took one look back at the building, then sprinted away from it, afraid they’d scoop me back up if I lingered. I wasn’t sure where I was heading, but when a yellow taxi drove by with the light on the top, I held my arm out.
The car skidded to a stop, so I jumped in, reeling the address of the mansion off. I didn’t lean back; I didn’t relax. I kept turning around, sure that someone would be following me. But the roads were empty at this time of the morning, a peacefulness drifting over the city that I’d never witnessed before.
We pulled into the street the mansion was on, and a breath of relief left me in a whoosh. The gates were hanging open, and it was only then I realized the loud bang before they’d all come barging in was them ramming the gates. “Pull into the driveway,” I told the taxi driver, and he did, stopping just outside the wide-open mansion doors.
Lorenzo was pacing in the foyer, his cell to his ear, when he turned and spotted me. He said something, dropped his cell to the floor, and sprinted toward me.
LORENZO
“Where the hell have you been?” I growled out, wrapping my arms around her and lifting her up off the ground. I’d been calling everyone and anyone, trying to find out where she was, but I’d had no luck. No one knew of an FBI headquarters in the city, but I was certain that was what the agent had said just before they’d taken her away.
“Ow,” she groaned, but it wasn’t just any kind of groan. No, it was a painful one.
I yanked back from her, searching her face and feeling white-hot anger slam into me with so much force I stumbled back. “What the fuck did they do?” I growled. Her lip was twice the size and turning dark purple, but it was the dried blood leading down to her neck that had me wanting to pull my gun and find Agent fuckin’ Morgan. Watching him bark orders at everyone as they tore the house apart told me that he was the one in charge.
“Can you pay the taxi driver?” Aida asked, closing her eyes and leaning her head on my shoulder. Her body was spent, getting heavier the longer she leaned against me.
I spun us around, blinking at Mateo and Christian, who stood a few feet away. “Pay him.” I stepped toward them. “And give him a tip for bringing her home safe.”
Aida sighed, the kind of sigh that told me she was happy to be home, but I couldn’t feel any of that, not right then. My rage had gripped me so tightly that all I could think about was finding out what the hell was going on and getting some answers.
I held Aida tightly as I headed up the stairs and to our room. All of our things were strewn on the floor: her clothes and makeup, my suits, even the mattress had been yanked off the bed and left half on it and half on the floor.
They’d torn apart every inch of the house, not giving a fuck if they broke anything. It was what they did, what they’d always done, which was yet another reason why I wasn’t going to let this lie. They’d invaded my home on a warrant signed by a judge I knew was on The Enterprise's payroll—specifically Piero. He was the one who had his fingers in with politicians and judges, yet he hadn’t warned me something was coming. I’d known it in my gut, but that was different from having solid information.
I moved us into the bathroom, switching the shower on and heading straight under it, not caring that we were still fully clothed. She clung to me as the water hit her back, her chest heaving at the move.
“I’m gonna kill them,” I told her. “I’ll kill every single one of them for hurting you.” It was a promise I knew I would see through, whether it took me months or years. I’d make sure they got retribution for touching what was mine.
“Okay,” she whispered, and I froze. I didn’t expect her to agree with me, but I shouldn’t have been surprised, not after everything she’d done in the last day. She’d tried to get to an agent who pistol-whipped me, not having a single care in the world that she was surrounded by the FBI. She fought for what she thought was right, and damn if I didn’t love that about her.
“Let me clean you up,” I said, letting her down. Her feet hit the tiled floor, and she slipped her slides off, flinging them to the edge of the shower. I helped her take her T-shirt off, grinning at the fact that she wasn’t wearing a bra. I honestly wondered if the only time she wore one was when she was in college.
My hands trailed down her arms and to her wrists, where she winced, and my anger slowly turned to torment. Purple bands covered her small wrists, and I couldn’t help but blame myself. If I’d checked out the two soldiers who had tried to steal from me on my wedding night, then maybe I would have found out one of them was FBI. I’d allowed other people to do the job, but I realized now that I couldn’t rely on anyone else, not yet anyway.
Dad had always handled things himself, and time and time again I asked why he didn’t let the people under him handle things he didn’t need to be involved in. You’ll understand when the time comes. His words echoed in my head. I understood now. I understood that I was at the top for a reason. The buck started and ended with me.
I bent down, helping her out of her leggings, then stood, reaching for a washcloth to get the dried blood off her neck. I was methodical, not stopping until she was clean, any traces other than bruises gone. I shucked out of my own shirt and slacks, then switched the shower off.
Our wet bodies collided as I wrapped my arms around her again, carrying her to our bedroom. “Stay here,” I said, planting her in the middle of the room. I grabbed two towels from the bathroom, then wrapping her in one of them.
Her eyes closed as I dried myself and threw on some sweatpants. It was the middle of the week, and I had work to do, especially now, but none of that was my priority. All that mattered was making sure Aida was okay. And as I pushed the mattress back onto the bed and placed the pillows back where they belonged, I saw another trickle of blood coming from her lip.
“I’m calling the doctor in,” I told her, grinding my teeth together.