Page 13 of His Paradise

“I found something! Wait, were you two wrestling shirtless? You really miss Nina enough to start playing for the other team?” Luna quirks her brow, and Jared’s laugh booms from behind her as he smirks at my expense.

“Fuck all of you, I’ll find my wife on my own.” I throw my hands up, but turn back to stare at my sister.

“You found something?” I ask, hope flaring to life as I rush to her side. Luna kneels next to a table, setting her laptop on it as her fingers fly across the keys.

“Look at this, I checked flight logs for the day that Nina disappeared. Even private aircrafts have to be registered and have a log of flight plans. There was one that caught Isabelle’s eye. Read this one, and the name of the aircraft.” She highlights a chunk of text as I lean closer.

Rage erupts from every inch of my body as I read the name, over and over. The lines blur as my arms shake from how tightly my hands are fisted.

“Shit,” Markus mutters, and Alec is already on the phone.

“Killinger, yes he is fucking alive. I don’t give a shit, find him. I’m sending you where he landed. Go,” Alec shouts into his phone.

“David Killinger was her fiance, right?” Luna asks. I nod, dropping into a chair as I grip my head in my hands. He abused Nina before, he was a violent and disturbed man before Markus shot him. Now he had her, my beautiful and soft Nina. My paradise was being ripped apart every moment I was away from her, and she had been trapped with him for a week now.

“I shot that bastard, he should be dead.” Markus is pacing, his hands fisting then relaxing again as he stomps across the grass.

“Daddy?” A tiny voice calls, halting each of us in our tracks as Amelia rushes towards Alec. Isabelle steps towards me, setting the baby monitor next to me as she puts her hands on my shoulders and forces me to look at her.

“Nina is a strong woman, Aden. Don’t you dare sit here and think she’s broken. Get the fuck up so we can bring her home.” She tells me, and I see the redness in her eyes. Nina isn’t just my family. She belongs to all of us. I nod, standing as I grab my discarded shirt from the ground.

“I’m dropping Leo off at my parents, and I’m bringing my wife home.” I tell them as I rush through the house. She just needs to hang on a little longer, after she comes home, I am never letting anyone get between us again.

My father tried to stop me, more than once. But my mother grabs me in a swift hug before taking Leo away. “Come home to us, and bring this little guy's mommy back.” She calls over her shoulder to me. My father lifts his cane, pressing it to my chest as he stands straighter to look me in the eyes.

“That monster won't drop his guard a second time, boy. He will be expecting you if you rush in without using that head of yours.” He warns me.

“Vincent. Give the kid a break. He’s smart and brave, he helped rescue my little girl once upon a time.” Isabelle’s dad, Lucian, says as he joins us in the entryway brushing a hand over his black suit. His dark hair is slicked back, and his black beard is clipped short to frame his large jaw. Lucian commands respect, from his personality down to the way he towers over everyone with broad shoulders that can carry the weight of the world on them. The intimidating man looks me over, frowning at my busted lip and overall disheveled appearance. I bow my head in respect to him.

“Did you scrap with Markus or Jared?” Lucian grins at me.

“Markus,” I sigh, crossing my arms as he laughs.

“If it was Luna’s husband, he wouldn’t be conscious yet.” Vincent smirks, waving me off as he runs a hand through his gray hair and leans on his cane.

“Be on your way, but be safe.” My father tells me, but Lucian holds his hand up to stop me from leaving. I grind my teeth in irritation at being held up but I don’t dare turn my back on a mafia leader.

“Bring the both of them home, alive. Kill everyone else there. No loose ties.” Lucian gives me a serious look, his black hair falling into his eyes as he waits. I bow to him, “Yes sir.”

By the time I reach my car, Alec is already leaning against it with his tilted as he stares over my shoulder.

“Mr. Kane,” He says with an air of boredom. I flinch from the tension between them.

“Fuck off, son.” Lucian says, shutting the door after sticking his middle finger up at him. Alec shrugs when I give him a look of surprise.

“I’ll always be his favorite son-in-law. He caught Markus under the dining room table with his face buried between Isabelle’s legs when we were staying with him.” He says, opening the driver's door and holding his hand out for my keys. I toss them to him without an argument and take the passenger seat.

“She was hungry, and so was I. How was I supposed to know he was going to wake up early?” Markus complains in the backseat, his arms crossed as he grins.

“Your car is too small,” Jared huffs from behind me, his knees pressed to my seat.

“Keep bitching and I’ll pull this car over.” Alec warns, following the GPS directions to a nearby airport.

“Lucian has a jet prepped and ready.” Alec tells me. I nod, staring out the windshield as we speed down the road, zipping through traffic. I was now split between my son and my wife, but it would be over soon. I’d save her or die trying. It feels good to finally have direction, to know where we are going.

“I’m sorry, Aden.” Markus reaches forward, squeezing my shoulder and pulling me from my thoughts. I catch his eye in the rearview, brows pinched as I turn to look at him. “I thought I had killed him, this is my screw up.”

“He was as good as dead, Markus. He faked his death and vanished off the face of the earth. I failed to protect Nina. This isn’t on you.” I say, and Alec snorts.

---