Page 56 of Blind Justice

Something was wrong.Anxiety ate at Duncan’s gut the minute he exited his vehicle. The last time he felt anything remotely close to this sensation was when he’d been set up. He tapped his foot, willing the elevator to go faster. The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end, and the vice gripping him tightened. When the doors finally opened, he breathed out a sigh of relief, double timing it to his apartment.

This is stupid. There’s nothing wrong.

He put his key in the lock at the same moment Omar jerked the door open. The man’s gaze was twisted by rage, fear, and guilt. His blue eyes had darkened to cobalt. The tension in his bulky frame belied his expressionless features. Duncan studied him closer. Green tinged the line of his jaw, and his face was a bit pale—clammy too. He was good at hiding things, but not at the moment.

Duncan pushed into the apartment. Bella sat on the couch. Her face was ashen and her eyes red rimmed from crying. When he left, she’d been relaxed and happy.

“What happened?” Duncan winced at his harsh tone.

Bella jerked. “It’s Enzo.”

Omar’s stomach gurgled, and the man grimaced before running to the bathroom. Duncan tilted his head. He didn’t know if he should be checking on Omar or asking Bella to give him the run down on Enzo. He stood there for a second, confused by the situation before going to the couch to sit beside Bella.

“What’s wrong with Omar?” he hedged.

“I think he has food poisoning.” She shrugged. “He came running into the apartment after you left, and he’s been in and out of the bathroom ever since.”

Fuck.“Not a problem, I have some stuff here. What happened to Enzo?” The knot in his stomach cinched up again.

Bella lifted her scared, sorrow-filled brown eyes to his gaze. Tears spilled from the corners, running down her cheeks. “He’s gone. Didn’t you check your phone? Omar called you several times.”

Gut punched, Duncan sat there. He’d turned off his phone, feeling safe in the assumption nothing would happen. They were with Mistress Trixie, after all, and the place’s security was tighter than Fort Knox. “What do you mean gone?”

“When Omar rushed in, Enzo told Omar he was going to lay down because he was tired.” She swiped away the tears and shook her head. “He wasn’t tired. He has ADHD. He doesn’t tell many people, but he can’t sit still for long, and this morning...” She shrugged. “He left. I thought he was going to walk the hall or whatever.”

Duncan’s stomach dropped. Enzo was gone. He frowned.Wait, how did he get out?“You’re sure?”

She nodded. “Yes. Omar called Paul and then he started calling you.” She pointed to the phone, the same one he told them would get them only to the front office. “Paul said he hadn’t seen Enzo either. Where else could he go?”

Duncan raked his fingers through his hair, pissed at himself for letting his guard down. The one time he took a second for himself away from everyone, including the job, a person he cared about was taken.I’m so fucking stupid.“First things first. Do you know if Omar called Asher?”

She shook her head. “No. Like I said, he’s sick.”

Protocol would have dictated Omar call for backup. Duncan pulled his phone from his pocket and turned it on. Sure enough, there were several phone calls from Omar and one from Paul. His grip tightened. “I’ll call Asher.” He scrolled through the phone and stopped on the leader of R.O.O.T.’s number. Hitting send, Duncan began to pace.

“Asher’s phone, what do you need, Duncan?” Callahan asked.

“I need Asher now. It’s an emergency.” There was rustling of paper in the background.

“On it. What kind of emergency?”

“Enzo is gone.” The elevator would only take them to the parking garage and the main floor.The parking garage.Shit. He could get anywhere from there. He could walk right out of the compound, and no one would know he wasn’t supposed to leave, especially if he was sneaky about it.

“How the fuck?” The slap of Callahan’s words stung.

“It’s my fault. I needed air, and Omar has food poisoning.”

“Shit.” Callahan sighed. “Here’s Asher.”

“What’s the deal?” Asher asked.

Duncan went over what happened once more. “I didn’t know Omar was sick. If I had, I would’ve called for a replacement before I left.” He scrubbed his forehead.

“I’ll get you someone to help out,” Asher replied. “In the meantime, secure the scene and see what you can find through that fancy security Club X has. Call me when you have more info.”

“Thank you.”

“Don’t thank me yet. I’m not done chewing your ass out for leaving your phone off. That’s a rookie fucking mistake!” Asher blew out a breath. “Now you’re down a man, and Enzo is missing. What are you going to do if Enzo is dead?”

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