Page 65 of Blind Justice

Chapter Ten

Duncan paced the length of his apartment. The inability to make a move frustrated him, adding to his anxiety. It’d been nine hours since Enzo had gone missing. The nervous energy vibrating off of Bella made his skin crawl. He’d thought about taking her to the main floor to work off some of the excess energy, but it would prove how much of an inconsiderate asshole he was. Instead, he replayed the events leading up to Enzo being taken.

The wild sensation at his neck returned, and he cursed under his breath for being so stupid. He’d known they were tailed. Whoever tracked them had been in his apartment building in Virginia Beach. Which meant they would have followed the night he and Omar left to bring them to DC.Shit.If they did track Duncan, it could mean they also knew the layout of Club X and where they could possibly hide for the right opportunity. For all of his and Omar’s training, they’d still missed things.

“You should eat something.” Bella yawned. “You’re going to push through all your reserves with that pacing, plus you don’t want another headache, primo. Not right now.”

He’d been tempted to wave off her concern, but she was right. If he didn’t get something into his stomach, he’d end up hampering the mission not helping. “On it. Thank you.” He glanced at the clock on the wall and frowned.Just after midnight.“Want some breakfast?”

She shook her head. “Too anxious to eat. Makes me sick.”

There was a condition for people like Bella he’d heard about before. His da usually weeded out the ‘nervous shitters’ from new recruits. Couldn’t have them soiling themselves in the middle of a mission because their bodies were out of whack. “Sure. I’ll have Omar grab you something gentle then and save it for later. At some point, like me, you’re going to have to eat.”

“I know.” Her voice was weak, cracking with fear and loss.

“Hey, none of that.” He wasn’t good with the whole consoling thing. He could do aftercare because it’d been natural to tend to a person due to the high he got from the scene. This, with Bella, had been more. She meant something to him. He sat beside her and gathered her into his arms. Her slight weight brought comfort to him, and he sighed. “I can’t make false promises, Bella. I don’t know how to.”

She sniffed. “Neither do I.”

“Well, we’re fecked.” He grunted.

Bella laughed softly. “We are.”

He stroked her back, trying to find the words to offer up some peace for Bella. His door burst open. Omar stood there wide eyed, his chest heaving for breath. Duncan tensed. Something had happened. The big man lumbered into the apartment and stood in front of him.

“Paul is with me. We need you in the infirmary. Bex is here.”

A twinge of shock bolted through him. “Say that again?”

“She got out of a car at the gate and asked for help.” He slid his gaze toward Bella. “Said Alé’s name, Enzo’s, and yours.”

Bella was out of Duncan’s lap. The desperation in her eyes didn’t surprise Duncan. She wanted news about Enzo. Duncan took her hand as he stood beside her. “Where is she now?”

“I carried her to Noelle. She’s examining her as we speak.” Omar started out of the room.

Duncan grunted, pointing to Bella. “You’re going with me.”

Bella opened her mouth to protest. “Wait, what?”

“We’re already a twisted mess of anxiety and fear. If Bex is here, we should be able to find out where Enzo is.”

“Thank you.” She sighed. “How do you think she got away?”

He shook his head as they started for the stairs. “I have no idea. Instinct says Enzo might have helped her, but...” He turned his attention to Paul. “Please let me know when Alé and the team arrive.”

“Of course, Master Duncan.” Paul descended the stairs while they climbed.

“It also might mean he’s dead,” Bella whispered, looking back at Paul’s retreating form.

“I don’t think he’ll kill Enzo. Raul is a calculating bastard. He’ll need some insurance, and having Enzo alive is good enough for now.” They passed the security office along with the garden then stopped in front of the first aid area. Duncan tapped on the entryway before stepping inside.

Bex stared at him with glassy eyes. Her school uniform was covered in blood as were her hands. The cast on her arm had been thrashed too. She looked worse for the wear, but she was alive. He approached slowly so as not to frighten the girl. Her gaze locked with his, and she swallowed hard. When Bella and Omar followed, she curled up in a defensive position.

“Don’t you remember me?” Duncan slipped into his American accent with ease. “We wanted to check on you.”

“Agent F-F-Frazier?” Bex frowned. “H-H-How?”

He sat down beside her. “Enzo. How do you feel?”

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