Page 194 of I See You

“Get Carlos DeVille on the phone,” Hassan said, turning to Roman. “Let him know I want to meet. I have something that nigga needs.”

Thanks to Jules, they’d found a way to contact Carlos directly. The man was a ghost, invisible even in a world full of criminals, but Jules had connections buried deep. Roman nodded once and stepped out, pulling out a burner and dialing a blocked, untraceable line.

“Youtwostayhereandwatchher,”HassantoldHarperand Dorian without looking back. “Give her whatever she asks for—except a phone. Don’t make it look like a kidnapping. Just hold her until I say move.”

Harper and Dorian exchanged glances, both settling into the leather couches like they hadn’t just committed a felony.

“And what the fuck are we supposed to tell her when she wakes up in a house in the middle of nowhere instead of her dorm room?” Dorian asked, arms folded, tone clipped.

Hassan paused in the doorway, glancing back with the same unreadable expression. “Come up with some shit.”

Then he was gone, the door shutting behind him like the end of a warning.

Dorian sighed deeply, sinking further into the couch as Harper stared at the floor. Neither of them said it out loud, but it echoed in their heads all the same.

They just hoped all of this wasn’t in vain.

Because the thought of Sevyn somewhere—hurting, scared, or worse—was already killing them.

And if she was gone…

They knew Hassan wouldn’t just break. He’d burn the whole fucking world down.

HassanclimbedintotheEscaladewithoutaword,slamming the door as Roman pulled off. His phone rang, cutting through the silence, and he groaned low under his breath. Everything had been getting under his skin lately. The smallest shit could set him off. The longer Sevyn was gone—with no word, no proof of life, not even a whisper of where she was—he felt himself spiraling. The pressure was building, rage simmering beneath the surface with no outlet.

He looked at the screen:Jules. He answered with a tight jaw.

“Aye, I got something you need to hear. Meet me at the gym,” Jules said, then hung up.

Hassan said nothing in return. He was back to being silent, back to the version of himself that felt nothing. The version that only surfaced when the people he loved were threatened. The version that didn’t stop until someone bled. And he wasn’t coming out of it until Sevyn was back in his arms—safe, warm, alive.

“Go to Jules’ gym,” he muttered to Roman, eyes locked on the road ahead.

Romannodded,glancingathimbriefly.“Carloswantstomeet. The granddaughter worked.”

Still, Hassan didn’t flinch. No reaction. Just that empty, unreadable stillness.

“Let him wait. Let that nigga stew in the panic for a while,” Hassan said coldly. “He took mine. I’ll make sure he feels it too.”

He wasn’t rushing to meet with Carlos. Let him sweat. Let the weight of what he lost start to press on his chest the same way it crushed Hassan’s every second Sevyn was gone.

“If Braxton would’ve stayed the fuck out the way,” Hassan continued, voice tight, “none of this shit would’ve happened. My demons would’ve stayed buried. My past would’ve stayed where the fuck it belonged.”

“Take me to my car first,” he added, his tone final.

Roman didn’t ask why. He already knew. He shifted lanes, heading toward the casino where Hassan’s Ferrari was parked.

Heneededtositoutsideherplaceagain.Hehadto.He’ddone it every day since she was taken—parking outside her penthouse, engine idle, watching the lights and imagining her inside. Maybe doing her nightly routine, wrapped in a robe with that skin glowing. Maybe watching a movie, or curled up in bed with a book, soft music playing in the background.

Peace. He used to feel it just being near her. Now it felt like a dream he couldn’t wake up from.

He gripped the door handle tighter, her voice still echoing in the back of his mind. Soft. Reassuring. The only sound that ever calmed the storm in him.

But she was gone. And if he didn’t get her back soon… Somebody was going to die slow.

???

Sevyn stirred in her sleep, warmth wrapping around her like a soft blanket. In her dream, she was curled into Hassan’s chest, his scent grounding her, his presence washing over her like peace. Her fingers traced the side of his face, and he leaned into her touch with his eyes closed, like her love was the only thing keeping him together.

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