Page 127 of Code of Heart
He gripped the steering wheel tighter as the city lights blurred past him. All he could think about the entire drive was how dangerously close “too late” was becoming.
Owen had spent hours glued to the security footage, eyes red and gritty, his vision blurring from the relentless strain. His stomach growled, an increasingly loud reminder that he hadn’t eaten since—god, when? Owennevermissed dinner.
He should have walked away, called it a night, let fresh eyes take over in the morning.
But something kept him locked in place. It was that gnawing instinct he had learned over the years never to ignore. The answer was here. Right in front of him.
Yet, he kept missing it. It was really pissing him off.
He had already found Kyle, slipping in through the back patio, dressed like a guest. That alone had him grinding his teeth, but it was the nagging certainty that a second unknown player was involved that kept him rooted to the spot. Aurelia had mentioned in her statement that this piece of shit was on the phone with someone else when she regained consciousness.
Charles was equally frustrated, pacing behind him, relaying everything he had seen that night.
“How he got in through the back…I’m not sure,” Charles muttered, starting over again. “Selene helped Aurelia off the stage and then—”
Wait.
Owen’s eyes snapped back to the screen. His mind replayed that moment like a film suddenly running in reverse.
Selene helped Aurelia off the stage…
He scrubbed back through the footage, zeroing in on the moment Kyle entered from the gardens. The estate’s security was top-notch, so how did Kyle know exactly where to go and how to avoid them?
He was so focused on Kyle’s movements that he completely overlooked everyone else in the frame. Owen slowed the footage, homing in on Selene’s location.
She was near the bar by the double glass doors—the very doors Kyle slipped through. And when he did, she wasright there, in Kyle’s direct line of sight. They made eye contact. Just for a second. But it was there.
Owen’s heart hammered as he kept watching.
Selene picked up a tall glass filled with a dark liquid, her hand brushing over the rim almost too quickly to catch. Kyle melted back into the shadows, eyes never leaving her. Then Selene crossed the room directly to Aurelia…and handed her the drink.
The rest was a memory Owen could never unsee, as Aurelia drank the entire glass, smiling politely, and getting up on stage completely unaware of what was going to happen next. She stepped off the stage, almost tripping over her dress, and Selene had been there waiting to catch her…before guiding her gently toward the gardens.
Owen’s fists clenched so tight his knuckles cracked. “Son of a bitch,” he growled under his breath.
“What is it?” Charles asked, voice tight with urgency.
Owen barely heard him.
“Where’s Selene?” he demanded, as his fingers flew over his phone, already calling Isaac. “Did she come in today?”
Charles’s brow furrowed before his face drained of color. “No—she wasn’t here. I heard someone mention in passing she didn’t show up, but I didn’t think anything of it.”
Owen was already moving, shoving his chair back, and sprinting for the door. Charles launched into motion, pulling out his phone to alert the police.
But Owen wasn’t listening.
He was already outside and running to his car, barking into the phone as Isaac answered.
“Get to Aurelia’s house.Now.I’m on my way.”
There was no time to explain. They had to get there.
Before Selene did.
Levi
Levi felt like he was drowning, and mentally, he welcomed it.
