Page 114 of Love to Defy You
David sighs, and he sounds more impatient than shocked. “If what you’re saying is true, what does this have to do with Willow?”
“This is my final test,” I explain. “Enzo wants me to come to Andarusia to get her myself, and if I fail, it will be my death sentence.”
“No, don’t even think about breaking exile to come back here.” David goes quiet for a long stretch. “Jesus Christ, you’re serious about this secret society, aren’t you?”
“Dead serious,” I say. “And this stays between us. If anyone finds out you know about the Order, we’ll both be targets.”
“Shit.” David rustles in the background, and it sounds like he’s putting clothes on. “Let me handle this, all right? My security detail might know how to track her down discreetly.”
I lean back in my computer chair and close my eyes. “Thank you.”
“But if he can’t find her by morning, I’m getting the police involved,” David adds.
“You don’t understand!” I slam my fist down on the desk. “They control the police! As soon as you call them, they’ll tip off Enzo, and he’ll make it impossible to find her.”
“Okay, fine, fine.” He pauses, and a woman’s voice, presumably Galina’s, speaks softly in the background. David mutters something unintelligible to her before returning to the phone. “I’ll figure this out. Do not, I repeat,do notbreak exile. The moment you land, you’ll be arrested.”
“But—“
“I will bring her back to Zurich when I find her,” he says, speaking over me. “Stay home in case Willow finds her way back, okay?”
I rake my hand through my hair and tug on the ends, letting out a long sigh. “Fine. But text me at this phone number when you have updates. Enzo has my phone, so we can’t tip him off that we’re on to him.”
“Understood.” David’s voice is alert and urgent. “I’ll keep you posted.”
The call ends.
Using my computer, I pull up the contact number for DarkSide and punch it into the phone. As always, he answers promptly using a deep voice modulator.
“Who is this?”
“It’s Aleksandr Kurochkin,” I say quickly. “I need you to pull CCTV footage from Olininburg to track down my fiancée. She’s been abducted.”
Computer keys click rapidly in the background. “Send me her full name and a photograph of her face. Where was she last seen?”
I think for a moment. “Most likely her father’s house. She was supposed to take a commercial flight out of Olininburg on Sunday, but I’m not sure if she ever made it to the airport.”
“Send me the address of her father’s house,” DarkSide says. “I’ll try to track her from there.”
“Great.” I put the phone on speaker and start typing up an email with the requested information. “Can I arrange the payment later? I’m in a bit of a hurry.”
DarkSide lets out a low, modulated hum. “Considering this is an emergency, I’ll allow it. I know you’re good for it.”
He also knows how to track me down if I don’t pay up.
“And one more thing,” I say. “I need a false identity and a passport. How soon can you get that to me?”
David Baker expects me to sit here and do nothing while my fiancée is missing? Not a chance.
My heart hammers as I wait in the customs line at the airport. I glance out the window and take a deep breath to calm myself. There’s only one chance to get this right, and I need to remain focused.
Fog rolls in across the tarmac, and storm clouds cover the sky in a gloomy gray hue, so thick they completely obscure the setting sun.
I managed to squeeze in a short nap on the plane, but otherwise, I’ve been awake since yesterday evening when I woke up to get ready for the Trial of Sacrifice. My sleep schedule has been off since my time in sensory deprivation, and I’m only able to sleep for short periods of time. Exhaustion weighs my bodydown, but I won’t be able to get a good night’s rest until Willow is safe in my arms.
A shadow flickers in my peripheral, and I tear my gaze from the window to whip my head toward the movement.
And there, standing in front of me in line, is my father.
