Page 73 of His to Possess
I turned to him, a spark of hope igniting in my chest. "Do it," I commanded, my voice hoarse with emotion.
Nolan shook his head. "It's not that simple. I'd need to go back to my place, set up my equipment. It'll take time we don't have."
I felt the hope deflate, replaced by frustration. "Then what good is your idea?" I snapped.
"We could call Greyson," Nolan suggested, unfazed by my outburst. "He still has military contacts. They might be able to help us faster."
I considered this for a moment, weighing the options. The thought of involving more people in this mess made me uneasy, but the need to find Laurel overrode my reservations.
"Fine," I conceded. "Make the call."
As Nolan stepped aside to contact Greyson, Remy approached me, his expression guarded. "Rex," he said carefully, "you should call August."
I whirled on him, anger flaring. "Why the hell would I do that?"
Remy held up his hands placatingly. "Think about it. If he's the last one to have talked to her, he might know something. Despiteyour history, if he's been in contact with Laurel, we need to find out what he knows."
I clenched my jaw, hating the logic in Remy's words. The thought of reaching out to August made my skin crawl, but if there was even a chance he had information about Laurel…
"Fuck," I muttered, pulling out my phone. My fingers hovered over August's contact, a war raging inside me. Pride versus necessity. Anger versus desperation.
I hit call, holding my breath as it rang. No answer. I tried again, and again, each unanswered ring fueling my frustration.
I hit call again, my frustration mounting with each unanswered ring. On the fourth attempt, just as I was about to hang up, August's voice cut through.
"What do you want, Compton?" He sounded sleepy, irritated.
I swallowed my pride, forcing the words out. "August, do you know where Laurel is?"
There was a pause on the other end, long enough to make my heart race. "What's going on, Rex?" His tone shifted, a note of concern creeping in.
I closed my eyes, steadying myself. "She's gone, August. Left the penthouse, took a leave from work. I can't find her."
"Fuck," August cursed, and I heard shuffling on his end. "What did you do to her, Compton? Is this another one of your games? Like with your other 'collectibles'?"
His words ignited a fire in me. "Don't start with that bullshit, August. This isn't…"
"Did you break her like you did Lola?" August cut me off, his voice dripping with accusation.
The name sent a jolt through me, and suddenly, I couldn't contain the anger anymore. "I'm so fucking tired of you spreading lies about Lola." I snarled into the phone. "You have no idea what really happened. You've been telling everyone your twisted version of events for years, and I've had enough."
"Twisted version?" August scoffed. "I saw what you did to her, Rex. I saw…"
"You saw what you wanted to see," I interrupted, my voice low and dangerous. "You didn't see the whole picture, August. You didn't see how I tried to help her, how I—"
"Help her?" His laugh was bitter. "Is that what you call it?"
I gripped the phone tighter, my knuckles turning white. The rage I had suppressed for years bubbled to the surface, and I could no longer contain it.
"You know nothing, August! Absolutely fucking nothing about what really happened with Lola!"
"I know exactly what—" August started, but I cut him off.
"No, you don't! You only saw what Lola wanted you to see. She played you, August, just like she played me at first. I was attracted to her, yes. I brought her into my life, gave her everything. But it happened slowly. I started noticing things weren't right with her. Mentally."
August scoffed, but I pressed on. "I'm serious, August. I sought help for her. Consultants, doctors, psychiatrists, I tried everything. But Lola, she didn't want help. She was lost in her own mind."
"What are you talking about?" August's voice was quieter now, uncertainty creeping in.
