Chapter 181
Chapter 182
AARON
The footage was a noose tightening around my throat.
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Sabine, caught mid-run. Her hair swinging, lungs pulling in air like she was finally free and then shadows closed in. A black van slid into frame. Doors opened. Three men, masked, efficient, not a word wasted. They hit her like wolves. She fought-God, she fought-but they were faster. Stronger. One had a needle. Her body stiffened, then went slack. They dragged her inside, slammed the door, and the tires screamed as they vanished.
I didn’t breathe until the last frame froze.
“Play it again,” I said.
Connor’s hand hesitated over the mouse. “Aaron p>
“Play it again p>
He obeyed. The sequence looped. Each second carved deeper into me, every movement studied, memorized. Their posture, their gloves, the way they moved like they’d rehearsed.
Not random. Not opportunistic. A plan.
And I knew the signature.
Gerald.
The same patience. The same precision. The same shadow on my life I had failed to erase the first time.
Connor rubbed his face with both hands, breaking the silence. “It’s him. Has to be him p>
My jaw locked. “This time he left evidence p>
Connor’s eyes flicked to me. “That’s not a win, Aaron p>
“It’s more than we had before p>
The words tasted like ash. Evidence didn’t bring Sabine back.
I pulled out my phone, fingers already dialing. Every name I had, every favor owed, every man who would pick up because they knew my voice weighed more than money. I called them all. This time Gerald wasn’t escaping.
Orders flew sharp off my tongue-check hospitals, docks, warehouses, trattic cams. Pull every string. Make noise until Gerald had nowhere left to breathe.
I wasn’t stopping.
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Chapter 182
Not until Sabine was back.
Not until Gerald was ashes.
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The phone on the table buzzed again. My own.
Venus.
For a moment, the sight of her name steadied me, the way it always did-like a tether in the storm. I swiped
to answer.
Her voice wasn’t steady. Too smooth. Too careful.
“Aaron… tell the guards to let me out p>
My spine went rigid. “No p>
“Please. Tell them not to follow me p>
Every nerve in my body screamed. Something was wrong. Too wrong.
“Venus,” I said, sharp. “Why are you asking me that p>
Her silence cut me open. Then: “Just… please. Don’t make this harder. I need you to trust me p>
Trust.
The word felt like a knife. Because I knew what it meant. Gerald had her already, pulling her strings, dragging her toward him.
My blood ran cold, then hot. “No one is letting you walk into this, you hear me p>
Her breath hitched. Then she said it, the finality that killed me. “Aaron. Please p>
My fist slammed against the desk. I could hear the tears she wasn’t letting fall. That plea wasn’t hers. It was forced through her.
I closed my eyes. Made my choice.
“Fine,” I said, voice like steel.
I cut the call.
“Pull her phone tracker up,” I snapped at one of the security analysts.
A second later, relief hit-her phone was still on.
The dot began to move. Slow. Then faster. A car.
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Chapter 182
I grabbed my jacket and keys in one motion. “She’s moving p>
Connor’s head snapped up. His eyes widened. “What p>
“Gerald has her. He made her call. We’re not losing her p>
Before Connor could argue, another voice cut through the room.
“I’m coming with you p>
Colton Ashford.
I turned. He stood there, lean and sharp, jaw set like steel. Not dressed for war, but his eyes said he didn’t
care.
“She’s like a sister to Venus,” he said. “That makes her mine too. And I’ve been waiting to bury my fist in Gerald’s face for far too long. Don’t argue p>
For once, I didn’t.
I gave a curt nod. “Get in the car p>
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The convoy formed fast.
I slid behind the wheel, Colton at my side. Connor stayed behind-someone had to coordinate, direct the men if Gerald tried to bait us into scattering.
That was I told him but the truth was I didn’t trust him to act rational. It was Sabine in danger.
Three black SUVs peeled out behind us, police cruisers already waiting two streets down. I had called them too-reluctantly, but Gerald was a wildfire.
The GPS dot blinked steady on the dash screen. Moving uptown. Too steady. Like they wanted me to follow.
Colton’s eyes narrowed. “They’re leading us p>
“I know p>
“You’re still going to walk into it p>
“Yes p>
He leaned back, exhaling slow. “Good p>
The city blurred past-lights streaking, horns blaring as we cut lanes, sped through red lights. The SUVS flanked us, shadows at our side. Police sirens painted the night in blue and red, but I barely noticed.
All I saw was that blinking dot.
20:47 Wed, Jan 14 …
Chapter 182
Venus.
A
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Every second it moved farther, the coil inside me tightened. My hand flexed on the wheel, knuckles white.
I could still hear her voice from the call. Aaron. Please.
Not hers. His.
If the fucker touch a single hair on any of my girl’s head.
He was going to pay.
Colton broke the silence. “You think Gerald knows about the tracker p>
“If he did, he’d have cut it already p>
“So he wants you to follow p>
“Yes p>
“And you’re still going p>
I shot him a look. “You’ve said that twice p>
His mouth curved, humorless. “Just making sure we’re clear on how insane this is p>
“Insane doesn’t matter.” My voice was low. Final. “She matters p>
Colton studied me, then nodded once. “Good answer p>
The map froze.
The blinking dot-the only tether I had to her-stilled, then winked out.
“What the hell?” Colton stabbed a finger at the screen.
My heart didn’t race. It detonated.
“She’s gone p>
“No,” I snapped. “The signal’s gone p>
I slammed the wheel, teeth grinding. Gerald. He’d been baiting me all along, reeling me in with a false trail. Of course he’d tell her to ditch the phone.
The convoy slowed as I barked into the comms. “Hold position. Circle the block p>
We pulled to the curb. Headlights sliced across a row of dumpsters sagging with rot. That’s when I saw it- glinting in the dark.
I was out of the car before Colton’s door even clicked. Boots pounding pavement, I shoved a lid aside. Her
20:47 Wed, Jan 14 p>
Chapter 182
phone.
Colton came up beside me, jaw locked. “He knows. He’s playing you p>
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I curled my hand around the device, its weight mocking me. My throat burned, but my voice came out like steel.
“He wants me off balance. Wants me angry. Wats me desperate p>
Colton’s gaze cut to me. “And are you p>
I looked at the phone again-saw her smile, her hands trembling when I asked her to be mine, her voice when she said yes.
The ring. The fucking ring.
I had a tracker inserted in the ring I’d given her.
It wasn’t about control. It was about protection.
I closed my fist. “I’m not desperate p>
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Ruby Walker
Ruby Walker is a rising voice in the world of romance and spicy fiction. With a gift for weaving deep emotions, sizzling chemistry, and unexpected twists, her stories are a blend of passion and drama that captivate readers from start to finish. Ruby’s writing style is bold and irresistible—perfect for those who crave intense, addictive love stories.