My phone ringing cuts through the boardroom. Twelve sets of eyes all snap toward me. They’re obviously waiting for me to apologize, which is when I decide that they’re all idiots and I need to fire them. Muppets, I don’t apologize to anyone and I especially don’t in my damn boardroom.

“Hmmmm?” I raise my eyebrows at them all and slide my phone unlocked, spinning around in my chair to block everyone out.

“Jessica, I swear to God—”

“—B, it’s Isa.”

I pause, all thoughts about whatever merger we were exploring goes flying out the window. “What about her?”

“It’s just, I’m probably overreacting, but you know me, I like—”

“—Cut the bullshit, Jessica and spit it out.”

“It’s Isa. She went out to see Devon about an hour ago and hasn’t come back since. I’m worried because, well because it’s Devon.”

“Did you tell her about Devon?”

“What?” Jessica screeches down the phone and the way my ears pierce makes me want to beat her.

“Lower the fucking tone, Jess.”

“Sorry,” she murmurs and then drops it down a level. “But no, of course not.”

I hang up and stand from my chair. “I’ve got to leave,” I announce to the courtroom, though it really has fuckall to do with any of them.

“Ah, Bryant…” someone calls out from their chair, just as Dahlia looks at me from the glass window where her reception desk sits.

“It’s my wife…” is all I answer, then I walk out of the room, leaving some important people in stunned silence.

I pass Dahlia’s desk. “Cancel the rest of today and tomorrow.”

“Ah, okay,” she confirms, standing from her chair as I walk toward the elevators. “Bryant?” she calls out, as I hit the down button.

“What?” I look back at her, swallowing past the nerves and whatever the fuck this news has bought up inside of me.

“Please let me know if there’s anything you need me to do.”

I nod. “Thanks.” She knows better than to ask a hundred questions. Stepping into the elevator, I pull my phone back out and dial Brian.

“Sir, we’re on it.”

“Why was she left alone?” I watch as the numbers go down, and it’s as though someone’s life is in the final countdown. That someone being Devon.

“I’m—I’m sorry, sir. I wasn’t aware that she was going to see Devon or anyone, and neither was Jerry. It happened while I was parking the car after her morning training and Jerry doesn’t come to the gym with her in the mornings.”

I pinch my nose with my fingers. I can’t blame Brian because I know that if it really came down to it, he would take a bullet for Isa, and not only because she’s my wife, but because I’ve seen the way he looks at her. With adoration. As he would look at his daughter, and Isa would be around the same age as his daughter before she died in a car wreck a couple of years ago. He’s never been the same since.

“I’ll be there soon,” I reply, then hang up the phone. The elevator dings open onto the main lobby and I run out, heading straight to the underground parking lot before getting into my Ferrari.

Pushing open the penthouse door, I look around desperately. Somehow, on the way over here, in between dodging cars and speeding past police officers, I had talked myself into thinking she would be here when I got home. I’d gotten so used to seeing her annoyingly bright smile and sassy fucking mouth every time I have entered the apartment since we got married, so I feel like today would be no different and she would be here when I got home.

My smile drops as soon as I see not just Jessica, but my mom and dad and Brian all in the living room with Jerry and three secret service agents huddled in the corner. They stand from their seats and I loosen my tie, closing the door behind myself.

“She’s not here…” I whisper, more to myself than to anyone else.

Jessica shakes her head. “I’m so sorry, B. I honestly didn’t think anything of it and the way that they talked on the phone—it sounded like they were close.”

I silence her with a flick of my wrist. “They are—well, were close. She thinks the world of Devon, but I don’t know what Devon thinks of her.”

Tossing my tie onto the breakfast bar, I walk deeper into the room. She’s with Devon, and worst of all, she doesn’t know who Devon really is.

“Bryant, dear, we need to talk…” my mom cuts in softly.

“What? What are you both doing here anyway?” I look to Jessica. “You call them?”

Jessica shakes her head. “No.”

I look back to both my parents. My mom’s eyebrows are pinched together in distress and my father’s eyes have drifted out to the floor to ceiling windows. The flicker of my gas fireplace that sits under the television illuminates the room in soft waves, and I exhale, dropping down onto the large couch. “Spit it out.”

My mom hands me her phone and I take it from her while keeping my eyes locked on hers. “I swear to God if he has hurt her…”

She closes her eyes and looks away from me as if she’s disappointed. When I look down to my phone, I understand why. There, staring straight back to me, are two completely lifeless grey colored eyes. Eyes I’m so familiar with. Blond hair is matted down on an oval face and with blood seeping through the strands of his hair.

“Shit.”

“Did she do it?”

“What?” I hand back her phone. “Why would you ask that?”

“Because,” my mom flicks through her phone again and then hands it back. I take it, narrowing my eyes at her and then looking back down to the photo that’s spread out on her phone. It’s a photo of Isa crying holding the weapon and looking at Justin’s body in horror.

Who the fuck took these fucking photos.

I throw the phone across the sofa and lean back in the sofa, running my index finger above my lip. I don’t give a fuck about their questions right now, right now, my sole focus is on finding Isa. I lean forward, burying my head into the palms of my hands while running my fingertips through my hair. I exhale. There’s no reason why Devon would hurt her unless I’m missing something. Why would he take her? He gives a fuck about her, even I know that. There’s no mistaking the way he looks at her, talks about her. I can see the adoration in his every word. I don’t think he’d hurt her—no.

But then again…

No, this has to do with me.

“Bryant!” Mom snaps at me in an attempt to gain my attention. I ignore her. I don’t care for their inquisitions right now.

“Bryant.” Jessica’s soft voice breaks through my hard shell, and my head snaps toward her involuntarily. It’s true, my little sister drives me crazy on the best days but there’s no one walking this earth that I care about nearly as much as I care about her.

“What?”

She steps toward me, bringing the palms of her hands to my face, her deep green eyes searching mine desperately. “Did she do this?”

I look back at her. “Yes—”

They all gasp, Jessica’s hands falling to the sides of her.

“But!” I all but roar, my temperament kicking up from not only their questions but now their sudden disdain of Isa. “There is more to the story than you even know, and as much as I’d love to get into it right now, my wife has been kidnapped, so if you’d excuse me…” I barge past Jessica and she steps backward, her hand still covering her mouth. Heading into the kitchen, I open the top cupboard, taking down a heavy bottle of whiskey and a glass. Twisting the cap off, I pour some into my glass and toss it back before placing it back on to the bench. Taking my phone out of my pocket, I slide through my contacts just as Brian walks in.

“Do you need to make some calls?”

I need to do a lot of things, and calling people Is not one of them.