Total pages in book: 80
Estimated words: 76782 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 384(@200wpm)___ 307(@250wpm)___ 256(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 76782 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 384(@200wpm)___ 307(@250wpm)___ 256(@300wpm)
I sipped my coffee and sat at the table, staring at the project I had been working on. I picked up one of the origami flowers I had been making, planning on a full vaseful for when Autumn arrived. I chose bright colors and had experimented with new designs, looking them up online and practicing. It helped fill the time when I couldn’t sleep or the office didn’t need my hours. Which wasn’t often, but instead of losing sleep, I kept my hands busy and my mind from wandering.
Soon, she would be here. Lynn was doing better than expected and, if released early, Autumn planned on staying a few days to make sure Lynn was settled and then joining me. Her new job would be waiting. I was waiting. I picked up the box on the table, flipping open the lid, studying the ring in the dim light. As soon as I had seen it in an antique store window, I’d known it was her ring. Set in platinum, the center stone was a good size and surrounded by filigree and more diamonds in a unique shape. It resembled a snowflake. The jeweler I’d spoken with inside the shop had drawn out a pretty wedding band that surrounded the ring on both sides, assuring me it would make it sparkle and dance in the light. I planned on giving it to her as soon as she got here. And convincing her to marry me as soon as possible. We could marry here, then again in Canada if that was what she wanted, since once she arrived here and started the paperwork, she couldn’t leave until it was complete.
I glanced over at my phone again, the steady blue light somehow comforting. I wished I could track her necklace too, but I knew the boys were handling that in Canada. It was getting late there, but she was no doubt finishing up more packing. Feeling the need to hear her voice, I called her number, frowning when it went to voice mail. She usually picked it up when she saw it was me.
I carried my cup to the kitchen and made another coffee, deciding I would talk to Autumn then head into the office. I called again, the phone once more going to voice mail. I double-checked the tracker then decided she might be in the elevator or simply busy.
I picked up my cup as my phone rang a moment later, the sound filling me with relief. I answered without looking at the name.
“Hello, mo fhiadh beag.”
“Sully, it’s Finn.”
The cup fell from my hand, shattering into pieces on the hard floor. I gripped the phone, already knowing something was terribly wrong.
“What has happened?” I asked, the dread I had been feeling earlier grabbing at my chest and stomach.
“Autumn is missing.”
“Her phone—” I choked.
“Is here at The Haven, but she isn’t. When her appointment didn’t show up, Davey went to check on her, but he was knocked out as soon as he walked in the door. He called us when he came to. He didn’t see who hit him, but he did see Autumn out cold on the floor before he lost consciousness.”
“Fecking hell,” I muttered.
“There were signs of a struggle.”
“Struggle?” I asked, pushing the word out.
“Blood on the counter. A broken glass.”
“Her necklace?”
“Was on the floor and the chain broken. I think she was trying to get at it and was stopped. Her phone was on the floor too.”
That was why her blue dot showed her where I expected her to be. Only, she wasn’t there. She had been taken. It felt as if I had been punched in the stomach. Air escaped my lungs in a long hiss, and I struggled to remain calm. “Feck. He has her, Finn. We have to find her.”
“Already started—I have my team on it. Niall is chartering a plane. Get to the airport.” He paused. “We’ll get her back, Sully. I swear.”
“On my way.”
The flight was torture. I had thrown a few things in a carry-on and grabbed my passport, a car already waiting for me. I breezed through the special customs area for private planes, and as soon as the boarding door shut behind me, we were off. I paced the entire time, texted with Finn and Niall. My anxiety was through the roof. I was terrified, knowing that if Alan had been waiting this long to snatch her, he was going to be angry.
And he would take that anger out on her.
I was nauseous thinking about it.
Finn assured me he had his men working on it. His IT department contained some of the slickest hackers in the city.
“No one to look after my systems better than a former hacker,” he explained once. “Always a step ahead and able to see patterns others wouldn’t be looking for. And they come in handy.”