Chapter 28

On my way to my mom's house, I stopped by the garden suite to make sure Eden had gotten back okay, but she wasn't there. The uneasy prickle returned.

"Eden?" I asked, palming a switchblade.

The silence reverberated in my brain like a gong, drowning out everything but the need to find her.

I tore through the rooms, checking the bathroom, the closet, even beneath the bed. Back in the living room, I jerked open the French door and ran into the enclosed garden.

"Eden?" I called as I raced down the curved flagstone paths. "Are you out here?"

The only answer was an irate meow from Demon, Brien's white cat. It stalked past me into Eden's suite, tail twitching.

I closed the blade and shoved it into a pocket so I could send a quick text to Jones. He'd been instructed to have Eden back at the castle by sunset.

Calm the fuck down. She's fine. They had a flat tire or something.

But the driver didn't respond either.

The uneasiness became a swarm of buzzing, stinging bees. I was overcome by an eerie sense of déjà-vu. It was happening again, just like last August.

My next text was to Brien and Cain, informing them that Eden was missing and asking if they or anyone else had heard from Jones.

Cain called me right back. "Adrian doesn't know anything. Did you ask Rio?"

"No. Can you do it? I'll contact her mom and dad."

"Will do," he said. "And I'll see if Kerry or William know anything."

"Thanks."

I ended the call and started to open my contacts. Then I cursed. Why hadn't I added the Montgomery's numbers to my own phone when I'd programmed Eden's?

Then I remembered we were monitoring her cell. I opened the security app and pulled up her recent calls and texts. Unfortunately, Eden's parents didn't know anything more than I did.

"She left here over an hour ago," Gigi Montgomery told me. "She never came back?"

"That's what I'm trying to find out. She's not in her suite and no one seems to know where she is. She was coming straight back, right?"

"Well, yeah." Gigi paused. "I mean, we thought she was. We watched her get into the SUV and drive off. Have you sent someone out to look for the SUV?"

She could be lying. My lie-detector sense only worked when I was physically in a human's presence. But my gut said the woman was telling the truth—for one thing, she sounded as worried as I did.

"Not yet," I said grimly. "But I will."

"Let me talk to him," Wes Montgomery said, and a moment later, he came on the phone. "Are you saying Eden's missing?"

"I don't know. She could be somewhere on the castle grounds."

She didn't have permission to roam the castle, but this was Eden. She was resourceful, and she knew the castle as well as I did.

"Maybe she left," Montgomery said. "Maybe she doesn't want to spend the rest of her life as your goddamned thrall."

My molars clamped together. "That's between me and her," I said tightly. "If you know something, I suggest you tell me. Now."

Otherwise I'd compel it out of the man. I didn't care if he was Eden's father or that the syndicate had an unwritten policy of not pissing off the locals. Finding Eden trumped both of those things.

A long, insulting pause, but when Montgomery replied, he confirmed what his wife had told me. "We thought she was on her way back to the castle. The last thing we saw, she was getting into one of your SUVs."

"Okay." I forced my jaw to loosen. "Contact me at this number if she turns up."

"I'm taking my truck out to look for her," he said and ended the call.

Acid ate at my stomach. I paced up and down the path near the French door.

Eden hadn't wanted to come back to Lilith Island. I'd forced her to return. Maneuvered her into accepting my blood bond.

Could she have been biding her time? Waiting for a chance to escape?

But it didn't add up. She was truly sorry for what she'd done—that part hadn't been a lie. I'd felt her guilt and shame. She hadn't even touched Eugene Smith's blood money. She was doing everything she could to make it up to me and the syndicate.

Plus, there was the baby. Why leave now after we'd come to an agreement about his place in the syndicate? Hell, she'd made me swear on my sire's grave that our son would have choices, that he wouldn't be forced to join the syndicate if he didn't want to.

My phone buzzed with a text from Cain: Rio doesn't know anything William was about to let you know she hasn't come back.

A text from Brien popped up next. The cams show she left never returned. Jones isn't back either.

Hell. I didn't know what to think. Had she left on her own or been kidnapped?

Whichever it was, I wasn't sticking around any longer to find out. I sent a quick text to William, directing him to send a soldier out to drive the cliff road to Bluebeard's Cove in case they had an accident. Meanwhile, I'd head into town to see what I could find out.

I was already moving as I informed Brien and Cain of my plans.

TALON:On my way to the Cove. Taking my bike.

brIEN:Meet you @ the garage.

CAIN:Same.

They caught up to me on the stairs leading up to the ground floor. Together, we raced through the foyer and outside. As we rolled our motorcycles out of the carriage house, our phones buzzed with a message from Twilight.

Jones had been discovered wandering in the forest between Bluebeard's Cove and the castle. Looks like he was drugged, she informed us. They're taking him to the clinic.

My fingers clenched around the phone so tightly a fracture zigzagged across the screen.

Brien met my gaze, his expression somber. "Let's get over there, see what he knows."

We roared out of the courtyard, taking the shortcut through the forest south of the castle. Ten minutes later, we bumped down the stairs of the cliff that overlooked the Cove.

When we arrived at the island clinic, Dr. MacKenzie was examining Jones. We pushed our way into the room examining room, where the driver was laying on a table, eyes closed.

"Is he okay?" Brien asked, and Jones's eyes opened.

The beefy doctor nodded. "He will be. He needs rest and—"

"Has he said anything about Eden Montgomery?" I interrupted. "He was supposed to be driving her back to the castle."

"No."

I turned to Jones, watching us through heavy lids. "What do you know?"

"The man's been drugged," MacKenzie said. "I'm not sure he can tell you anything useful."

"No." Jones struggled to sit up, and I moved forward, supporting him with an arm around his back. "I can talk. I'm sorry, my lord." His gaze swung to where Brien stood at the foot of the examining table. "I didn't see them." He swallowed hard. "I'm sorry," he repeated.

"All right," Brien said calmly. "Take your time and tell us what—"

"Eden," I said, unable to wait while Brien coaxed it out of the man. "She's missing. What do you know about it?"

"Eden never came back?" Jones turned his head in my direction, then winced and rubbed his temple.

"No," I said.

He briefly closed his eyes. "Jesus. I was afraid of that."

"Easy," the doctor told him and tried to elbow me aside. "Lieutenant, if you give him some space, he—"

I hissed and bared my fangs. "Eden Montgomery is missing and this man can help. Now shut up or leave the fucking room."

MacKenzie moved back a foot, arms folded over his broad chest. "I'll stay."

"Talon," Brien said with a warning look.

I gave a curt nod and withdrew my fangs.

Brien turned his attention back to Jones. "So you saw Eden Montgomery to her parents' house," he murmured in soothing, almost hypnotic tone. "Then what happened?"

"I'm not sure." The older man's shoulders drooped. "All I remember is that around four o'clock, I texted my wife to bring me a sandwich and a thermos of coffee. I didn't want to leave Eden unattended, and my house is just a block from the Montgomery's."

"And then what?" asked Brien.

"My wife got there about fifteen minutes later, and I got out of the car. She stayed for a few minutes while I started eating, and then she left. But I didn't get back in the SUV. My right knee had stiffened up, so I walked up and down the sidewalk until it loosened up. It was dusk by then, and I knew we had to get back. I finished the sandwich and poured the last cup of coffee and started toward the Montgomery's house. The next thing I knew, I was on my back, staring up at an oak tree."

Cain stirred. "How many people—one? Two?"

The older man's chest heaved. "I'm not sure. I didn't see or hear anything."

Cain, Brien and I exchanged a look.

"Vampires," muttered Cain.

Brien nodded.

Whoever had attacked Jones had probably been in the shadows. Could it be the same person or persons who'd helped sneak Esposito onto the island? My stomach folded in on itself.

Because if the answer was yes, Esposito was part of this.

Jones touched his left thigh. "I felt something sting my leg."

MacKenzie moved forward. "Can I have a look?"

"Sure," Jones said, and I eased him back onto the examining table, watching as the doctor helped Jones out of his pants.

MacKenzie examined the faint bruise on Jones's thigh, a bruise with a tiny hole in the center. "You were definitely injected with something. Fast-acting from the sound of it."

Jones glanced at me. "I'm sorry, Lieutenant. I should never have gotten out of the SUV."

I blew out a breath. "Not your fault. I should've had you take backup."

But I hadn't thought Eden was in danger. Not on Lilith Island.

"If that's all," said the doctor, "he should rest now."

"Let us know if you remember anything else," Brien told Jones and we left the examining room.

Mrs. Jones was pacing the waiting room. It must've started raining because she was soaked, her short brown hair matted to her head, her sweater dripping.

Her attention shot to the three of us. "How is he?"

"He's shook up," Brien said, "but he should be all right."

Her hand flew to her mouth. "Thank God."

"Dr. Mackenzie's with him now," Brien added. "You can go in."

"Thank you, my lord," she said and hurried past us.

Outside we paused on the clinic's front porch. I stared into the driving rain. It was barely above freezing. By morning it could turn to sleet or snow. The thought of Eden out there somewhere made me feel like I was being sliced with sharp silver razors.

"She's a human, and pregnant," I said. "She can't survive for long on a night like this."

Brien and Cain exchanged a glance.

"Eden's okay," Brien told me. "They wouldn't have gone to this much trouble if they wanted to hurt her."

"We'll find her," Cain added. "Whatever it takes, we'll do it."

My jaw worked. "Thank you," I said, my voice rough with emotion.

"You have to consider the possibility that your father has something to do with this," Brien said.

Blackness edged my vision. I threw him a savage look. "He is not my father."

Brien dipped his chin. "Esposito, then."

"Hey." Moving up on my other side, Cain bumped my shoulder with his. "Take it easy. We're on your side, bro."

I grabbed for the ragged shreds of my control. "Sorry," I told Brien. "That was out of line. And yeah, that occurred to me. That he's in this somehow."

"Call Mary," Brien said. "Maybe she knows something."

"Good idea. Should've thought of it myself."

Unfortunately, my mom knew nothing, either. "You're saying your dad is on the island? I haven't seen him—I swear I haven't. But he wouldn't have anything to do with this, either. I know it. He's not violent—he wouldn't hurt Eden. He—"

The buzzing in my head was back. "I have to go," I said, cutting through her stumbling defense of the SOB. "Call me if you see or hear from him. But if he gets in touch, I want to know. Is that understood? You let me know immediately."

"Yes. I—"

I didn't hear the rest because I ended the call. "You guys heard?" I asked my friends.

"Yeah," said Brien.

"What if—?" I swallowed over something acrid. "What if Eden left on her own? What if she planned this?"

Cain spoke first. "No fucking way. Don't let yourself go there. Maybe that's what they want you to think, but that woman loves you. Even I can see that."

I stared at him, shocked that he of all people was defending her. But it helped quiet the buzzing, especially when Brien added, "Why would she leave now? She's due in February—that's what, ten or eleven weeks from now? She wants that baby. Even if she hated your guts, she'd stick around until after he was born."

"Yes. She would." I dragged a hand down my face, reminding myself that it didn't add up.

"So we'll go on the assumption she was kidnapped," Brien said.

Kidnapped.

Hearing someone say it out loud was like throwing a match on the gasoline fire of my fear. Brien and Cain were still talking but I couldn't hear them. I could only stare into the rain, horrified that Eden was out there somewhere. I almost wished she had left willingly. At least then she'd be safe. Dry. Warm.

"Talon," Brien said sharply. "Focus, damn it."

He's right. Don't think about it. Focus on getting her back.

I nodded. Shoved the cracked phone into my pocket.

"Okay. Okay." I somehow made myself switch into planning mode. "One of you wake up the mayor, get her to mount a search along with us. Eden's a local, and they'll want to help—and who knows, maybe someone will get lucky. Meanwhile, I'll start at the marina. If they're thinking of taking her off island, it would be by boat."

A helicopter would be noticed, but the locals took boats in and out all the time. One more wouldn't be remarked on.

"Go," Brien said. "I'll get some of our people on it, too. They can search the woods and the beaches."

I was already heading for the porch steps. Icy raindrops pelted my face, drenched my T-shirt and pants. I noticed the needle-like sensation, but from far away as if the rain—and my body—were on the other side of a window fogged with dread.

Behind me, Brien and Cain were working out which of our people were available to search. Brien was going all out to find Eden, even if it meant leaving the castle only lightly guarded, and I was grateful to him, and Cain as well. For their support. For their willingness to put aside what Eden had done and help find her.

But it was still like looking for a needle in a fucking haystack. And that was assuming Eden was still on the island.