Chapter 175

Alex opened the door to the seedy motel room just outside of Boston that he and his team were staying in. They could pay cash here, no questions asked, and people wandering in and out at odd times of the day and night wasn’t unusual.

He smiled to himself. Oscar was dead. One more person to deal with in just a few more weeks and then Anna would be safe. He sighed in relief as he dropped his bag on the bed.

He looked around. “Where’s Sebastian?” Sebastian was supposed to stay here with Greg. Seth and Tony hadn’t yet returned from their secondary lookout points. Greg was there, but not Sebastian.

Greg gave him a look that sent chills through his body. “He left suddenly yesterday afternoon. Just disappeared.”

Alex dug in his bag for his phone and tapped his foot as he waited for it to power on. Damn smartphones took forever to start. There were no new messages, so he called Anna, though she would be in rehearsal and likely wouldn’t pick up.

He looked at Greg as Anna’s phone rang. And rang. “Pack up, we’re leaving. Now.” Her phone finally went to voicemail. “Anna, Schatzi . Please call me as soon as you get this. I will be home in less than two hours. Please. Call me.” He couldn’t hide the panic in his voice.

As soon as Seth and Tony returned, they threw their stuff in their rental car. Tony’s hasty drive to the airport caused the tires to lose their tread, leaving them nearly bald by the time he arrived. Alex had called every person he could think of. Unfortunately, they were all in rehearsals. Simon!

He punched his phone a little harder than he should have, but sighed in relief when Simon answered. “Simon! Have you—Have you heard anything about Anna?”

“No . . . Should I have?”

“Sebastian left suddenly yesterday and hasn’t returned. Everyone is in rehearsals and no one is picking up. I don’t know if Anna is alright.”

“Do you want me to go over to the theater?”

Alex thought for a moment. He wanted to see for himself that Anna was alright. “Do you have time?”

“I can make time.”

“Call your father first. See if he has heard anything. He’s in the country, right?”

“Yes. He arrived yesterday.”

“Let me know what you find out.”

“Will do.”

Alex laid his phone on his knee and closed his eyes. Anna had to be alright. She just had to be.

Alex sprinted through the back door of the theater and toward the stage. Simon had called him back a little while ago, letting him know that his father hadn’t heard anything about Anna’s whereabouts. The drive from the airport had been torture, and they’d gone straight to the theater.

He burst onto the stage and looked around, desperately searching the faces for his beloved wife. She wasn’t there.

The music stopped and everyone turned and looked at him. The sadness in their eyes did nothing to ease the knot in his stomach.

His eyes met Hugo’s and he took a step forward. “Anna?”

Hugo swallowed, and his eyes filled with grief. “She’s... Aaron said that man—Devin—was here.”

Alex’s jaw trembled and the rest of him followed. He stared into the eyes of the man who loved Anna almost as much as he did. “This isn’t some sick idea of a joke?” he whispered in German. He couldn’t think straight.

Hugo’s brow twitched and he shook his head.

Alex looked around. “Where’s Aaron?”

“He’s in the hospital. He got beat up pretty bad.”

Alex grabbed his stomach as if he’d been hit. “Where?”

Hugo gave him the name of the hospital and Alex thanked him and shakily turned and walked off the stage.

Alex couldn’t call any of the Elders to find out what was going on. Not with the chance that Devin could be near anyone he could call. He had to wait to be called. In the meantime, he went to the hospital and visited Aaron.

Cameron was sitting next to Aaron’s bed holding his hand when Alex walked in. Cameron’s face was full of worry. “Alex! Oh, thank goodness!” The smaller man rushed over and hugged him around the waist.

Alex looked down at him for a moment before hugging him back. It was obvious how much Cameron cared for Aaron. He couldn’t begrudge the guy some affection.

“What happened?” Alex disentangled himself from Cameron and walked over to Aaron. His face was covered in bruises and a tube was sticking out of his mouth. He looked to be sleeping.

“I don’t know exactly. He was conscious when he arrived, but has been sleeping since. He’s got some pretty bad internal injuries.” Cameron sat back down and took Aaron’s hand. “Tom Pendleton brought him in.”

Alex felt his men enter the room behind him, and they stopped and stared at Aaron. Cameron looked up with wide eyes. Alex realized they probably looked rather intimidating. They hadn’t stopped to shower and were still in their black clothing.

“You have my number?” he asked Cameron.

Cameron shook his head. Alex grabbed a piece of paper from the table next to Aaron and scribbled his number on it. “Call me the moment he’s awake. I have to go find out what’s going on.”

Cameron nodded, tears in his eyes.

Alex and his men returned to the condo, and they cursed when they saw the mess.

“What would do this?” Seth crouched down, looking closely at the damaged wall of his room. “It’s not an explosion.”

Alex looked around. Seth was right. There were no signs of fire or anything that would normally accompany a scene like this.

Alex’s breath left his lungs when he saw dance bags in the far corner. He stared as he walked over and kneeled, running his hands over the rough canvas, one pink, the other red. Aaron and Anna’s bags. Why had they come into this room? Anna’s phone showed his missed calls, as did Aaron’s. He searched through their call histories and saw an unknown number had called Aaron repeatedly Thursday afternoon. He tossed it to Greg. “See if you can find out who called Aaron.”

Greg nodded and walked away. Alex looked around and saw a slash in the wall and on the bed. “Fire?”

If Anna had been here, and Sebastian had disappeared, the logical conclusion was that Sebastian had come here to protect her. But why would Sebastian have left and allowed her to be captured? He wouldn’t have left Anna unprotected unless there had been another threat beside Devin. Who could that have been?

He would have to wait until Aaron woke up.

Anna lay in Devin’s Boston hotel suite bed Friday afternoon, listening to him and Tom talk softly in the other room. Rylan’s funeral had taken place late morning, and Oscar had been killed as the funeral attendees dispersed from the graveyard. At least, that’s what she assumed from overhearing Devin and Tom’s conversation. She hadn’t attended the funeral, unable to move enough to leave the hotel room. She was thankful Devin was more interested in taking her essence than punishing her. If Devin had brought his syringe, he certainly would have used it on her.

The Brotherhood Funeral Gathering had been moved to Sunday after Oscar’s “unexpected” funeral in the morning, since everyone was already in town.

Devin had been nervous all afternoon, pacing in the sitting room, but he’d left her alone. She was beginning to regain feeling in her body and turned onto her side and closed her eyes, wishing with everything she was that Alex would come through the door and rescue her. Oscar was dead now. Surely he could come and get her without Devin finding out... right?

Just a few more days. Alex will come soon.

Friday night after dinner, Cameron finally called Alex to let him know Aaron was awake. Alex, Tony, Seth, and Greg immediately headed over to the hospital.

Aaron gave him a weak smile as Alex walked in, and Alex’s heart squeezed to see the pain in his friend’s eyes. He was relieved that the breathing tube had been removed from his mouth, though. “Aaron...” Cameron moved so Alex could sit down. “How are you feeling?”

“Oh, been better,” came Aaron’s raspy voice. “You?”

Alex pressed his lips together, unsure he’d be able to speak over the lump in his throat. “Who—?” He cleared his throat. “Who did this?”

“Devin. Had no idea that guy was so strong.”

Alex’s jaw clenched and he heard the guys behind him muttering. “Why?”

“He thinks I had something to do with Anna’s disappearance.” He coughed and Cameron hurried to his side to give him a drink of water through a straw. Aaron smiled at his boyfriend and then looked back at Alex. “Wasn’t wrong. Tom saved my life, but Devin got away with Anna. There wasn’t anything else we could do.”

“Had you seen Sebastian?”

Aaron nodded. “Kelsey called and told me to take Anna to the condo. Sebastian showed up a few minutes later. Then some big guy appeared—looked like another Immortal. Anna seemed to know who he was. She screamed when he showed up. He and Sebastian started fighting with these fire sword things that just... appeared in their hands.” He glanced behind Alex. “They blasted out your wall, Seth.”

The destruction made more sense now. But who was the other Immortal? If Anna knew him... Kaveh, maybe?

“There was a bunch of crashing and stuff in the hallway, and then nothing. They’d disappeared.”

So why hadn’t Sebastian returned? He really could use the Immortal’s help right now. Alex sucked in a deep breath and slowly blew it out. What a mess. He couldn’t have not gone to Boston though. He had to complete the job and get rid of Oscar.

He ran his hands through his hair and chewed his lip. Was there something he could have done to prevent all this? Oh, his poor Anna. He wished he could call Vati and make sure she was alright. Did he even know what was going on? Had he seen her?

With several coughing fits and sips of water, Aaron told him about Anna feeling Devin at the theater and going back to the condo. About Devin’s appearance and how Devin hit and kicked him until Tom had managed to stop him. “She told me to tell you she loved you before he came.”

Alex nodded and blinked back burning tears. There was nothing he could do at that moment, and he felt incredibly helpless. He couldn’t help Aaron, he couldn’t go get Anna. He needed to talk to his father to find out what was going on. Or Tom, or Vlad. Someone! Why hadn’t anyone called him?

Alex squeezed Aaron’s hand gently. “Thank you for doing what you could.”

“I hardly did anything. Oh, her wedding rings are under the couch in the living room. I thought if Devin saw them, he might get suspicious.”

“Good thinking.” Grief filled him as he looked into his best friend’s bruised face. “I will make him pay for this, Aaron. I promise.”

Aaron’s eyes drooped, and he gave a lopsided smile. “I know. Hope I get to watch.”

“If it is humanly possible, I will make sure you’re there.”