78. Cin

78

Cin

T here is a gym in the basement of this building, with all the equipment we need, but I dislike working out in full view of Lycra-clad gym bunnies, all of whom are dying to get laid. Preferably with me.

I tried going down to the gym once and vowed never again. Using the indoor pool is less of an issue because most sane people don't choose to swim laps at 3 AM, but the gym is busier at night.

After listening to me complain, Kade arranged for one of the many spare rooms to be kitted out basic gym equipment: a treadmill, a weights bench, and a punch bag.

Right now, the punch bag is getting a lot of use. I haven't bothered wrapping my fists and they are bleeding, but I give no fucks. Every time I punch the bag, I imagine it's the cunt who stole my woman.

He'll be praying for death by the time I catch up with him. I'm usually an easy-going guy. The jokester. The dude who makes people laugh, who never takes life too seriously.

The flirt.

That man is long gone. It's been days since I posted a shirtless selfie on Instagram. I've had hundreds of DMs asking if I'm OK, but since I'm not OK, I haven't bothered replying to any of them.

The rest of the world can go fuck itself.

Sweat pours off me as I whale into the punch bag. I feel like I've been in this room for hours, but I can't stop. I haven't slept properly in days. Every time I close my eyes, I see her face, hear her screaming as someone hurts her, sobbing as she calls for me to help her.

Chloe's screams echo through my nightmares, too. That sweet little girl doesn't deserve this shit. She's just a baby, for fuck's sake. I remember all too well the horrors of my childhood. I do not want Chloe to suffer like I did. No kid deserves that.

Thank God Harry and Buttons are safe. That's one load off my mind.

What really irks me is that we have nothing to go on. There have been no sightings of the car that took Tessa and Chloe, no intel from any of the cunts Kade's soldiers pulled off the streets. Fucking nothing.

It's like they disappeared into thin air. Poof.

These days, with surveillance cameras everywhere, it's surprisingly hard to disappear. There's always a camera that someone forgot to wipe. But I've been searching and found nothing. Quinn hasn't either.

If Madden hadn't forced me to leave my temporary office, where I've been sitting staring at a screen since we got back from New York, I'd still be glued to my chair now. I wasn't happy about it, but he's right. My brain is beyond tired and there's a chance I'll miss something crucial if I try to power through with caffeine and energy drinks.

Working out for a bit seemed like a good idea. I figured if I wore my body out, I might actually sleep for a couple of hours.

It hasn't helped yet, but I live in hope.

The door bursts open as I hit the punch bag for the ten thousandth time.

"Cin! We have something!"

I'm so distracted by Madden shouting at me that I don't step aside in time when the punch bag swings back toward me. It knocks me flat on my back and, for a moment, I can't move.

"Jesus, Cin, you're a goddamn mess," Madden mutters as he grabs my wrist and hauls me to my feet. Blood drips on the floor from my split knuckles.

"Let me dress your hands," he says, but I shake my head impatiently.

"It can wait. What do we have?"

"Quinn finally got a hit on the woman who tried to take Chloe from the daycare center. She's been picked up on camera entering and leaving a Walmart."

"How does that help us?" I ask, bemused. Maybe my brain isn't functioning correctly, but I don't see how knowing where the woman does her weekly grocery shop is useful.

"Because she was buying baby stuff," Kade explains. "And two of Mashkov's men accompanied her."

The pieces slide together in my head. "And which of his properties are nearby?"

"His main estate is 10 km away, so that is probably where Tessa and Chloe are being held, but there's more."

"Oh?"

"Quinn's facial recognition software was able to identify her. Her name is Elena Mashkov, and she's Sergei Mashkov's mother. So we have proof Mashkov is involved," Madden says with a grim look on his face. He hasn't slept either.

Kade walks in. He scowls when he sees my bloody fists, but doesn't comment.

"I passed on the intel to Alberto. He's agreed it is time to take action. Get kitted up. We hit Mashkov's mansion tonight."