Chapter 54

Someone’s pounding on my door. The ruckus jolts my attention away from the canvas in front of me. Ever since the accident, I’ve been desperate to finish the portrait I started of her. Now, as I wait for her answer, to see if she’ll give me a second chance, painting this portrait has been the only thing keeping me sane.

The doorknob rattles and I turn off the music playing from the surround sound system in my suite within The Orchid. The room falls into an eerie silence and unease curls in my gut.

Before I reach the marble foyer, the front door flies open and in strides Elias, his normally calm face flashing with rare emotion, his hair in disarray. He’s clutching a thin metal rod in his hand and some electrical device.

“Did you just pick open my door? What the fuck is going on?” This is all off brand for him, the silent, unruffled assassin.

He storms in. “It was either that or breaking it down, and I didn’t think you’d appreciate that. We need to leave. My men have spotted Cole.”

“What?”

“Cole Whelan. They saw him sneaking into the estate just now and they called me. They haven’t seen him leave yet, so I presume he’s still there.”

“Fuck!” My blood runs cold. For the past few days, I’d ask Elias to put men outside the estate just in case someone attempts to hurt Belle again .

I grab my keys and rush out the door, with Elias right behind me. I dial Belle’s number, but it goes directly to voicemail. I try again three more times, then call Morris and the rest of the staff. All direct to voicemail.

Fuck. Shit. Shit. Shit. I call the on-site security team and no one picks up. They always pick up—someone must’ve taken them out.

“Can you get your men inside?” I ask.

Elias shakes his head. “Someone set the alarms and locked the place up after Cole snuck in. My men tried to get in, and unless we use brute force, it’d be impossible. Your place is like a fortress. Can you disarm the alarm remotely?”

“No. We were going to do an upgrade for remote connection but we never got around to doing it.” Breaking into a sprint, I dart into the nearest stairwell and fly down the steps as quickly as I can. All I can think about is Belle and the attempts at her life.

Please be okay.

“Did you find out anything about him?” I huff out.

“My people found emails on his server that were copies of your dad’s correspondence to Belle’s father a year and a half ago. I think he knew Belle was a top candidate for your arrangement and purposely inserted himself at the shelter to get close to her.”

“Fuuuck!” What does this man have against me? Why is he targeting Belle?

I burst into the underground parking structure moments later, hop into my car, with Elias sliding into the passenger seat.

Fear and regret rush through my mind as we race toward the estate. Belle’s smile. Her calming touch. Her rambling when she’s nervous. The beauty mark underneath her eye. Every small quirk that fascinates me and makes me fall harder for her with each passing day.

I can’t lose her. Fuck, I can’t lose her.

I’ll strangle him to death with my bare hands before he takes her.

Minutes later, I dart through the doors of the mansion and disarm the external alarms. Chills race down my spine. Elias mutters something on his phone, no doubt to call in reinforcements, but I don’t pay any attention.

I need to get to her.

“Belle!” I roar, but no one responds.

A vase lies shattered on the floor, crimson coating the pieces. Blood.

My heart riots in my chest.

“Cole fucking Whelan,” I holler, “if you hurt one hair on her head, I’ll kill you!”

I move quickly from room to room, stopping by my gun safe on the first floor and take out a Glock, load it, and disengage the safety. I’ve never liked violence. The thrill of the hunt is something Ryland enjoys much more than me, but I’m deadly with a weapon.

I just hope I don’t need to use it tonight.

“Belle! Cole!”

Muffled voices come from the direction of the family gallery. Elias gives me a hand signal, a gun gripped tightly in his hand as he steps to the side and wrenches open the door.

Darting in, I point my gun into the room, finding Agnes bound and gagged on the floor, her eyes widening in fright as she angles her head toward the far corner. Mora and Melody lie there—Mora unconscious, her face pale, and Melody barely holding on, sweat plastering her forehead.

“What happened? Where’s Belle?”

Melody raises a shaky hand, her breathing rapid, voice weak. “R-Rose garden. P-Please help her.” Her eyes flutter shut, and she slumps on the floor.

I hurry to Agnes and free her from her restraints. “Call the police commissioner.”

Dashing toward the back entrance, I realize Elias is nowhere to be seen. But I don’t give a fuck about that now.

Rain pours from the dreary skies, the storm unleashing its fury as dark clouds blanket the atmosphere in gloom. My clothes quickly soak through as I run past the barren trees and skeletal branches at the entrance of the rose garden .

I breathe heavily, my exhales coming out in plumes of white before merging with the mist from the rain. I can barely see the path in front of me, but I know these grounds like the back of my hand and I move quickly, my gun pointed down as I walk deeper into the garden, staying close to the towering hedges, keeping my ears peeled for any unusual sounds.

“Stop, please! You don’t need to do this.”

Belle. She’s still alive. Fuck, she sounds terrified.

I hasten my steps, my heart digging its way out of my chest, desperate to find her.

I can’t lose her. Not again. I can’t lose her again. Flashes of another rainy day barrel into my mind.

Blood. So much blood. Belle lying stiffly in my arms, her body broken as she clutched a letter in her grip.

Not again. Take me instead.

The thoughts make no sense, and yet they ring true. Nausea churns inside me and I turn a corner, keeping my back against the hedge.

Then I see them.

Belle, tied to a chair, her eyes terrified and pleading. She digs her shoes into the mud, an attempt to break free, but it’s no use. The ropes bind her too tightly.

Cole paces in front of her, tugging his hair. He looks distraught. He shakes his head. “I didn’t agree to this. I didn’t.”

Click.

I freeze. The cocking of a gun, a hardness pressing onto my back—the unmistakable imprint of a metal barrel, and then a familiar, raspy voice.

“Maxwell, I was wondering when you’d show up.”

“No!” Belle screams when she sees me.

I slowly raise my hands, shock tearing through me at the voice I’ve heard my entire life. Someone I’ve always considered… family .

“Morris? What the fuck are you doing?”