He moved out into the passage. She continued to pace.
“It will be all right, Squirt,” Caleb reassured her.
Would it? She had this horrible feeling in her gut that it wouldn’t be.
“Is there something you would like to help soothe your nerves?” Prince Kassim asked her.
She shook her head, rubbing at her tummy. The ball of stress there made her feel ill.
Dominic walked back in, frowning. “His last known location is this building.”
Which meant nothing. Just that he’d turned his phone off before leaving. Or before someone made him leave.
Suddenly, her phone went off with a text message.
She scrambled over to grab her phone off her desk. Matek had luckily moved out of the way or she might have bowled him over in her haste. Disappointment filled her as she saw the strange number.
She opened the message, her stomach knotting further as she read what it said.
“Oh God.” She looked over at Dominic.
“What is it?” Dominic rushed towards her. “What’s wrong?”
“It. . .it’s Bain! Someone has him!”
24
“I’m going,” she said firmly.
“You’re not going.”
“I am going, Caleb, and you can’t stop me.”
“It’s a fucking trap, Arianna. For all we know, Bain is already dead and all you’d be doing is sacrificing yourself as well.”
She gasped, swaying as black dots danced in front of her vision. He couldn’t be dead. That wasn’t possible.
“Jesus Christ, Caleb, watch what you say,” Aleki snapped, wrapping an arm around her.
“I can’t just wait here and do nothing. Do you know how helpless I feel right now? Everyone has always made the decisions for me. This is my decision and I’m going to do it.”
Dominic shook his head. “I can’t let you do that. I’m your bodyguard, Arianna. I can’t let you do something dangerous.”
“Then you’re fired,” she said quickly. “The rest of you, figure out a way for me to do this safely but do it quick because we’ve got fifteen minutes left.”
Fifteen minutes to meet this asshole at the west corner of the park. It was nearing on dusk. There wouldn’t be many people out now. She knew it was a trap. But if she didn’t go and something happened to Bain. . .
“I’d never forgive myself if something happened to him.”
She didn’t know who had him or how they’d captured him. But she did know she had to help him.
Dominic crossed his arms over his chest. “Not happening.”
She turned to her best friend. “Caleb. Please.”
Caleb sighed.
“There are ways to manage this,” Kassim said quietly, surprising her. “We have time to set up if we go now.”