Chapter 19 Untitled Chapter
Skyler cursed under his breath. “Where is everybody?”
Roberto didn’t answer. He rewound the footage. Gate logs. Guard rotations. Cars leaving. Then Kendrix and Nora pulling out that afternoon.
He stopped the clip and played it again.
Their car drove normal for a few minutes. Then one camera glitched. Brief and professional.
The next angle showed a black SUV riding their bumper. It rammed Kendrix’s car hard.
The footage shook. Kendrix’s car swerved. The SUV hit again on purpose.
Bash muttered, “Jesus.”
The screen cut out for half a second. When it came back, the guards were down. Doors opened and two figures dragged Nora and Kendrix out. Fast and clean.
Roberto watched without blinking.
Skyler glanced at him. “This was planned.”
“Yes.”
“They knew her route.”
“Yes.”
“They knew the timing.”
Roberto’s jaw grounded. “They knew my system.”
He rewound it again, and watched the movements. No wasted motion. No hesitation. Whoever did this knew how he ran things.
Bash ran a hand over his face. “So someone talked…”
He didn’t need to finish.
The room was quiet except for the monitors. Then Roberto paused the footage.
Skyler noticed. “What?”
Roberto zoomed in on the passenger side. A woman stepped out of the SUV. Her face was hidden, but the posture, he knew it. And that thin silver bracelet on her wrist.
Skyler’s face went blank. “No.”
Bash frowned. “No, what?”
Roberto stared at the frozen frame for a long second. “Kylie.”
The name hit the room like a door slam.
Bash blinked. “You’re serious?”
Roberto killed the screen. His voice was flat. “She took Kendrix.”
And somehow, that was worse than if he had yelled it. Nobody spoke for several seconds after Roberto said her name.
Kylie.
The room felt colder.
Bash stared at the paused footage. “You’re serious?”
Roberto didn’t answer. He just watched the frozen frame of the SUV door half open. The blurred shape stepping out and the silver bracelet.
Those small details were enough confirmation.
Skyler leaned against the desk, arms folded tight. “She acted alone?”
“Yes.”
“Alone?” Bash blinked. “She’s reckless, not stupid.”
Rain tapped the high windows. Monitors hummed.
Roberto replayed the footage again. Not for confirmation. He was looking for the mistake. Kylie always made one.
“She shouldn’t have touched Kendrix this easily,” Skyler muttered.
“She used Nora’s route.”
“She shouldn’t have known Nora’s route.”
Roberto’s jaw locked. It wasn’t the kidnapping that pissed him off. It was the access. Kylie knew the patterns. Knew which guards got careless. Knew when the estate let its guard down.
“So this is because you dumped her,” Bash said.
Skyler shot him a look. “Bash.”
“What? It is.”
Roberto finally looked away from the screen calmly.
“That’s not the problem.”
Bash frowned. “She kidnapped your fiancée.”
“She crossed a line she understood perfectly well.”
The room went quiet.
Skyler studied him. “You think she’ll hurt Kendrix?”
“No.”
Bash scoffed. “You sound confident for someone whose ex just ran a car off the road.”
“Kylie wants attention,” Roberto said. “Not a corpse.”
Bash rubbed his face. “I hate relationship problems in this house.”
Roberto shut the footage off and stood.
“Track every property she’s used in the last six months. Phones too.”
Skyler nodded.“Already started.”
“And me?” Bash asked.
Roberto grabbed his coat. “You’re coming with me.”
Bash paused. “That serious?”
Roberto’s eyes said it all. No anger. No shouting. Just that quiet before something breaks.
Roberto only got like this when someone crossed a line they weren’t walking back from.
. .
Kendrix counted the steps again. Seven to the window. Five back to the door. Three toward the vanity. Escape seemed almost impossible.
“This is insane,” she muttered.
The room was too quiet. No traffic. No voices. Nothing bled through the walls. Whoever built this place wanted it that way, and she hated it.
Everything looked expensive and deliberate. Soft lighting. Fresh flowers. Cream curtains. A tray of untouched food sat beside tea that went cold an hour ago.
It didn’t feel like Roberto’s world.
His spaces were sharp with dark rooms that warned you before you stepped in. This one felt personal.
Her eyes caught on the vanity. Perfume bottles. Jewelry tray. Hair products. Enough to confirm a woman lived here. Or someone wanted her to think that.
Kendrix yanked the wardrobe open harder this time. Dresses. Sweaters. Shoes lined up underneath.
“Nope,” she muttered, slamming it shut.
Her stomach twisted. Not fear. Something closer to violation. Like the room already knew what version of her it wanted.
She sat on the edge of the bed and forced herself to think. The attack was too clean. Too fast, not random. And the guards... She frowned.
They weren’t nervous around her. If this was ransom, they would be tense. But these men weren’t. They were used to this place. Used to whoever ran it.
A soft knock came on the door and the lock clicked. A guard stepped in with another tray of fresh tea.
“Seriously?” Kendrix said. “Do I look like I want tea?”
He set it down and ignored her.
“Who brought me here?”
He turned toward the door. “Just eat something.”
Kendrix stared. Then laughed, short and disbelieving. “That’s your advice?”
He didn’t answer. She was starting to hate these people.
The guard paused at the door. His posture shifted, straighter and alert.
Kendrix heard it a second later. Heels against the floor. Slow, steady, not rushed.
The guard lowered his eyes and stepped aside.
Kendrix held her breath.
The footsteps stopped. Then the door opened wider. A woman walked in with a wine glass in her fingers. Dark red dress. Perfect makeup and cold eyes.
Kylie.
Neither of them spoke at first. Kylie scanned the room, then her gaze landed on Kendrix.
Finally, Kylie tilted her head. “You don’t look dangerous enough for this much trouble.”
Kendrix stared. Then laughed dryly.
“Wow. And here I thought kidnapping came with better opening lines.”
Kylie took a slow sip of wine, unbothered.
“That wasn’t an opening line.”
“Then work on your people skills.”
Kylie didn’t answer. She just watched, like she was trying to figure out what everybody else saw.
Kendrix crossed her arms. “You gonna explain why I’m here, or are we doing the creepy stare thing all night?”
Kylie walked further in. Calm steps, liike she belonged everywhere.
“I wanted to meet you properly.”
Kendrix blinked. “You rammed a car off the road to introduce yourself?”
“I didn’t ram anything. The driver overcorrected.”
“That’s worse.”
Kylie almost smiled. She set the glass down by the untouched tea tray and glanced around. “You haven’t eaten.”
“You kidnapped me.”
“And you still need food.”
“Very inspirational.”
Kylie ignored the sarcasm. That bugged Kendrix more than arguing would. Roberto pushed, but Kylie didn’t. She just stood there calm enough to make the room feel wrong.
“So what is this? Revenge?”
Kylie looked at her directly. “No.”
Kylie ran a finger along the vanity. “He ended things with me just a week ago.”
“And that made you kidnap his fiancée?”
Kylie’s expression didn’t shift. “You say fiancée like you wanted it.”