Chapter 76 My Bride
Xavier's POV
I watched Lucas as he walked away. The moment the door closed behind him, the smile on my face disappeared.
Something was wrong. Very wrong. Lucas was hiding something from me. I didn't know what.
Not yet. But I could feel it.
For years, I had trusted him more than anyone else in this world. We had built empires together. Killed together. Bled together.
I knew the way Lucas lied. I knew the way he looked when he was nervous. And just now? He had been nervous.
I leaned against the table and exhaled slowly. I needed to find Anna first. Everything else could wait.
I headed straight for the surveillance wing of the mansion.
The men there immediately stood up when they saw me. "Boss."
I nodded. "Pull up the security footage." One of them quickly obeyed.
The screens lit up. I folded my arms. "Show me this morning."
The footage began rolling. Fast-forwarded. I watched servants move around. Guards changing shifts, cars entering and leaving.
But no sign of an escape or a loop that the footage has been tampered with.
I frowned. According to Lucas, they had disappeared in the morning.
But that made no sense. Anna wasn't stupid. If she wanted to run, she wouldn't choose daylight. She would choose darkness.
I tapped the table. "Show me last night's footage." The men exchanged glances before obeying.
The screens switched. The footage rolled. A few seconds later, I saw it.
My lips curved. "There."
The technician froze. "What, boss?"
I pointed. The footage had skipped. Barely noticeable.
A few seconds repeated themselves. Then repeated again until they saw the loop.
Someone had tampered with the recordings.
Interesting, very interesting.
I smiled. If the footage had been altered during the night, then Anna and Eve had most likely left during the night. Not the morning.
Which meant they had hours to reach wherever they were headed. And more importantly... Someone had helped them. Someone with access to my cameras.
I looked at the technician. "Trace every vehicle that left the estate during that period."
"Yes, boss."
I turned to leave, then stopped as a memory surfaced: I had placed two trackers on Anna.
The first one she discovered. The second one... She knew about too.
Either way... If Anna was truly escaping, she would have removed every tracker she could find.
Unless... She wasn't escaping.
I slowly turned around. The men looked confused. I walked back to the table. "Check something for me."
I handed them a tracker ID. The technician immediately began typing.
A few moments later his eyes widened. "Boss."
I stepped closer. "It's active."
A slow smile appeared on my face. "Location?"
The man swallowed and pointed at the screen. A blinking dot appeared on the map. Far away from the city, deep in the woods. An isolated underground facility.
My smile widened. "Zoom in." The map expanded.
One of the analysts immediately began pulling records. A few moments later he spoke. "The property belongs to Zack Arrow."
Silence filled the room. Then I laughed.
I knew she wasn't stupid enough to run. Someone had taken her. And if Zack had her... Then today was going to be fun.
I straightened. "Prepare the helicopter."
The room immediately exploded into activity. "Boss?"
"Heavy weapons." The men nodded.
One of them hesitated. Then spoke carefully. "Boss... it could be a trap."
I looked at him. Then smiled. "I love traps." Nobody said another word.
I left the room. The excitement was already building inside me. For weeks Zack had been hiding, running, playing games. Now I finally had his location.
I entered my room; changed into a black suit.
Checked my weapons and picked two pistols, one knife and extra magazines.
I was heading for the door when another guard appeared. "Boss."
I sighed. "What?"
"Someone is here to see you."
"Not now."
"It's urgent."
I closed my eyes briefly. Everyone's problem was always urgent. "Make it quick."
A few moments later an old man entered. I recognized him immediately.
The investigator: The one I had assigned to look into the auction incident.
I sat down. "What do you want?"
The old man swallowed. "You asked me to investigate how Zack learned about the auction's location."
"And?"
His face tightened. "I found nothing."
My patience evaporated instantly. I slowly reached for my gun.
The old man paled. "Wait!" I stopped.
He quickly continued. "I found something else."
That caught my attention, I smiled. "Now we're talking."
The old man hurriedly produced a tablet. He activated a video file.
I leaned back, the footage began playing. At first I didn't understand what I was seeing.
Then my eyes narrowed when I sighted Lucas in the footage.
The room became very quiet. The footage showed Lucas speaking to someone.
The audio wasn't perfect. But it was clear enough. "...make sure nobody outbids you..."
My expression didn't change. Not even slightly.
The old man kept talking. "I followed the money trail. The buyer was hired."
I wasn't listening anymore. I was watching Lucas again and again until the footage ended.
The old man looked terrified. Probably expecting me to shoot him.
Instead I smiled, because everything was beginning to make sense.
Lucas wanted Anna far more than he should.
The fake bidder, his resistance to my marriage, his obsession with finding her. The pieces were fitting together.
Slowly, I stood up. The old man took an instinctive step backward.
I walked toward the window. Looking out over the city.
If Lucas had gone this far... How much further was he willing to go? And more importantly... Was he connected to Anna's disappearance?
I didn't know yet. But I intended to find out. One way or another.
My phone vibrated. A message from the helicopter team. "Ready for departure."
I slipped the phone back into my pocket.
Then I looked at the reflection staring back at me through the glass.
For years I had worried about enemies outside my empire.
But perhaps... The most dangerous threat had been standing beside me all along.
I turned toward the door. First, I would get Anna back. After that... Lucas and I were going to have a very long conversation.