Chapter 82
Adrian Valehart.
I moved closer to her and said,
''Sofia…'' I tried to keep my voice steady. ''I know it sounds insane. But all of this—the bouquet, the message, the place trashed… Letícia disappeared. Someone did this to scare you. Someone wants you to panic. You're not going to give him that satisfaction, okay?''
I spoke seriously, wanting her to hear me, to trust me.
Sofia lifted her hands to her head; she pulled out some strands of hair forcefully.
Her breathing was heavy... irregular.
''Am I to blame, Adrian?'' she whispered. ''If… if something happened to Letícia, if she disappeared because of me, then… What's the reason for this? What did I do wrong?''
The pain in her voice… it hit straight into my chest.
It was like I could feel that her heart was crushed, destroyed. I felt the same pain.
''I don’t know,'' I lied as I stepped closer. Of course she hadn’t done anything. This wasn’t about guilt. This was about who she was—about the blood running in her veins. ''But I’ll find out. I promise.''
She lifted her eyes to mine; the tears threatened to fall even more.
''But right now we need to get out of here,'' I continued. "It's not safe here. I'll take care of everything, I promise you... I'll find out what happened to Leticia. But now we have to go.
She turned around and looked around the apartment, which was a mess. I saw in her eyes how shaken she was... She would have to leave her home, but it was for her own good.
Then… she nodded.
Even though inside she was lost.
The pain she was feeling made me focus on one thing: whoever did this to her would pay. They would suffer slowly.
''Okay…'' she murmured, not quite meeting my eyes. ''I… I’m trusting you. This time. Just don’t be an asshole again. Don't waste this chance.''
I swallowed hard, regret burning in my throat.
''I’m sorry,'' I said, firm and sincere, never looking away. ''I told you all that crap at the company because I didn’t know the truth. I didn’t know anything about you, about your life, about what was going on.''
She took a breath, wiping her face with the back of her hand.
''I know…'' she whispered, picking up Letícia’s phone and wiping the blood off with one of the shirts from the floor.
It had really hurt her.
And it still did.
Just thinking about how much of an arrogant piece of shit I’d been made me want to punch myself in the jaw.
I took her hand when she finished cleaning the phone.
It was cold.
I pulled her with me toward the door.
She looked back one last time, hesitating, biting her bottom lip as she locked the door.
''Adrian… where are we going now?''
''To my place,'' I answered without hesitation. ''There, nobody is going to touch you… nobody. And whoever comes here will think twice before stepping on my property.''
She slipped the keys into her pocket and looked at me as we walked side by side.
''And now? What do we do?''
''Now… you will rest,'' I told her. ''And I’m going to find out who did this.''
She nodded, worry flickering in her eyes, but said nothing.
We went down the stairs, her hand still in mine.
And the only thought pounding inside my head was:
I’m going to find Letícia. And I will kill the bastard mutt who did all of this.
I opened the building door and guided her to the car.
When she slid inside, hugging her arms, lost and exhausted, I closed the door carefully.
As carefully as someone like me was capable of being.
I circled the car, slipped into the driver’s seat, and started the engine.
While I drove, I pulled out my phone and called the only people I trusted.
Cael and Cedric Major.
I told them to meet me at the headquarters downtown in forty minutes.
They’d just returned from the job abroad I’d sent them on.
And, of course, I called my cousin.
''Talk,'' he answered, sounding impatient. He clearly had no idea what had happened yet.
I glanced at Sofia beside me—quiet, distant, staring out the window.
''We need to talk,'' I said in a low, cold voice. ''Now. I’ll be at the office in forty minutes. Don’t be late.''
I hung up and stepped harder on the gas, heading to take Sofia home.
If they wanted to play games, then we’d play.
And if I had to step into that damn war to protect her…
So be it.
I would burn every last one of them to the ground.