Elysia recalled Dorian mentioning that Finnian was an exceptional driver, so she didn''t protest, simply slipping into the passenger seat and letting him take the wheel.


    As they sped away, Elysia continued her exnation. "I had someone track Amara''s phone. The signal led to a forest on the outskirts of the city. I took our security detail to check it out, but there was nothing there except for some barrennd and a single, abandoned warehouse."


    "Inside," she went on, "we found a chair with frayed ropes scattered on the floor next to it—the kind used for tying someone up. I think that''s where they held her. She must have secretly made that call while she was still tied to the chair."


    At the memory, Elysia''s hands clenched into tight fists, and her voice trembled with a mixture of rage and fear.


    "But the warehouse was empty. We checked a nearby alleyway and the main road, but both were deserted. My guess is Amara managed to get free and made a run for the forest. We have to go search for her there."


    Finnian simply nodded, and after getting the precise location, he floored it.


    The car surged forward, practically flying down the road. Elysia was certain they were breaking every speed limit, but with Amara''s life on the line, she couldn''t bring herself to care-as long as he didn''t hit anyone. True to Dorian''s word, Finnian''s skill was phenomenal. He weaved through the city traffic with a surgeon''s precision, never evening close to another car, and soon they were leaving the city lights behind.


    From the passenger seat, Elysia studied Finnian''s profile. His jaw was clenched, and his dark eyes churned with an intensity she couldn''t quite ce—was it pure terror, or a desperate sort of worry? Then she noticed his hands, gripping the steering wheel so hard his knuckles were white, and they were trembling. What kind of feart she wondered silently, *could make this stoic, unppable man shake like this?*


    It was just after eleven when they finally reached the forest. Three cars were already parked on the shoulder, their drivers-Elysia''s


    men-murmuring amongst


    themselves. Moments after she and


    Fig?ían get out, another three SUV?


    pulled up, disgorging a team of grim-faced security personnel. These were Finnian''s


    reinforcements. Within minutes, the roadside was lined with vehicles, and a formidable group of men had assembled, their eyes fixed on Elysia and Finnian, awaiting orders.


    Just then, another car screeched to a halt. Keith mmed the door shut and strode over to Elysia, his face a thunderous mask of fury. He shot a re at Finnian, his brow furrowed. "What the hell is *he* doing here?" he demanded. Finnian met his gaze with an equal, undisguised hostility.


    With Amara gone and everyone''s emotions running high, the fragile truce between the two men shattered. The air crackled with a tension so thick you could cut it with a knife.


    Thankfully, Elysia kept a level head. She tugged on Keith''s arm, her voice a low, urgent hiss. "We need all the help we can get. Finding Amara is the only thing that matters right now. Don''t do anything stupid."


    Of course, Elysia harbored a deep resentment for Finnian, ming him for the way he had neglected Amara for three long years. But strangely, as she stood there, she had to admit a confusing truth: when she realized Amara was in danger, the first person she had thought to call wasn''t Keith. It was him.