<b>Chapter </b><b>68 </b>
Logan didn’t enter the mansion.
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He stood near the SUV, jaw clenched, sleeves rolled to his elbows, the cor of his shirt slightly loosened as if he needed air but refused to admit it. The gravel crunched beneath steady footsteps as one of his men approached from the back entrance, a tablet in hand.
“We recovered satellite footage,” the man reported. “Someone tried to wipe it from the database, but our tech team managed to salvage fragments.<b>” </b>
Logan didn’t look up. “Show me.”
The man tapped the screen, rotated it slightly, and held it out. The video yed in silence.
Emery’s car. The wreckage. The surrounding highway. Then the moment: two individuals dragging her limp body toward what looked like an ambnce. The vehicle bore no official markings and no sirens. Just a clean white exterior. They loaded her inside, then drove off.
Three minutester, police vehicles arrived.
Logan’s fingers twitched at his side. “Did the hospital get her?”
“We checked all hospitals within the radius,” the man continued. “The woman admitted under her name had identical injuries. Same blood type, same build, same hair color. Even the injuries matched the crash. But it wasn’t her.”
Logan finally turned his head. “You’re telling me they reced her?”
“Yes, sir. The imposter’s already in the system under Mrs. Hayes. It’s a clean switch. Whoever did this nned it thoroughly. The ambnce that brought her in has no trace. No GPS history. No records on dispatch.”
Logan looked at the footage again. “Were you able to fine any traces of her?”
The man swallowed. “Unfortunately not your highness.”
Silence followed.
Then Logan handed the tablet back and stepped toward the SUV. “Put out a silent order to our men across Los Angeles. Block all known exits, including airports. Add pressure to the pack borders. I want every road, tunnel, and alleyway watched.”
The man followed. “They’re in a car. We traced tire impressions–non–standard issue, modified treads. Could be military–grade”
Logan opened the door of the SUV but didn’t get in. “They knew I’d chase them. They’re prepared. That means they’ll stall, distract, change vehicles, maybe use misdirection. Use ground teams with canine units on standby. Activate the syndicate.”
The man blinked. “The syndicate?”
<b>12:36 </b><b>Thu</b>, Sep <b>11 </b>B
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“They’ve got ears in the underground. Bribes work where surveince can’t. Someone saw something.”
He finally entered the vehicle. “I want a vehicle check at every checkpoint in the state. Start soft. Blend in. No uniforms. If they think we’re scrambling, they’ll vanish.”
The door mmed shut.
As the engine roared to life, Logan looked out the window. His voice cut through the radio.
“They’re trying to outmaneuver me,” he said. “They think I’ll flinch. I won’t.<b>” </b>
Then he pulled his phone from his pocket and sent one message.
Find her. No mercy.
“Logan!” Lucille’s voice broke his stupor. He raised his head and found her running toward him. “I have news… I think… I think we found her!”
Emery’s eyelids twitched. Her head pounded, and the throb behind her temples made it hard to focus. The first thing she noticed was the soft leather beneath her fingertips. The second was the low hum of an engine.
She blinked once. Then again.
The ceiling above her wasn’t cracked or lined with fluorescent hospital lights. It was clean. Padded. Lined with velvet trim.
<b>A </b>car.
She bolted upright, eyes wide. Her breathing quickened as she looked around. Her palms pressed against the seat for leverage. The cabin was too spacious for a regr car. She was in a limousine.
Her eyes darted to the front.
A man sat across from her.
Formal. Calm. Dark suit, ck tie, crisp shirt. Blonde hair neatly parted. He was clean–shaven with a sharp jawline and a single dimple on his left cheek. Mid–thirties, maybe a little younger. Caucasian. Handsome in the expensive kind of way.
He met her stare without blinking. “Don’t panic. You were in an ident. You might feel dizzy, but you’re safe. Unharmed. I made sure of that.”
Almost immediately, Emery’s hand flew to her stomach.
The man’s lips curved slightly. The dimple deepened. “The pup is safe.”
She didn’t rx. Her other hand curled into a fist at her side. “This is kidnapping.”
“Not really, no.” The man adjusted the cuff of his sleeve. “I just helped you get away from that lunatic.”
<b>12:36 </b>Thu, <b>Sep </b>11 B
“Lunatic?” Her eyes narrowed. “What are you talking about?”
“You don’t know what you’ve gotten yourself into,” he said with a faint smile.
Her frown deepened. “Are you one of Logan’s enemies, too?”
He tilted his head slightly. “I’m not,” he said. “But I will be. Soon.”
He looked at her stomach again. Not long. Just a nce.
She shifted in her seat. “You need to let me go.”
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“I will. Eventually. I hope you don’t mind the minor inconvenience.” His fingers tapped lightly against the seat beside him. “I just wanted some time to talk. This was the best way.”
Emery stared at him. “Talk about what?”
“The beast you’re carrying.”
Her jaw tightened, but she said nothing.
The man didn’t stop. “Do you know what kind of creature your husband is?”
Again, she didn’t speak. Creature? What the heck is this man talking about?
He chuckled. Thenughed outright. It didn’tst long, but it wasn’t forced either.
“You’re going to die very soon, Emery,” he said. “And it’s not because of me. It’s because of that thing inside you. That beast inside you is going to kill it’s own mother.”
Still, she said nothing.
He leaned forward slightly. “You ever wonder why Logan’s so protective? Why he guard you like you’re made of ss? It’s not just enemies.”
Her chest felt tight.
“The blood tests,” the man continued. “The scans. Every single morning. You think that’s love? That’s paranoia.”
Emery clenched her jaw. She remembered the daily bloodwork. Logan called it a precaution. Just routine. She believed him. Or at least convinced herself to.
She looked at the man in front of her. “Exin.”
He smiled again, but this time, he didn’t speak right away. He just watched her. Like he was waiting for her to figure it out herself.
However, before he could speak, he pressed a discreet button on his earpiece. A slow smile formed on his face. “I knew he was good,” he said, eyes shifting to her. “But I didn’t expect him this fast.” He leaned back slightly, gaze fixed on hers. “Guess who just arrived.”