Chapter 40

I waited for Cora by the restrooms, her laughter still echoed in my ears from the rollercoaster ride. But as the minutes ticked by, a knot of unease tightened in my stomach. She had been gone too long.

I approached the women’s bathroom and peered inside. The attendant inside shook her head when I asked if she was seen Cora. “No one’s been through here in a while, sir,” she told me, her eyes wide with concern.

My heart pounded in my chest as I pulled out my phone, typed out a quick message to Callie. “Did Cora text you?” I asked, my thumb hovered over the send button. The response went quickly, and my blood ran cold as I read her replied. “No, I just watched your date at the fair. Congratulations on your quick thinking, by the way.”

I knew then that something was terribly wrong. Cora would never have left me like this, not after everything we’ve been through. The realization hit me like a punched to the gut: Cora had been taken.

I clenched my fists, the stuffed animals fell to the ground as a surge of possessive rage coursed through me. “No one gets to kidnap Cora but me,” I muttered under my breath, startling the bathroom attendant. I turned on my heel, my mind raced as I tried to formulate a plan.

I needed to find her, and I needed to do it now. I pushed through the crowd, scanning the sea of faces for any sign of Cora. But it was like looking for a needle in a haystack. The fair was packed with people, and Cora could have been anywhere by then.

I made my way back to the game booths, my eyes darted between the flashed lights and the families enjoying their evening. I approached the ring tossed booth, the same one where Cora had teased me just hours before. The attendant recognized me and offered a weak smile. “Looking for another rounded, big guy?” He asked, gesturing to the colorful ring and bottles lined up on the counter.

I shook my head, my voice barely above a whisper. “I was looking for my girlfriend. She was here with me, but now she’s missing.” The attendant’s smile faded, and he quickly rounded the booth to joined me in my search.

Together, we combed the fairground and asked vendors and fairgoers if they’d seen anything unusual. But no one seemed to have noticed Cora’s disappearance. It was as if she’d vanished into thin air.

As I continued my frantic search, my phone buzzed in my pocket. I pulled it out, hoping that it was Cora, that this had all been some terrible misunderstanding. But the message on the screen sent a chill down my spine.

“Hello, Haides,” it read. “I believe you’re looking for someone. Let’s play a game.”

The message was followed by a link, and with a sense of dread, I clicked on it. The screen filled with a live stream from a dimly lit room, and there, bounded to a table, was Cora. Her eyes were wide with fear, but she was alive.

The rage that consumed me was all-encompassing. I would find Cora, and when I did, there would be hell to pay. No one took what was mine and got away with it. I would face down armies, confront the demons of my past, and unleash the full fury of the Lord of Pain.

I would save Cora, or die trying.

I stood in the center of my apartment, my gaze fixed on the laptop screen as the live stream of Cora continued to play. The sight of her lying there, unconscious and vulnerable, was a punch to the gut. My hands were balled into fists at my sides, my knuckles white with the effort of not smashing something to pieces.

The door to my apartment creaked opened, but I did not even flinch. I already knew who it is. Callie’s face was flushed with anger and worry as she stepped inside, her eyes darted to the screen before meeting mine. She panted slightly, her breath coming fast and shallow as she took in the scene.

“I picked the lock,” she said, her voice shaky but defiant. “I had to see for myself.”

I nodded, understood her need for action. “I know,” I told her and gestured to the hidden cameras I’d had installed throughout the building. “I saw you coming.”

She barely acknowledged my words, her attention focused on the live stream. Callie moved closer to the screen, her face reflected the harsh, unforgiving light as she watched the footage of Cora. I could see the exact moment when she noticed the fresh wound on Cora’s leg, the blood seeping into the fabric of her pants. Callie’s eyes widened, and she sucked in a sharp breath.

I clenched my jaw, frustration and rage boiled within me. “They carved her,” I said, my voice barely above a whisper. “Like she’s nothing more than a piece of meat.”

Callie turned to me, her eyes blazing with fury. “We have to find her,” she said, her voice steady despite the fear I know she must feel. “We have to get her back.”

I nodded, my mind raced as I tried to think of our next move. My followers had been hacking into traffic cams, security feeds from businesses, and anything else they could think of, but so far, they’d come up empty handed. The person responsible for Cora’s kidnapping was clever, cloaking their actions in layers of digital anonymity.

I slammed my fist down on the table, the sound echoed through the room. “Fuck!” I swore, the impotent rage burned through me as another lead turned into a dead end.

Callie flinched at my outburst, but she did not back down. “We’ll find her, Haides,” she said, her voice full of determination. “We will not stop until we do.”

I looked at her, really looked at her, and I saw the same fierce determination that Cora had. Those two women, they were stronger than anyone gave them credit for. And in that moment, I was grateful for Callie’s presence, for her unwavering support.

I took a deep breath, trying to calm the storm raging inside me. “You’re right,” I said, my voice a low growl. “We will find her. And when we do, I want to make the bastard who took her pay.”

Callie nodded, her eyes met mine. “We’ll do it together,” she said. “Let’s get to work.”

We spent the next few hours poring over the live stream footage, searching for any clue that might lead us to Cora’s location. Callie proved to be an invaluable ally, her sharp mind and keen attention to detail helped us to sift through the vast amounts of data.

The sound of my phone buzzing broke the silence, and I quickly snatched it up, hoping for some good news. It was a message from one of my followers, a possible lead on Cora’s location. It wasn’t much, just a blurry image from a security camera, but it was something.

I turned to Callie, the flicker of hope in my chest grew stronger. “I think we’ve got something,” I said and showed her the message. “It’s not much, but it’s a start.”

Callie’s eyes lit up, and she gave me a determined nod. “Let’s go get her,” she said, her voice filled with resolve.