Page 56 of Blissful Devotion

The first few doors are unlocked, and I make quick work of rummaging through them, though I'm thorough.

It’s mostly boxes, stuff, random storage, wine, and bulk food like flour and sugar.

“Kat!” I call out again as I clear the fourth room, my desperation getting the best of me.

She has to be here, if not…

She could be anywhere, could be lost to us. There’s so much worse than being kept in a cellar.

Fuck!

“Does anyone have anything?” Oliver’s voice pulls me from my spiral and shakes me from the bullshit emotions that are clogging my rational mind.

No’s chorus through the comms, and I clench my jaw against the pit in my stomach that grows larger by the second, and I rip the comm from my ear, letting it dangle as I move toward the fifth door, only to stop in my tracks when I hear something.

“I’m in here!” Pounding on a door a little down the hall has me moving, running toward the voice I would know anywhere.

“Kat?” I hear the desperation in my voice as I call for her and pray that wasn’t my imagination.

“In here!”

I reach for the knob, and I’m not even a little surprised when it doesn’t turn.

“It’s locked…” I could call for one of them to pick it; I’m sure one of Jade’s guys could do it with their eyes closed, but waiting even another moment is too long. “Move away from the door, Kat.”

She doesn’t answer, but I hear her feet shuffle across the tile, counting to ten to ensure I give her enough time to clear the door before I step back and kick that motherfucker wide open.

It hits the wall and swings back at me. I reach out, grab it, and stop it in its tracks as I make my way into the pitch-black room.

My eyes take longer than I would like to adjust, but I find her, my gaze moving to her as if pulled by a force stronger than man.

She’s small, her hair down and frizzy, but still breathtaking. Her stomach is round, and I didn’t think it was possible, but it makes her even more beautiful. Her eyes are pinched shut from the bright light of the hallway, but it’s impossible to miss how red and puffy they are. My heart pinches knowing she’s been through so much without us.

She blinks up at me, her green eyes confused, as if looking at a stranger.

“Kat?”

I move into the room, needing to see her better, to be closer and watch her eyes as they follow the movement of my gun.

Shit.

I move to holster it, but before I can, she’s in my arms, and fuck, I’ve never been so relieved.

“Fuck, Little Beauty, I missed you.”

I hold her close, reassuring myself this is real as she goes limp in my hold. I panic for a moment, but she’s still breathing, and the color in her face looks good.

The day must have been too much, but I’ve got her now, and I’m never letting go again. None of us are.

Scooping her up in my arms, I fumble to shove my comms communicator back into my ear.

“I’ve got her,” I breathe, feeling the words like a weight off my shoulders.

Jade and her men were more than happy to deal with Enzo, and while I’d originally thought Alex and I would want a part in it, that changed the second I saw Vince walk through the house with Kat in his arms. Suddenly it didn’t matter how he died or who killed him, so long as he died. I needed to ensure he could never hurt my family again, and after weeks working with them, I knew Jade and her men were more than capable of that and would also enjoy it.

Zander would be more than happy to have another pinkie to add to his collection, I’m sure.

“Why is she unconscious?” Oliver’s question snaps me back to the here and now, and I look to Vince for the answer.