bChapter /b256

    Frank.”

    “They just reported in–she hasn’t left since.”

    As Evan spoke, his annoyance started to show. “Sir, do you think Miss Elissa’s got her head turned by romance again?”

    Why did a perfectly good man have to be cursed with a mouth like that?

    Rowan’s lips twitched in a half–smile. “Call her. Ask yourself.”

    Evan blinked, caught off guard. “Me? You want me to call her?”

    He pointed at himself, hesitant. Was that really appropriate? After all, she was the boss’s daughter–he was just an employee.

    Before Evan could protest further,n had already pulled out his phone and started dialing. “I’ll call

    her now.”

    Rowan added, “Put it on speaker.”

    Elissa, meanwhile, was fast asleep. She never kept her phone volume up, and exhaustion kept her in a deep slumber. If she heard anything at all, it was only as a vague buzz at the edge of her dreams. She had no idea that, despite locking her door, someone else was now in the room.

    Frank slipped the room key into his pocket, careful not to wake her as he crossed over to her bedside. He’d heard the phone ringing and was about to silence it when he nced at the caller ID.

    n.

    Frank recognized the name immediately. One of Rowan’s men.

    Given Rowan’s reach, it was almost certain thatst night’s events had made their way overseas. Figuring there was ino /iuse pretending otherwise, Frank stepped out onto the balcony, answered the call, and cut straight ito /ithe point. “Hello, this is Frank. Tell your boss not to worry–Elissa’s fine.”

    On the other end, Rowan’s face went icold/i. The edge of his mouth curled, as if mocking himself.

    “Mr. Atwater, where’s Miss Elissa? Why are you picking up her phone?”

    “She just fell asleep,” Frank replied, ncing back with gentle eyes at the girl curled up peacefully in bed. Some of the tension left his shoulders.

    14:27

    With that, he hung up. No pleasantries.

    Frank stared at the screen, momentarily taken aback by how abruptly they’d ended the call. But he didn’t dwell on it. He returned to the bedroom, set the phone back where he’d found it, and hesitated a moment before erasing the call log.

    He sat on the edge of the bed, watching Elissa sleep. The tenderness in his eyes was almost painful–he ached to be closer, but didn’t dare wake her. He settled for gently twirling a strand of her dark hair around his finger.

    He hadn’t slept at all the night before, but sitting there, watching over her, he didn’t feel tired in the slightest.

    He could have watched her forever.

    He was just grateful she’d been found.

    He’d make it up to her. He wouldn’t let her go again.

    Frank didn’t know how long he sat there–long enough for his phone to start buzzing in his pocket. He slipped out of the room to answer.

    Bernard reported, “Mr. Atwater, I brought some men and swept the area. Still no sign of the kidnappers fromst night.”

    It was odd–they seemed to have vanished after leaving the industrial district, as if into thin air.

    Frank’s expression hardened. “The scarred man said they’d rigged the factory with explosives. Did you find anything?”

    “I checked. There were definitely bombs set up,” Bernard replied, voice low. “But someone disarmed them. Otherwisei, /iwith the firest night, those explosives would’ve gone off–none of you would have

    made it out.”

    Even now, Bernard sounded shaken.

    Frank frowned. “Someone disarmed them?”

    Who?

    Bernard offered, “Want me to investigate-?”

    “No need,” Frank interrupted. “Whoever removed the bombs wasn’t our enemy.”

    He paused, then gave a new order. “Look into something else for me.”

    “What’s that?”

    “The truth about how Elissa’s parents died.”