Chapter 265
Zane’s POV
I swallow once before answering.
“That’s Thomas’s mother.”
“Fuck.”
The word leaves me in a sharp breath as realization crashes into me so hard it physically hurts.
“Fuck! Fuck!”
Lucas immediately straightens from where he’s standing near the old dusty desk.
“What?”
“Call Elaine.”
He blinks at me like I’ve suddenly lost my mind.
“What?
“Call Elaine,” I repeat harsher this time.
Lucas frowns immediately.
“Why?”
My chest feels tight suddenly, like instinct is screaming at me that something is wrong.
Terribly wrong.
Because now that the pieces are finally connecting in my head…i can’t fucking unsee them.
“I think Thomas has been orchestrating everything.”
The silence afterward is immediate and heavy.
“What?” Lucas says slowly.
“Thomas,” I repeat. “I think it’s him.”
Lucas stares at me in disbelief.
“That’s impossible.”
“Is it?”
“He’s been with you since day one.”
“Exactly.”
The words come out sharper than intended.
“More reason why I think it’s him.”
My pulse pounds violently now while my brain races through years of memories
Every moment, every incident and every “coincidence.”
And suddenly all of it feels wrong.
All of it.
“Call Elaine,” I snap again.
Then quieter, more to myself than him:
“Please let me not be too late.”
Lucas finally pulls his phone out and I start pacing immediately.
The old security room suddenly feeling suffocating and tight, like the walls are closing in around me.
Lucas presses the phone to his ear.
“It’s going straight to voicemail.”
Everything inside me drops.
“No.”
Lucas lowers the phone slowly.
“Zane…..”
“Fuck!”
I slam my fist hard against the side of the desk. Pain shoots instantly through my knuckles but I barely feel it.
Dust and old papers scatter everywhere.
“How the fuck did I miss this?” I snarl.
Lucas grabs my shoulder roughly.
“Will you calm down and explain to me what the fuck is going on?”
I yank away from him immediately.
“Think!”
I turn toward him sharply.
“The documents.”
He frowns.
“What about them?”
“Thomas called me that night saying he forgot important documents here.”
Understanding slowly starts dawning across Lucas’s face.
“But they were still in the car,” he says quietly.
“Yes.”
Silence
“He knew you guys were here,” I continue. “He wanted me to come.”
Lucas stares at me now.
“He wanted you to see us together.”
“Yes.”
The realization makes me feel physically sick.
Years. This man stood beside me for years , knew everything about me, about my family, about my life And all this time…..
“Fuck,” Lucas mutters quietly now.
I drag a hand violently through my hair.
“The recent attack at the house.”
I start pacing again unable to stay still.
“He knew the staff were getting the night off, he knew where Aaron was being held, he knew the security rotation.”
“He knows every fucking blind spot in that house.”
My breathing grows harsher with every word.
“He knows everything.”
Because I trusted him blindly.
The betrayal burns so deeply in my chest it almost feels unbearable.
“Fuck!” I roar suddenly, sweeping everything off the dusty desk in one violent motion.
Old files crash to the floor and glass shatters somewhere.
Lucas watches me carefully now, probably deciding whether I’m about to completely lose my mind.
Too fucking late.
I already have.
Because Elaine…
Jesus Christ. Elaine.
The thought nearly fucking destroys me.
“Try her again,” I snap.
Lucas immediately redials.
I yank my own phone from my pocket with shaking hands and call the second head of security.
Pick up. Pick the fuck up.
The ringing feels endless.
Then finally:
“Sir?”
“Where’s my wife?”
The words come out deadly calm.
There’s brief confusion on the other end.
“She left earlier with Thomas, sir.”
Ice floods my veins instantly.
“When?”
“A few hours ago.”
“A few…..”
I cut myself off harshly before I completely lose it.
“Where?”
“We believed they were heading to the market, sir.”
“Believed?”
The man immediately goes quiet.
He’s scared. Good.
Because I’m fucking terrified right now too.
“She is not back yet?” I ask quietly.
“No sir.”
I close my eyes briefly, my chest physically hurts now. My hand tightens around the phone so hard I hear the plastic creak.
“And nobody thought to call me?”
Silence.
Dead silence
Because they know, they know how badly they fucked up.
“Sir we…..”
“Track every security vehicle immediately.”
“Yes sir.”
“I want every traffic camera checked.”
“Yes sir.”
“I want roadblocks.”
“Yes sir.”
“And if you fail me right now…”
My voice drops lower and more dangerous.
“I swear to God none of you will survive it.”
I hang up immediately afterward.
The room goes silent except for my breathing.
Lucas watches me carefully.
“She’s gone?” he asks quietly.
I can barely get the words out.
“Yes.”
For the first time in years…Real fear grips me.
The kind that crawls deep into your chest and starts tearing you apart from the inside.
Because Elaine isn’t just my wife anymore.
She’s carrying my child.
And Thomas…..Thomas has spent years planning revenge.Years manipulating everybody around him.
Which means this kidnapping?This wasn’t impulsive, it was planned carefully and God knows what he intends to do.
“She’s pregnant,” I say suddenly.
Lucas stills and I laugh bitterly.
“She’s fucking pregnant and I let this happen.”
“Zane…..”
“I trusted him.”
My voice cracks slightly there and I I hate it. I Hate how helpless I suddenly feel.
“I trusted him around her.”
Around my home and around my family.
Lucas steps closer carefully.
“We’ll find her.”
I look at him sharply.
“No.”
The sheer rage in my voice surprises even me.
“We’re going to hunt him down.”
Because if Thomas touches her…..even once…i will burn the fucking world to get her back.
——
Lucas offers we use his security detail instead of mine. The suggestion immediately pisses me off, not because he’s wron but because he’s right and I fucking hate that, I hate feeling compromised and Weak.
Thomas infiltrating my security feels personal somehow. Like he crawled directly into my life and slowly poisoned everything around me while I stood there too blind to notice.
Lucas glances at me while driving.
“My people are clean,” he says quietly. “Yours might not be.”
The fact that I can’t even argue with that makes my jaw tighten harder. Because Thomas built my security system with me, handpicked most of the men, knew procedures, Routes and or otocols.
Everything.
Which means right now I genuinely don’t know who I can trust and that thought makes me fucking sick.
I stare out the window into the dark streets flashing by. Normally my pride would never let me accept help like this.
Never.
But this isn’t about me anymore, this is about Elaine and my child. I exhale harshly and lean back into the seat.
“I’ll take all the help I can get then.”
Lucas nods once. No smugness or “I told you so.”
Just quiet understanding and honestly? That somehow makes it worse.
So instead of heading back to my house, we drive toward Lucas’s estate instead. We can’t risk anyone tipping Thomas off about what we’re doing. If there’s even a single compromised person still feeding him information, I’m not taking chances.
The drive there feels endless, every second stretches painfully long…my mind keeps spiraling.
Elaine waking up scared, Elaine crying or calling my name.
Fuck.
I grip my phone tighter. Still no calls or messages.
Nothing.
I swear I’ve never felt panic like this before. Not even when I got shot necause pain to myself?i can handle.
But helplessly imagining something happening to her? To our baby?It’s fucking destroying me.
When we finally arrive at Lucas’s house, security immediately opens the gates.
The mansion is brightly lit despite the late hour.
I follow Lucas inside silently and immediately loud yelling hits my ears.
Video game sounds, shouting and trash talking.
I blink once.
Then walk fully into the living room to find Noah and Caleb sprawled across massive couches with gaming controllers in their hands.
The giant TV in front of them flashes explosions and gunfire. For one irrational second, I actually almost laugh.
Like these idiots genuinely don’t have better things to do with their time.
Caleb barely glances over.
“Hey Lucas,” he says casually while pressing buttons rapidly. “Wanna join us?”
Noah snorts.
“He sucks at this game.”
“I beat you yesterday.”
“That was luck.”
Lucas walks straight past them toward the staircase.
Then says flatly:
“Elaine’s been kidnapped.”
Immediate silence. The game keeps playing loudly in the background for another few seconds before Noah slowly lowers his controller while Caleb stares blankly.
“What?”
Lucas doesn’t stop walking.
“She’s been taken.”
The controllers hit the floor almost at the same time. Noah rises so fast the coffee table shakes.
“What the fuck did you just say?”
His voice sounds sharp now, dangerously sharp. Lucas finally stops near the stairs and turns back toward them.
“Thomas took her.”
The confusion on Caleb’s face slowly shifts.
First disbelief then realization then pure rage.
“No,” Noah says immediately. “No fucking way.”