Chapter 66
Chapter 66:
Emerald Cove Resort. Thirty miles away — the most expensive property in the Hamptons. The Apex Bio executive team was holding their annual retreat there. She was going to her people. She was getting out of this trap.
The black SUV rolled through the estate gates. June looked in the rearview mirror and watched the massive gray mansion shrink behind the trees until it disappeared entirely.
She let out a long, shaky breath. Her chest finally stopped hurting.
At seven in the morning, Cole woke up on the small velvet sofa in the sitting area of the Master Suite, his neck stiff and his sleep miserable. He had given June the bed, hoping it would show her he was trying.
He walked down to the kitchen, poured two cups of black coffee, and carried them upstairs. He just wanted five minutes of quiet time with her before the rest of the house woke up.
𝖬𝗼𝗿𝘦 𝗇𝗈𝘷e𝗅𝘀 o𝗻
Cole pushed open the unlocked door.
The room was empty. The bed was perfectly made, not a dent in the pillows. The air held no trace of her citrus perfume. He set the coffee cups on the dresser — the ceramic clinked loudly in the silence — and crossed to the walk-in closet. Her small suitcase was gone.
A cold, heavy weight dropped into his stomach.
He pulled out his phone and dialed her number. It went straight to voicemail.
He stood in the empty room as a memory struck him like a physical blow — something Caleb had told him seven years ago. A fragile, depressed girl sitting alone in a sanatorium cemetery in the Swiss Alps, looking like a glass doll on the verge of shattering. Caleb had said he simply sat with her for an afternoon and became the only light in her eyes. The panic of losing that light seized Cole’s throat. He couldn’t breathe properly.
The door swung open. Alycia walked in wearing a lace nightgown. “Oh,” she said, manufacturing a gasp. “Did June run away? Her temper is just so awful, Cole. She probably couldn’t handle being around family p>
Cole didn’t look at her. He walked past her, his shoulder catching hers roughly, and thundered down the stairs.
“Mrs. Lynch p>
The housekeeper hurried out of the kitchen. “Yes, sir p>
“Check the security cameras at the front gate. Now p>
Ten minutes later, Mrs. Lynch stood by the security monitor, trembling. “Mr. Cole, Ms. June got into a ride-share car at five this morning. The license plate tracks to a drop-off at the Emerald Cove Resort p>
Emerald Cove.
Cole’s jaw tightened. He knew exactly who was at Emerald Cove. The Apex Bio team. Silas Vance.
Julian came down the stairs, yawning loudly. “Man, the cell service in this ancient estate is absolute garbage. This place is unlivable p>
Cole turned around. He reached into his wallet and pulled out a heavy black metal card — his American Express Centurion — and dropped it onto the foyer table.
“Pack your bags,” he told Sterling, his assistant, who had just arrived with the morning files. “Call Emerald Cove. Book the entire top floor of their ocean-view suites. We’re moving the party p>