/Zane's POV/
"You brought me the same thing again, Noah. What's going on? I told you to reach out to another broker, so why is this file exactly like the last one?" I snapped, tossing the parcel of Madison Reyes' information onto my desk.
Once again, ten years were missing from her life. A whole decade wiped clean. She disappeared off the face of the earth for a decade, or what? Does that even make any sense?
"I swear I pressed them about it," Noah said quickly, his voice tense. "They swore that's all they could find. When I threatened to pull the job, they showed me how detailed their report on me was. It was… unnerving. But for Madison? Nothing between ten years ago and two years back. Since then, we've got her movements, contacts, and even details on her bar. Before that? Blank. Like she vanished."
I dragged a hand down my face, forcing down the wave of frustration boiling up in my chest.
"Um, why don't you just…ask her about it?" Noah ventured carefully.
I froze, then gave him a sharp look. So I should walk up to a potential murderer and ask, 'Hey, where were you for the last decade?' You think she'll just tell me she was on a fucking space trip?" My voice dripped with bitterness. "Do you even hear yourself, Noah?" I arched a brow.
As a celebrity, I know she wasn't short of enemies but we've got death threats and gifts filled with razors in the past but no one was extreme enough to go as far as killing her.
"Sir," Noah said gently, "you don't look well. Maybe you should take the day—"
"Just do your damn job. I can take care of myself," I snapped, guilt already biting at me for misdirecting my anger. It wasn't his fault. But I couldn't stop lashing out. Acting fine was harder than I thought. Damn it!
"I'm heading down to the station. They must at least have something for me." I declared right before shooting to my feet, ready to leave.
"But the next thing on your schedule, sir, is the meeting with the reporter from Daily Shine News and then there's a meeting with Allison's manager and project Directors and producers. I'm not sure how long I can keep stalling them, sir; they want to know—"
His words dissolved into a ringing in my ears. My phone buzzed with a message from my lawyer. I clenched my jaw, forcing my temper under control.
"Push everything back. I'm meeting Vik," I declared, and left before Noah could argue.
*****
The throbbing in my head wouldn't stop, just like the image of Allison being stabbed and yet I need to pretend I'm unaffected by all this crap; it's the only way to reassure the public she's still alright, that way her murderer would bare his fangs. They'd bare their fangs again. And when they did, I'd be ready or at least that's what I thought.
Getting to the station, I expected some good news at least; I expected them to at least by now have a lead about Allison's case, especially after turning over the guy who'd sneaked in on Madison to the police but I arrived there just in time to watch them getting rid of his handcuff.
"Zane—"
"What the hell is going on, Vik?" My eyes turned to my friend and also the lead detective on the case as he walked up to me the moment our eyes met.
"Let's talk," He insisted, dragging me to a corner but I couldn't keep my eyes off the guy that was obviously being released from the station.
"Why are they letting him go? He should still be in custody; he—"
"Zane!" Vikram cut in sharply before I could go ballistic on him. "They are not letting him go; we're still gonna be keeping our eyes on him but listen to me. He's not our guy. We searched everything—home, phone, devices. Nothing tying him to the attack." Vikram paused and my frown deepened.
My eyes narrowed. "Then what?"
"He's… obsessed," Vik admitted, lowering his voice. "If you can charge him for stalking instead, I'd have him arrested right now. That guy's weird. He's got his phone full of her pictures and even his computers. He also has some of her pictures pinned to his walls but it's not enough. Your fiancée is a celebrity. Fans can be obsessive without being killers. If we had proof otherwise, he wouldn't be walking. There are probably a shit tons of people who are just as interested in her as he is—"
"What are you trying to say, man? are you telling me because he's some what…fanboy, he can't be a killer; that doesn't make any sense."
I was scowling at this point; I can't believe they're literally just letting the damn guy go.
"Vik, he sneaked into Allison's hospital room," I recalled and he sighed softly.
"All he had on him was a camera," Vik countered. "Creepy? Yes. Criminal? Not enough to stick. We'll keep him under watch."
"That's not good enough," I hissed.
"I can't just throw an innocent man in jail, not even for you, man, and trust me, I'll do anything you want me to, but he's innocent."
"You don't know that," I snickered.
"Then bring me evidence. You know I'd lock him up if I had it."
Vikram's words weren't reassuring enough. He has been my friend since high school and has always handled my legal stuff together with my lawyer.
I trusted him because I know damn well he was good at his job but my doubts about the situation surrounding Allison's attack only soared after our conversation. I've always trusted him to handle things in the past but can I really trust him on this one too this time?
I worried as I sat quietly in my car, wondering what I could possibly do.
Making someone disappear isn't so hard; I never intended to let the law handle the situation anyway but it's a different story when the object of my rage couldn't even be found. All I need is a name, if only I could get that.
A call from the head of my security team claiming my cousin was insisting he be let into the house tore into my thoughts and reduced my resentment into worry for one person I didn't want to have myself thinking about.
Madison! Shit!
I immediately turned my car around and drove back home since I know Elias better than anyone. Just what the fuck is he doing back at my house? He could have just come to the company if he wanted to see me or give me a fucking call, except of course it wasn't me he wanted to see but Allison.
But he definitely couldn't have known I've had her moved from the hospital to my home yet. To avoid unfortunate situations like what happened with that damn stalker, I let it leak that she's been moved but never mentioned where.
The idea of that was to let people think that she's been moved to another hospital, which information was left undisclosed for her safety but that could be compromised if Elias ever finds Madison in my house.
****
"What the hell are you doing, Elias?" I demanded the moment I walked into my cousin brother grabbing my head of security by the collar.
"Zane," he called out, looking both startled and surprised. "For some reason these bastards kept stopping me from going in. I tried to tell them I'm your cousin but they wouldn't budge." He sounded annoyed.
"Why do you wanna go into my house when they clearly told you I wasn't in?" I arched a brow in suspicion.
I might not have been cool with the rest of my family but Elias is a friend so he often drops by but only when I'm home.
"I was just gonna wait in for you. I don't have my phone with me. I would have called ahead but it was stolen just 40 minutes ago, right before I decided to come visit. I heard about Allison. I just wanted to know if you were okay, man," He explained, obviously concerned, while I gestured for the security to step aside so we could get in.
"I'm fine. Allison's also gonna be okay. You don't have to worry about it," I said as we walked up the stairs into the house, hoping Madison had already hidden herself away. Now I'm wishing I had her contact saved.
"I actually tried visiting the hospital where the emergency treatment was administered but I was told she was moved for security reasons. I had no other choice than to come see you? How is she?" He enquired further.
Before I could answer, a loud crash echoed from beyond the door.
"Do you have someone over or something?" Elias asked and a frown immediately spread across my face, what if something has happened to Madison? I panicked and rushed in but it was just a glass cup from the kitchen counter.
Letting out a sigh of relief, I glanced back at Elias, who was now studying him. "The wind probably knocked it over," I guessed before my eyes met Madison's from her room door left ajar. It seems she was trying to tell me something and after realising no matter how much she mouthed it, I couldn't catch it, she texted me instead.
How did she get my number? I furrowed slightly but my concern quickly shifted to the ominous contents of his test.
'There's someone else in the house.'
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