"Pippa!" I shouted into the phone. "Fuck—"
I pressed my free hand against my other ear as London traffic roared past me, taxis and buses blurring together along the crowded street, filled with locals and tourists alike. My heart had not stopped pounding since I woke up to an empty bed.
I knew I was supposed to head back later this afternoon. I even had a shift tonight. But I had already begged Julie to cover for me, which was something I rarely did. Because there was no way I could focus on work right now.
Not when Marcus was missing.
"What?" Pippa yelled back through the phone. "I can't hear you. Where are you?"
"Covent Garden," I said quickly, weaving past pedestrians, regretting my decision for searching for him here. Why did I even bother? It wasn't like—
"Listen, is Marcus with you? Or your dad? Dr. Madakwe?"
A pause.
"No," she said slowly. "I thought he was with you?"
My stomach dropped.
I stopped walking entirely, people brushing past my shoulders in annoyance as cold panic crawled down my spine.
"He left this morning," I said quietly. "He left a note saying he went to get breakfast and then he just—he never came back."
The silence on the other end suddenly felt far too heavy.
"Elena," Pippa said carefully now, all traces of humor gone from her voice, "how long?"
I brushed my hair back shakily, pressing a hand against my forehead as I looked around. Now that I had reached the area closer to the office areas of Tottenham Court Road, the crowds had begun to thin, the city noise was quieter here somehow, which only made the panic in my chest louder.
"I don't know," I whispered. "A few hours, maybe? He was already gone when I woke up."
"Maybe he got lost," Pippa said quickly, though her voice had climbed an octave. "It's possible, Elena. He's still new to London."
"No," I shook my head immediately. "No, Pippa...I have a bad feeling about this."
"Elena—"
"He said he knew his way around," I cut in, my grip tightening around my phone. "Marcus is careful. He wouldn't wander somewhere familiar if he thought he couldn't make it back." My throat tightened painfully. "There's no way."
For a moment, neither of us spoke.
Then Pippa exhaled slowly.
"Okay," she said gently. "Don't panic yet. Meet me at our usual spot in Covent Garden, alright? We'll look for him together."
I closed my eyes briefly.
Despite Pippa trying to make me focus on the positives, there was just something deep inside me that refused to settle.
Marcus was not lost, that much I was certain.
He was too observant. Too strategic. He would've found a way if he was.
No. Something was wrong.
Something darker lingering beneath all of this.
But I swallowed it down anyway and nodded, even though she couldn't see me.
"Okay," I whispered.
By the time I reached our usual meeting spot in Covent Garden, my nerves were already all over the place.
The market was alive with noise from the other side where I stood. Street musicians performing for crowds of tourists, laughter spilling from the wine bar across, footsteps echoing across the old stone paths. But down on the other side of the lower ground floor, tucked near the quieter corner where Pippa and I used to hide from the crowds, things felt calmer. Quieter.
I stood near the little waffle stand we both loved, arms wrapped tightly around myself as I scanned every passing face, half hoping Marcus would suddenly appear out of nowhere.
Then I felt my phone vibrating in my coat pocket.
My stomach dropped the moment Garrick's name flashed across the screen.
For one terrible second, I couldn't breathe.
But when I finally swiped to answer, it wasn't Garrick's voice that greeted me. It was a woman's. Older, too. More refined.
Cold in a way that made my skin crawl.
"Elena," she said smoothly, with her posh accent. "I was beginning to wonder whether you would answer."
I froze completely.
"Mrs. Cavendish." I breathed.
"It's Lady Cavendish," she corrected smoothly. "Though if things had unfolded differently, you would have eventually shared the same title."
Ice slid down my spine.
Around me, London continued moving as normal. People laughed. Glasses clinked. An opera singer sang a beautiful sorrowful tune.
Meanwhile, my entire world tilted sideways.
"What did you do?" I whispered.
A soft sigh echoed through the speaker.
"Nothing permanent," the woman said calmly. "Marcus is unharmed...for now."
My grip on the phone tightened so hard my knuckles ached.
"If you wish to see him again, especially in this lifetime," she continued, "I suggest you come to our family home immediately. Alone. I trust, you still know your way."
My heartbeat roared violently in my ears.
"And if I refuse?"
A pause.
"Then I suppose you might never see him, nor hear from him again."
I swallowed hard, forcing myself to stay still despite the panic clawing its way up my throat.
"If you hurt him," I said quietly, each word measured, "I swear to God, I will never forgive any of you for it."
A soft chuckle echoed through the speaker.
"How fortunate, then, that your Roman still breathes."
My nails dug sharply into my palm.
"Where is he?"
"Come home, Elena," Lady Cavendish said smoothly, almost maternally. "And we shall discuss your future properly. One, I prefer, involving my son."
The line went dead.
For a moment, I simply stood there frozen in the middle of the market, phone still pressed against my ear while the noise of Covent Garden blurred into something distant and distorted around me.
My chest felt tight.
Too tight.
I lowered the phone slowly, trying to think, trying not to spiral, when movement caught the corner of my eye.
Pippa.
She was weaving quickly through the crowd toward me, in her dark blue coat and her dark head covered in a beanie. She was still catching her breath, the moment her eyes landed on my face, her expression changing instantly.
"Elena?" she called, breathless now as she approached. "What happened?"
I swallowed hard, trying to force the words past the tightness in my throat.
"It's Marcus," I whispered.
Fear flashed across her face immediately.
"What about him?"
I shook my head once, already feeling panic threatening to crawl back up my chest.
"Garrick's family has him."
Pippa froze.
"What?"
"I don't know how," I said quickly, my voice trembling now despite my efforts to steady it. "Garrick's mom called me." My grip tightened around my phone. "She told me if I ever wanted to see him again, I have to go to their family home."
Pippa stared at me in horror.
"I'll call my dad."
"I have to leave," I breathed, glancing toward the street already as adrenaline surged through me again. "I have to go now."
"Elena, wait—"
"I can't," I cut in immediately. "If they're threatening me directly, then something's wrong. Marcus would never willingly stay there."
Pippa grabbed my wrist before I could turn away completely.
"Don't go yet," she bit out. "I'm coming with you. You cannot go there alone."
I turned back toward her immediately, shaking my head.
"No. You can't." I pulled in a shaky breath. "It's too dangerous."
"Elena—"
"They need me," I said quickly. "Not you. They won't hurt me." At least, I hoped they wouldn't. "I have a plan."
Pippa stared at me like I had completely lost my mind.
"Elena, do you seriously think I'm letting you walk into some creepy aristocratic estate alone after they kidnapped your Roman boyfriend?"
"Please," I cut in, gripping her hand tightly now. "Trust me on this."
Something in my voice must've reached her, because she finally fell silent.
I swallowed hard.
"Tell your dad," I said quietly. "Get him to contact the authorities. Dr. Madakwe too. Just...just in case."
Pippa's expression twisted miserably.
She hated this, I could see it all over her place.
But after a long moment, her grip on my wrist slowly loosened.
"You better not die," she muttered thickly.
Despite everything, a weak laugh escaped me.
"Wasn't planning on it."
She gathered me in her arms, and I couldn't help but savor the hug.
Then before either of us could change our minds, I turned and disappeared back into the London crowd.