Chapter 26

**ALEX**


“Matt? What about Matt?”

The words leave my mouth before I can stop them, laced with the edge of irritation that’s been gnawing at me ever since I realized Grace Miller was gone. I can barely focus on what Elizabeth’s telling me about that son of a bitch who won’t let Moretti business run in peace. My mind is a storm, spinning around one thing: Grace Miller. But she keeps talking, droning on about how that snake Matt swooped in while we were delayed and stole our clients—clients I should have been locked in negotiations with if I wasn’t busy chasing after a woman who clearly has a knack for running, making me chase after her. I should be tearing him apart for this, but instead, I can’t even summon the rage that should come naturally.

“Alex, are you listening? Matt has stolen the deal, it's gone!” Elizabeth’s voice cuts through the haze. Her tone is cautious—she knows better than to push too far when I’m in a mood like this.

“And? Do you think I have time to give a fuck right now, Elizabeth?” I snap, finally giving her my full attention. She flinches just slightly, a flicker of fear in her eyes before she regains composure. Good. She should know better than to waste my time with this nonsense when there’s something far more pressing at hand. Grace. Fucking. Millers.

Carl, my right-hand man, steps in, his voice calm but insistent. “This deal is crucial, Alex. We’ve been working on it for three years, and now Matt’s gone and taken it right from under us. We can’t just let it slide.”

“Then go get it back,” I spit out. “Or are you both so incompetent that you need me to do your jobs for you?”

Sophie enters the car just then, her eyes immediately searching mine, looking for answers I’m not in the position to give. “We need you to get involved if we’re going to salvage this deal, Alex,” Elizabeth urges, her voice tinged with that faux calmness she uses when she’s trying to get me to see reason. “Matt’s offer must’ve been dirt cheap. If we play our cards right, we can outmanoeuvre him, but we need you there to close it.”

I can feel the tension in the car crackling like a live wire, much like the last straw of patience in me. They don’t get it. None of them do. “Listen to me, Lizzy, I don’t care about that fucking deal right now!” The shout bursts out, sharp and vicious, startling everyone into silence. “You want me to babysit while you handle it? No, that’s your job. If you can’t handle one deal, then hand in your resignation. As for you, Carl, go kill yourself if you can’t make this right. Should be easy enough to manage?”

Elizabeth’s mouth opens, maybe to protest, but one look from me and she shuts up. I’m done with this conversation. I need to focus on what really matters. Grace Miller. Where the hell is she?

I step out of the car full of idiots and my sister, slamming the door behind me, and pull out my phone, the GPS app still open on the screen. I can see her—well, sort of. The location’s not precise, just a general area nearby. She’s close, so damn close, but it’s like she’s playing hide-and-seek in my own backyard. My frustration bubbles over, boiling beneath the surface. How the hell is she slipping through my fingers?

Sophie follows me out of the car, her voice cuts into my thoughts, soft, almost pleading. “Alex, you have to find her. Grace doesn’t know anyone here. She’s probably scared, lost. She’s not like the others. She’s innocent, Alex. If something happens to her—”

Innocent. That word makes me pause. She really thinks Grace Millers is innocent. She has no idea. I glance at Sophie as she finally notices what I’ve been doing—tracking Grace Miller’s phone. Her eyes narrow in suspicion. “Why does her phone have a GPS? Why did you—”

I ignore her question and turn to walk up to the men returning from the search. Their faces dull and unpromising. I raise an eyebrow and they all shake their heads, making me slam the phone in my hand on the ground. Sophie steps back as it shatters into pieces. “You’ve checked all the exits?” I demand.

“Yes, boss, but she’s not anywhere near the main roads or the other usual spots. We’ve combed the area.”

“Not good enough.” My hand goes to the holster at my side, fingers grazing the grip of my gun as I try to not let the rage command my actions. Sophie whispers my name from behind me, reminding me that she’s still here. I push the gun back in but don’t leave it. One of the newer guys stiffens, his gaze flicking nervously from my face to the weapon. “If you don’t find her soon, you’ll be looking for your legs next.”

I’m not bluffing, and they know it. But this isn’t about intimidation. It’s about control—control I’m losing the longer she’s out there on her own. They scatter, heading out to continue the search, leaving me alone with my thoughts and Sophie’s accusing glare.

I’m also in a way thankful for her presence, her quiet insistence. She allows me to blame her for the way I am acting. Desperate and insane. She gives me a chance to not think more about why I cannot care about anything else but getting Grace Millers back where I can see her with my own eyes. I don’t think I’d much enjoy figuring that out.