Chapter 767

Jace didn’t push it. He just nodded and said, “I’ll walk you back.”

I opened my mouth to refuse again, but he added, “It’s not safe for you to walk alone this late.”

Not safe? In a monastery? Yeah, right.

I was about to roll my eyes when he added, “What if there are bugs or snakes?”

That shut me up immediately. I hated those creepy things. I had to give it to him—after ten years together, he still knew how to shut me up when it counted.

As we walked, his comment sparked something. I told him about the snake Lena got in the parcel and spilled who sent it.

Jace’s expression iced over, his eyes narrowing. “People like that are completely unhinged.”

“Exactly. That’s why I’m so worried about Lena.”

“He wouldn’t come at you directly. But your people? Yeah, they’d be targets,” Jace murmured.

We both knew exactly who “he” meant.

Thinking about Wayne’s smooth, polished act, I couldn’t help but say, “That whole ‘don’t judge a book by its cover’ thing? Yeah, dead on. I never thought he’d go this far.”

Jace stayed quiet.

I let out a bitter laugh. “Don’t tell me you think he’s doing all this because of me.”

“There’s some truth to that,” Jace admitted, voice soft. “But it’s more than that. He’s always been jealous. Of me.”

His head dipped slightly, but then his hand shot up to his nose.

“What’s wrong?” I asked, instantly on edge.

He shook his head faintly. “It’s nothing. Just feel like I’m about to sneeze.”

But then I saw it—a faint streak of red dripping through his fingers.

“How does a sneeze turn into a nosebleed?” I asked, staring at his pale face, the hollows under his eyes. “Jace, what’s really going on?”

He pulled a tissue from his pocket, pressing it to his nose while tilting his head back. “It’s nothing. Air’s just dry, and I’ve been slacking on water.”

Chapter 267

‘Is that really all it is?’ Memories flashed of the last time Jace had coughed up blood in front of me. That same unease crept back in.

“Jace, if you’re not feeling well, just go see a doctor, okay? Don’t try to tough it out,” I said, my voice betraying my concern.

“I’m fine. It’s just the dry air,” he insisted, waving it off like it was no big deal.

Watching him like this made my throat feel tight. Before I could push further, his phone rang.

Still pressing a tissue to his nose, he grabbed the phone with his free hand, flipping it to speaker.

“Jace, we’ve checked on your brother and Cole Drago’s people. No activity from their side tonight. As for the person you mentioned, we’re still looking, but there are no leads yet.”

That was it. My last shred of hope? Gone. The air around me felt even colder.

Jace’s people had done their digging. If it wasn’t Wayne or Cole, then who? And why would they take Lena?

As my mind spiraled, Jace’s voice cut through. “Keep digging. Do whatever it takes.”

After hanging up, he turned to me. “If it’s not them, it has to be someone else.”

I shook my head. “I can’t think of anyone it could be. You know Lena—she’s all about her job. Hospital, apartment, repeat. She barely even goes out.”

“Think carefully,” Jace pressed. “Has she had any conflicts with anyone? Even small ones?”

“She’s an obstetrician, Jace,” I said, exasperated. “Who could she possibly—” I froze mid-sentence, the answer crashing into me like a freight train.

The mother who died in labor. Her baby, gone too.

I quickly explained, the memory spilling out in pieces. Jace didn’t miss a beat. “I’ll have someone dig into it.”

And just like that, the waiting game began again—tense, endless, agonizing.

Meanwhile, Mrs. Lane had already called Aaron, her panic palpable through the phone. “Aaron, Lena’s missing. She’s gone, and we can’t find her anywhere!”

Chapter 750