Page 69 of Who's Afraid of the Big, Bad World

Katrina was already tapping on her screen. “It’s going straight to voicemail.”

Rochelle turned to the triplet. “Wake Evan; get him to trace their cell phones.”

“On it, Boss.” He rushed back out through the guest room.

“What’s going on?” Annabelle asked the women. “Noah didn’t tell me he was leaving. Has something happened to him?” She wanted to ask if the Demons had taken him but couldn’t bring herself to voice her fear.

“It’s possible he’s holed up somewhere in the building, talking with Rodrigo and Abasi,” Katrina said hopefully.

“Unlikely.” Rochelle wasn’t happy. “I’m going downstairs to see what Evan finds. Go back to sleep, Annabelle. Violet will watch over you.”

“I can’t sleep now.” Annabelle threw back the covers. “I have nightmares. Noah was helping with them, and now I’m worried.”

“We’re all going downstairs,” Violet said. “I’m not equipped to help her the way Noah can.”

Rochelle turned back to Violet. “What way is that?”

“Cuddling.” Violet shuddered. “That isn’t in my job description.”

Rochelle turned to study Annabelle and her bed. As her perceptive gaze took in everything—including signs that someone had slept on both sides of the sofa bed—her lips thinned and her jaw tightened.

“Noah was purely keeping me company while I slept,” Annabelle rushed to explain, feeling like a teenager caught sneaking a boy into her bedroom. Something she’d tried only once because her dad’s disappointment in her had ruined ever attempting it again.

Katrina’s phone rang, and she answered it before talking to Rochelle. “Evan says he can’t get a location on any of their phones. The GPS is off.”

“Then get him to turn it back on. He can do that remotely.”

“Um, no, he can’t. He says they’re using an app Elle designed, which blocks people from remotely accessing their GPS.”

Annabelle wasn’t sure she followed the conversation and had no idea who Elle was, but it didn’t take a genius to figure out this wasn’t good news. She pressed a hand to her stomach as it roiled wildly.

“Do you think someone kidnapped them from Abasi’s hotel?” she asked, unable to hide the terror in her voice. The DemonBrothers could have been watching. They could have followed the two men. What if they’d hurt them? What if they were dead?

Annabelle gave a little squeak of alarm as her knees gave out. With a thump, she sat back down on the edge of her bed. Noah was in danger—and it was all because of her.

She became aware that Rochelle had crouched in front of her. “Try not to panic. I don’t think the Demons have Noah or anyone else on our team, for that matter.”

“Then what’s happened to them?” Noah wouldn’t leave her by choice. He’d promised to stay by her side and protect her. Something must have happened.

“I think”—Rochelle’s eyes flashed fire—”that the boys have taken matters into their own hands.”

“I don’t understand.” And she didn’t. Noah was her main bodyguard. Just a few hours earlier, he’d lain alongside her in bed, protecting her from attack—both mental and physical.

“The boys have gone rogue,” Rochelle said. “And I plan to skin them alive for doing it.”

Annabelle’s brain wasn’t firing on all cylinders. She looked over at Katrina and Violet, who both appeared angry.

“I can’t believe they left me babysitting while they went off to have fun without me,” Violet raged.

Annabelle felt faint as the words sank in. “They’ve gone after the Demons?”

Rochelle nodded tersely before standing. “Looks like it. Let’s get some coffee. None of us will sleep now anyway.”

They headed downstairs to the office, where Evan sat in front of his computers, his hair standing on end.

“I think I’ve found a way of tracking them,” he said excitedly. “I can hack the GPS in the vehicle they took.”

“Do it,” Rochelle ordered as she glanced at Katrina. “I’ll take Harris and go fetch them. You, Logan, Violet, and Evan, look after Annabelle.”