Page 64 of Gunnar

Devyn is in danger. Devyn is… I can’t finish the thought. If I finish the thought, I’ll lose what little control I have left.

We reach the house in what feels like hours. The gate is closed, and everything appears normal as we make our way up the drive. I jump from the still-moving SUV, hitting the gravel at a run, my boots slipping slightly before I find my footing. I race toward the front door, gun already in my hand, my finger on the trigger guard. I don’t wait for the others. I can’t. Every second is an eternity, every heartbeat a lifetime of terror.

“Devyn!” I scream as I burst through the door, the sound tearing my throat raw. “Devyn!”

I’m met with silence. Absolute, devastating silence.

I bellow her name again, and it echoes through the foyer, bouncing off hardwood and glass, returning to me empty. No response. No footsteps.

I pull my gun fully, the weight familiar and comforting, and I sweep the living room with the efficiency of years of training. The space is empty and pristine. I find the den and Sarah’s office in the same state. Moving toward the kitchen, each step taking me deeper into a nightmare I can’t wake from. The kitchen light is on, spilling out into the foyer. With it, the strong aroma of coffee.

Forging through the threshold, I find food and coffee on the counter, arranged with casual domesticity that makes my stomach lurch. Six cups. Two empty plates, and one with an uneaten croissant. I’m about to leave and head upstairs to search the bedrooms when I catch a boot on the floor by the island from the corner of my eye. Just the toe of it, visible past the cabinetry, black leather and laces. My heart stops, and I struggle to breathe or take a step.

No…

I move closer, my gun leading the way as my heart hammers so hard I can feel it in my throat. When I round the island, I find Damon, lying lifeless on the floor, his body twisted at an unnatural angle, his face pale and slack. “Damon!” I holster my weapon and drop to my knees beside him, my hands on his shoulders. It’s shallow and erratic, but he’s breathing. I slap his cheek in quick succession, the sound sharp in the quiet kitchen. “Damon! Wake up! Damon!”

His eyes flutter, groggy and unfocused, struggling to find consciousness. “Wha… Gunnar?”

“Where’s Devyn?” I demand, my voice harsh as my grip tightens on his shoulders. “Where is she?”

Damon blinks, confusion clouding his features. He tries to sit up but fails, falling back against the floor. “I… Uh… I don’t know.”

His words hit me like a physical blow. “What the fuck happened?” I snarl, shaking him as I lose my control. “Where is she? Where’s Devyn?”

“Jake…” Damon’s voice is thick, slurred, his tongue uncooperative. I check his vitals as he continues, “Jake stopped by… with breakfast… and the next thing I know you’re slapping me my across the cheek and screaming in my face… He must have… The food…”

Jake?

“Jake? Devyn’s agent?”

Damon nods, and the pieces click together with devastating clarity. He’s known her for years. He knows her schedule, her habits, her vulnerabilities. The man who has keys to her gates, access to her homes: years of trust built on professionalism and friendship. We’ve all spent time around him, trusting him. The encryption key that Mattis found was planted, meant to lead us astray and send us chasing the wrong man while the real threat stayed hidden in plain sight.

“Fuck!” The roar tears from my chest, primal and anguished. It’s the sound of a man watching his world crumble before him. My arm sweeps across the counter in a violent arc, sending the coffee and pastries flying to the ground. The paper cups scatter across the hardwood as the cold liquid in them splatters across the cabinets and floor.

“I’m so fucking sorry…” he whispers, his voice breaking with the guilt of what happened on his watch. “Gunnar, I’m so sorry… I didn’t know… I thought he was safe…”

I promised I would keep her safe, and I failed. I fucking failed her.

With trembling fingers, I pull out my phone and dial Mattis, my thumb slipping twice before I get it right. When he answers, I don’t wait for his greeting. I flip it to the speakerphone and toss the call onto the island.

“What the fuck did you miss?” I scream, my voice unrecognizable, broken by fear and fury. “What the fuck did you miss?”

“Gunnar?” Mattis’s voice is confused, alarmed. “What are you talking about? What’s happening?”

“Devyn is gone!” I shout, pacing along the edge of the island. “Damon is drugged on the floor! Jake took her! Jake fucking took her!”

There’s silence on the line, the weight of Mattis’s shock palpable through the speaker. “Jake? Her agent?”

“Yes!” I roar. “What the fuck did you miss?”

Mattis stammers, his usual confidence shattered, “Nothing… I went through everything yesterday to confirm. Everything points to Colton. The encryption key, the timeline, the⁠—”

“Well, it’s not fucking Colton!” I cut him off, my anger echoing around the room. “Colton is a piece of shit, but he’s not our fucking guy. He wasn’t stalking Devyn. He knew nothing about the fucking website. While we were beating the wrong man half to death, Jake was here, in her house, taking her!”

Hawk appears in the doorway, gun drawn and face grim, as he takes in the scene. He rushes over to Damon, checking his vitals as he listens to me shout at Mattis.

“Gunnar,” Hawk admonishes slightly, trying to calm me. “We need to focus. You need to ca⁠—”