Chapter 377

Victor’s POV

I was up all night pacing the mansion as I waited for Daisy to come home.

She never did.

Benson told me Anna was missing too. She left with Daisy around one that afternoon to get lunch and never returned. Neither of the girls haven’t called anyone since then, and nobody has seen them.

I’m glad Daisy is not alone, but Anna being with her isn’t much comfort to me. I want my beautiful Luna back …now.

Walking out onto the balcony in her bedroom, I watched the sun begin to rise. I can sense she’s alive. Adam feels Diana is out there somewhere too.

“But where,” I groaned. The pain of our separation was tearing me apart. “Where are you, my love?”

Someone must have taken her. She wouldn’t leave and let everyone she loved worry like this. Neither would Anna.

I’m afraid Daisy was investigating the drug ring again, and the girls got caught spying on them.

Panic raced through me, and I dialed her cell again. While it rang, I drummed my fingers on the balcony railing.

Just a few nights ago, Daisy and I shifted and jumped this railing to go for a run in the moonlight. We made love under the stars before returning to this room, where we fell asleep in each other’s arms.

I went back inside and lay on her side of the bed. The pillow smelled like her shampoo. I deeply inhaled the clean, fresh scent and choked on a sob.

“Daisy, where are you, sweetheart,” I mourned.

Until Daisy came into my life, I didn’t believe romantic love existed. But the moment I looked into her emerald eyes, I was lost, even if I didn’t want to admit it to myself at the time.

I couldn’t lose her. Her life couldn’t be over. She had so much left to give, so much left to do. We often spoke of her graduation, our wedding, and having children when we were ready.

Were all those dreams lost? I gripped her pillow as tears rolled down my face.

A knock on the door made me bolt upright and wipe away my tears with the back of my hand. Nobody could see me like this. I had to be strong. I had to find her.

“Yes,” I said to the person at the door.

The door opened, and Benson’s tired face appeared. He had also been up all night.

“The police are here, Mr. Klein,” he said. “They are waiting for you in the foyer.”

Those words terrified me instead of giving me hope. Why were they here?

I haven’t notified the police yet about Daisy’s disappearance. I knew the law. An adult couldn’t be declared missing for seventy-two hours.

“I’ll be right there,” I said. “Thank you, Benson.”

Wanting to keep Alex’s spirits up, I quickly washed my face before heading downstairs.

But Alex was already in the foyer speaking to the police. He was fully dressed, which told me he hadn’t gotten any sleep either.

“What happened?” I asked while praying they found her and Anna alive.

“We found a Hummer pickup registered to Daisy Wilson abandoned behind a strip mall on route eleven,” one of the cops said. “The engine was still running.”

Another cop held out his hands to me. “These two cell phones were on the passenger side floor.”

I took the phones. “The silver one belongs to my fiancée,” I told him. “The black must be her maid’s.”

“Where are they?” one cop asked. “May we speak to them?”

Tears came to my eyes. “I’m afraid we don’t know. My fiancée and her maid went out for lunch yesterday afternoon, and they never returned. They weren’t answering their phones, and none of their friends or family have seen or heard from them.”

“Did you quarrel with your fiancée yesterday?”

a cop asked. “Or was she upset about anything?”

Their questions made anger stir in my blood. But I knew they were standard in a missing person’s case. Some people did run away from their lives.

“No, we weren’t fighting,” I assured them. “But Daisy is a freelance investigative reporter and an investigator for the Public Defender’s Office. Her work sometimes puts her in danger.”

“What was she working on recently?” a cop asked.

“The drug ring behind the flow of Ice in and around Denhurst,” I replied.

Alex grimaced. “Victor, why would you let her ….”

Alex’s question was cut off when Daisy’s phone rang in my hands. The caller ID said: Unknown Caller.

Hoping it was her or someone who knew where she was, I answered it and put it on speaker. “Hello.”

There was silence on the other end. But I could tell someone was there, listening. I could feel hate and hostility radiating from the phone.

“I know someone is there,” I said. “I can hear you breathing. Where is Daisy? What did you do with her?”

There was a low, hollow chuckle, and then the silence continued. The malevolent vibes coming from the phone made the hair on the back of my neck stand on end.

“If you harm her, I swear I will track you to the gates of Hades and make you pay,” I snarled. “Do you hear me? You won’t get away with this!”

I meant every word. If Daisy was harmed or killed, I didn’t care if I was arrested or executed for murder. I would avenge her, and I would make it hurt.

Instead of the caller answering me, the line went dead, and the phone returned to its Home Screen.

Fear and rage consumed me, and the urge to smash the phone was strong. But it was one of the last things Daisy touched, and I couldn't destroy it.

“Somebody has her,” Alex stated. He was shaking with fear and anger, too. “What do they want? Why would they call and not speak to you?”

I had my suspicions, but I didn't want to throw off any investigation into Daisy’s disappearance. And the thought of the faction having my beloved terrified me.

“I don’t know.” I looked at her phone, willing it to ring again. It didn’t. I had to do something to find her and bring her home.

“Do you want us to take the phone and try to trace the call?” a cop asked.

“No, if that person has my fiancée, they may try to call again,” I replied. I put the phone in my pocket. “Besides, the caller ID said it was an unknown caller. It probably can’t be traced.”

The thought crossed my mind that there may be clues to Daisy’s disappearance in her phone. I’d check her call log, photos, and text messages. I couldn’t let the cops take her phone.

The cop nodded. “Okay. I can send someone to take your statements. I wish I could do more, but my hands are tied for another two days or until there is proof she and her maid were abducted.”

“We understand,” Alex said. “But please have her truck towed here. I’ll have an Association team go over it for fingerprints and evidence.”

The police agreed and left. Alex and I moved to his study to try to calm down.

“We need to remain calm so we can think clearly,” Alex insisted as he poured small glasses of scotch.

I shook my head.

“One drink will help you relax,” Alex insisted. “You’re too tightly wound.”

Benson ran into the room. “Mr. Klein, a messenger service just left this envelope for you. It’s marked: Urgent. Open immediately!”

I took the envelope from Benson and examined it. It was large, nine by twelve inches, and there was a post office box for a return address.

“Open it!” Alex cried. “It must be about Daisy.”

I nodded, tore open one end, and pulled out several papers. One was a photo that had been printed on thin paper. It was Daisy!

She was lying on a cot with her eyes closed. She didn't look dead, but she was deeply asleep, maybe drugged.

I wanted to crumple the photo in my fist and kiss it at the same time.

Alex moved my arm a little so he could see what I was studying.

“Oh, Daisy,” he lamented. “My darling daughter, what are they doing to you?”

Benson stood nearby, wringing his hands. “What do the other papers say?”

I pulled them from under the photo and snarled.

“Daisy has been kidnapped! They want fifty million dollars by the day after tomorrow, or they will kill her and send us a video of her death.”

“That’s outrageous!” Alex roared. “Who would dare do this?”

Daisy’s phone rang again. I pulled it from my pocket and told Alex, “I think we’re about to find out.”