Page 5 of Yearner

It hadn't.

He lowered the phone slowly, staring at the screen with a look of disbelief that gradually hardened into fury. His hand was still bleeding, and the muscles in his jaw ached from how tightly he had been clenching it.

Then, finally, the lock clicked.

Silas's head snapped toward the door.

The moment it opened, he was on his feet. He shoved past the doorway and stormed into the hallway, moving so quickly that he nearly collided with one of the maids standing outside.

"Silas!" his father called from farther down the hall.

He didn't stop.

"Silas, what the hell happened to your hand?"

His father's voice sharpened as he caught sight of the blood smeared across Silas's knuckles.

Silas barely glanced at him. He kept walking, his shoulders rigid and his expression dark enough to warn anyone against getting in his way.

"Silas, I'm talking to you!"

He ignored him and continued toward the stairs.

By the time he reached the entrance, his entire body was wound tight with frustration. He shoved the front door open and stepped into the freezing morning air without bothering to put on a coat.

Three hours later, he stood beside his car, staring at the snow-covered road while his men continued their search. He hadn't slept, barely remembered the last time he'd eaten, and had done little more than pace, make calls, and demand answers from everyone who crossed his path.

His injured hand had been cleaned and wrapped, but the bandage did nothing to ease the tension in his body. His phone remained in his other hand, and every few minutes, he checked it despite knowing exactly what he would find.

Nothing from Allison.

The sound of hurried footsteps drew his attention.

Three men approached him, all broad-shouldered and dressed in dark suits. Their stern faces and watchful eyes reflected years of working for a family whose firearms business demanded discretion and absolute loyalty.

The man in front stopped before Silas, his expression tense, while the other two remained a step behind him.

“Mr. Black, we’ve checked Ms. Herrera’s home and every address we could find, but she isn’t there. We’ve also looked into her known connections, but no one seems to know where she went.”

The man hesitated before continuing. “From what we’ve gathered, it appears she left on her own. She deliberately changed her routes several times to make sure no one could follow her.”

“What the fuck is going on?” Silas snapped, his chest rising with anger. “How can she just disappear?”

Until yesterday, everything had been fine. He had proposed to Allison, and she had agreed to think about whether she wanted to be with him. Now, out of nowhere, everything had fallen apart. She had vanished without a trace, and he had no idea why.

“Mr. Black, we’ll continue investigating,” the man assured him. “We’ll go through everything again and see if we can find something we missed.”

The man bowed his head before stepping away, leaving Silas alone beside his car.

Silas clenched his phone in his hand and dialed Allison’s number again, but it was still out of service. He tried once more, hoping somehow the call would go through this time.

Nothing.

His jaw tightened as he lowered the phone. Then, with a furious swing of his arm, he slammed his hands against the hood of his car. The loud bang echoed through the darkness as he bowed his head.

‘If you disappear tonight, Allison, don't you ever dare show your face in front of me again!’

His own words rang through his mind, over and over.