Chapter 83: 83 ~ Jace
The past few days had been hectic. I was battling one issue or the other with work (legal and otherwise). And Mira was in the hospital.
How bad could it get?
I was about to find out.
I walked into her hospital room and found it empty.
Blinking a couple of times, I wondered if my eyes were deceiving me.
I looked into the bathroom situated in the room and she was nowhere to be found. None of her stuff was in the room. It was almost like she was never here.
My heart beat faster immediately. What if she had been kidnapped?
I was about to run out of the room when I spotted the necklace I gave to her on top of the bed.
This was the only way I could track her. I asked her to not take it off no matter what.
I picked it up.
"Where’s my wife?" I asked the guard that was supposed to be watching her standing outside the room.
"Boss."
"Answer the damn question." I thundered.
"We just came in this morning. She’s supposed to be discharged today."
"Then where the heck is she? And why are you just coming in?"
"Donna sent new guards yesterday."
"My mother?" I was stunned by that piece of information.
"Yes boss."
"You’re fired."
He was incompetent. Why would he be standing out here without checking on whom he was supposed to protect.
I found my way downstairs, boarded my vehicle and immediately sped out of the hospital.
~
"Where’s Mira?"
That was the first thing I said as soon as I stepped into my mother’s bedroom at her side of the house.
"Have you ever heard of knocking?"
"Cut the bullshit mom, where is she?"
"How am I supposed to know? Weren’t you supposed to be with her at the hospital?"
"Has she been kidnapped?" I asked, unable to hide my worry.
But then there was the fact that she left her necklace behind. Maybe she did not want to be found.
I balled my fist, gritting my teeth as I said, "The moment I find her I’m gonna-"
"You won’t." My mother cut me short.
I paused. "What?"
She went on. "And even if you do, you will not bring her back here. She needs her peace. You’ve brought enough chaos to her life."
"What the hell are you talking about?" I scowled.
"Do whatever you want with this piece of information." She said and walked to her door, gesturing for me to leave.
"You have a hand in her disappearance?"
"Don’t ask me silly questions Jacopo. Leave my room."
"Mom."
She looked even more upset. "You messed this up. I keep cleaning up your messes and I am sick and tired of it!"
"She’s carrying my child."
"Oh now you care?" The sarcasm in her tone bit into me.
’"Mom, just tell me where she is."
"She is safe. Leave her alone."
"What about my baby?"
"They will be taken care of."
"The Castillos will go after her. I need to be there to protect her." This was a desperate plea.
"Like you did a very good job at that while she was here," she scoffed.
Her words burned straight into my chest. For the first time I felt powerless.
"Go,"
I stormed out of the room in anger.
Picking up my phone, I dialed the number of the of the one person that could get this sorted for me. Tomas.
"Boss,"
"I need you to help me find Mira," I said, straight to the point.
"Your wife?"
"Who else?!"
"Where did she go?"
"I don’t know. But I know my mom has a hand in it. She won’t tell me where she is. I can count on you for this right?"
"Always. Just relax boss."
~
Days rolled into weeks.
There was no sign of Mira.
I even had my mother followed just to see if she could lead me to her but there was no sign of her.
Tomas assured me he was on it but there was barely any progress. I had tried calling her over and over but there was no response.
I had asked my mother over and over for answers but knowing her, she could take such a secret to the grave.
I picked up my phone and called Mira yet again. My calls went to voicemail. I could never find the right words to say so I just left it.
I was such a coward.
~
It was one of those nights when I couldn’t get Mira out of my head. I decided that going to the club would help.
Every time I went home, the house felt oddly empty without her there. The rooms were empty.
I missed the taste of her meals and baked treats. I felt choked with her absence.
It was an ache I could not fully explain. She wasn’t supposed to leave me like this. We could have at least talked.
Would you have listened to her though? I asked myself.
In all honesty, maybe I wouldn’t have. And now, I regretted it.
The music was loud, Tomas was having a good time with a woman on his arm. For me, I didn’t want anyone near me. The only person I wanted was Mira but now she was gone. Away in another country for sure and there was somehow no trace of her.
What happened next was so fast, I was blindsided.
The only thing I heard was shots and the next minute I was on the ground.
It was chaos all around.
I reached for my gun, ready to shoot back but I could barely even see the person who had shot at me because of all the chaos.
I shut my eyes and groaned as the pain of the bullet seeped in.
Why was it always my arm for fucks sake?!
"Boss!"
"Find the motherfucker who did this!" I yelled with all my might.
This was going to make it to the news and it was bad for business.
"Shit!"