Thorns And Roses

Chapter Fifteen

Theo pulled the phone away from his ear to stare at it. It sounded like Demi had dropped the phone. He brought it back and waited for his mate to pick it back up. He grew a little anxious when Demi didn't immediately come back onto the phone.

"Baby, you there?" He could hear the cars and some muffled voices on the other end, but not Demi's voice.

"Demi? Demitri pick up the phone." His tone went from gentle to demanding. There was no reason for Demi not to answer him unless something was wrong. Theo hung up on his end and dialed Victor's number. The tiger picked up on the first ring.

"Yes, Sir?"

"Where the fuck is Demi?" There wasn't an answer right away, which sent Theo's heart into a frenzy. He felt his hands grow clammy and his stomach twists in a painful knot.

"He was right here. Where the fuck did he go?" Theo's anxiety skyrocketed and he stood up from his comfy chair at his desk to pace the space in front of it. He was all nervous now. His mate was gone.

"You lost my fucking mate?" He yelled into the phone. Theo knew rationally that yelling at his men didn't do anything but he needed to do something to calm himself down.

"No, I swear he was just right here. Give me a minute and let us look around. We'll find him, Sir." Would they, would they really find Demi? He could be lying in some ditch on the side of the road by now, just from them having this conversation.

"You better fucking pray you find him, Victor." And with that Theo hung up. The shaking of his hands made the phone fall to the floor. He ran them through his hair as he continued to pace. How long would it take for them to look around? He needed Quinn in here right fucking now.

Theo walked to his office door knowing that Quinn would be on the other side of it. As soon as Theo asked him to come in, Quinn could tell something was up.

"You okay, Theodore?" Theo shook his head no at him then he began to pace again. His phone was back in his hand as he waited for Victor's call.

"Demi is missing. He was just talking to me and now he's fucking gone. Vincent and Victor weren't watching him like they were supposed to. I'm waiting for them to call me back to either confirm or deny that Demi is really gone." He hoped they found him. Theo didn't know how attached he had grown to the Omega until the thought of him gone made him feel sick. He needed Demi to be safe, for his sanity, and for the sake of his men.

"Don't worry, they'll find him." He didn't believe Quinn's words. There was something about the whole thing that made Theo nervous. Demi wouldn't just walk away from Vincent and Victor. He knew what would happen if he purposely lost them. Something was wrong, Theo could feel it in his gut.

He didn't bother answering Quinn, waiting for Victor to call him back he paced some more. How long has it been already? Theo should have kept track of the time.

After what felt like hours but must have only been a few minutes, Theo's phone rang. Instantly answering it, not even paying attention to the number on the screen.

"Did you find him?" Victor didn't answer him right away and all Theo could do was wait.

"Good afternoon, Mateo. You miss me?" Theo growled at the voice on the other end of the phone. How dare this piece of shit call him at such a desperate time.

"What the fuck do you want, Jones?" Quinn and Theo's eyes met at the name that he mentioned. Christopher Jones was a man that had known him and Quinn since they were children. All three of them had grown up in the same orphanage.

When Quinn and Theo decided that they were going to do something with their lives when they got out, Christopher wanted to do the same. Instead of pairing up with when they started being hitmen, he went off on his own. The crazy werewolf was lazy and messy with his work. Unlike Theo's clan, Christopher took pleasure in the jobs he did.

"I wouldn't talk to me like that if I were you." If he wasn't waiting for Leo to call him, then the device in his hand would be smashed against his desk.

"Why the fuck not? Is this another one of your stupid ideas of becoming my partner? I told you, Jones, I don't work with people like you."

"Oh, Mateo you underestimate me. After what I tell you, I think you'll be delighted to work with me." Theo growled low in his throat. He was done with this crazy-ass werewolf.

"What do you want?" There was a shuffling sound like Jones was passing the phone to someone else.

"Say hello to your Alpha, little kitten." Theo froze, a sinking feeling entering the pit of his stomach. It felt like he was standing in the middle of a blizzard as his hands shook in anger.

There was a long pause as Theo waited for Demi to speak. What he got was a curse from Jones and the sound of Demi being slapped.

"You little fucking shit. I should kill you right now. The business be damned." Theo saw red at Jones' threat. The man got back on the phone another curse leaving him.

"Don't you fucking touch him." A snarl ripped out of his chest as he growled at Jones.

"The little bitch spit in my face. Be lucky all I did was slap him and not cut out his tongue. Haven't you taught him anything, Mateo?" Theo rumbled low in his throat, a growl threatening to escape.

"Anyways. I'm giving you forty-eight hours to come to a decision. You know what will happen if you don't."

"I don't need forty-eight hours, Jones. I'll become your partner if you let him go." He was willing to do anything to keep Demi safe. Even selling half of his hitman business if it called for it.

"You're no fun, are you? Always a stick in the mud. I still want you to think it over before making a decision. I'll text you the address once the time is up. Bye for now." Then Jones hung up. Theo threw the phone, not feeling any better as he watched the device smash against the wall. Shattering into a million pieces. He turned to look at Quinn.

"Get me a new phone with the same number." He barked his order to the other dragon, who just stood there quietly. He left Theo's office to hopefully get him a new phone.

Shit. Fuck. What was Theo going to do? Anything could happen to Demi at the hands of those sick bastards. There wasn't really anything he could do. Demi didn't have his phone so they couldn't track him. The only ones that were with him were Vincent and Victor, and they didn't even see him get taken. So, in reality, despite how much money and power Theo had, there was nothing for him to do but sit and wait for Jones to contact him.

~~~~~

It was time.

After two days, Jones had texted a very sleep-deprived Theo, the address of a warehouse that sat on the outskirts of the city. They had searched for Demi in that period of time, and finally, Theo was going to see him again.

Hopefully.

All he could do was pray that his mate was okay and well. He had already made up his mind that he would give Jones whatever he wanted in exchange for Demi. He would give up everything just to keep him safe.

He didn't realize how much he needed Demi in his life until he wasn't there. Theo didn't eat and he couldn't sleep. It was either because Demi was gone or because Theo was so fucking worried about him. It didn't matter which one, all he knew was that he needed his mate back.

And he was getting him back no matter what it took.