Shades of Sins (New York Sinner Series Book 2)

39| Puzzle

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Puzzle

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Chapter 39: Puzzle (Anastasia's POV)

Despite being asleep, a sense of restlessness woke me up at some point in the middle of the night. Groaning in annoyance and mumbling Dante's name, I rolled over to face him, hating the absence of his touch as I slept. 

When I turned around and my hand reached for him, all I felt beneath my fingers was the cold sheet and an empty pillow. My eyes snapped open almost instantly with a frown settling on my lips. Taking in a breath, I moved to sit up and ran a hand through my hair as I scanned the room. 

I paused for a minute, waiting to hear a sound from the bathroom. When I didn't, I called out for him. "Dante?" A beat of silence passed and then another. As I returned to a state of complete consciousness, it started to feel like something was incredibly wrong. Lifting his pillow, I checked for his gun and found it in place. 

If he'd left, for whatever reason, he would have taken it... 

"What the fuck?" I mumbled, stumbling out of bed in haste as I hid his gun and grabbed my own, along with my cell phone and key card. Swiping the satin robe I tossed over the chain earlier, I shoved it on and ran, sprinting down the hall and to the elevator. "God, please, please, please..." I muttered repeatedly, praying he was safe. 

When I stepped out into the lobby, it was unsurprisingly deserted. Not a person in sight, not even at the front desk. 

I looked around frantically as I tightened my robe and then ran to the main revolving doors, inhaling sharply as a chilly breeze nipped at my skin upon stepping outside. "Where are you?" I asked silently, ignoring the tremor of my hands. I kept looking, searching for him, any sight of him but to no avail. 

When several minutes passed, I began to panic. 

What if something happened to him? What if someone hurt him? Took him? What if he... Images of the worst scenarios began flashing behind my eyes. 

Turning to my right, I contemplated running down the street to look for him. Blinking past the tears in my eyes, I threw my head back and stared at the sky. "Please let him be safe," I whispered. I was just about to take my first step when I heard my name. 

"Anastasia?" 

Spinning around with bated breath, I finally found him. 

Surprise washed over his face as he took me in, quickly closing the distance between us with a few wide strides. "What are you doing out here?" he asked, taking my arms and waist. 

"Where the hell were you?!" I snapped immediately, giving him a hard shove. "Do you have any idea how terrified I was, waking up to an empty bed with no sign of where you had gone!" 

He realized. "Baby—" 

"I was scared, Dante!" I quickly wiped a stray tear with the back of my hand. "I thought something... something..." I trailed off into a huff. 

"I'm right here," he said softly, pulling me in. "I'm okay." He held me, and this time, I let him. 

"You didn't even take your gun," I whispered, holding onto him tightly. "Where did you go?"