Veil of Deception: The Replacement wife

Let her go

Alexander's POV:

A cold rush of dread and hated washes over me as I stand outside the empty warehouse. I had been trailing leads for hours, I knew he was here at one point but not anymore. I push past the edge of exhaustion it had been days since I last saw her beautiful face. My instincts scream at me that something is wrong, and I can't seem to shake the feeling that Scarlet was in trouble. I had managed to kill two of his men hanging upside down I knew and feared that Vincent was behind this.

Vincent, was my brother. The black sheep of the family, ruthless and power-hungry, not to mention crazy and demented. For years, he'd been scheming, clawing for control after he got out of the psychiatric  ward. Him dragging Scarlet into this... That was his lowest move yet.

That was about as personal as it can get.

I slam my hand down on the hood of the car.

Thinking back to the jewelry I gave her they clearly ditched.

The tracker gone my only hope.

I don't even know how he got here to begin with.

I have a rat. I'd kill them when I find out who put her in danger like this.

I clench my fists as I fight the urge to storm in blindly as the coordinates I was sent. I can't afford a mistake, not when my wife's life was on the line. Her life. With one last look at the warehouse the last place I know she was. I shake my head, I turn back toward the car. I need backup and a plan.

My phone buzzed, jolting me from my thoughts. I pull my phone from my pocket as my heart pounds an unknown number flashes across the screen.

I answered immediately and a chilling, familiar voice filled the silence.

"Ah, brother," Vincent drawled out seemingly mockingly pleasant. "I thought you might be looking for something... took you long enough...or should I say someone."

My jaw clenches almost uncontrollably and I force myself to keep my voice calm. "Where is she, Vincent?"

He chuckles at me the sound like nails on a chalkboard to me. "She's safe, for now. Well, as safe as she can be given her... situation. But you can change that, Alex. All you have to do is meet me."

"You know I'm not going to walk into a trap without a guarantee," I shot back as adrenaline pumps through my veins. "You let her go, and we can settle this between us."

Vincent's laughter was cruel in response. "Oh, but that's not how this works, little brother. You know I don't negotiate, especially not with family. If you want Scarlet, you'll come to me. No backup, no weapons. Just you and me and we will settle things once and for all."

Silence stretches between us as I weigh my options as my mind races. Scarlet was caught in Vincent's twisted game, and every second I hesitate could be another second she sufferers.

I'd never let that happen.

Finally, I spoke as I measure each word. "Fine. Tell me where."

Vincent hums as though he was in thought. "That's more like it. There's a little place just outside of town. You'll know it when you see it—an old, abandoned church on the hill. Midnight. Don't be late."

Before I could respond, he hangs up. The dial tone buzzes in my ear, and I resist the urge to throw my phone across the car. Midnight. Vincent wants me vulnerable, with no backup and no weapons, in a place of his choosing.

But I wasn't going in unprepared. I pulled out my burner phone, quickly dialing, my most trusted ally.

He picked up immediately. "Alexander?"