I hated being away from Ayla. But when the Black Club called and told me they had an idea of Alberto’s whereabouts, I had no choice.
Two weeks and he went into hiding again. A fucking coward he was. He had left the country the same day we found Ayla.
Shaking my head in disgust, I fought the urge to break something. He was a threat I had to get rid of as quickly as possible. As long as he was alive, Ayla was in danger. The baby was in danger.
I looked down at my phone, debating if I should call Maddie or Viktor. It was the first time I had been away from Ayla since we rescued her.
Ayla was still the same. Little to no improvement.
She hadn’t touched the piano again. No matter how much I urged her.
She still hadn’t spoken a word. It felt like it had been years since I heard her voice.
If I didn’t feed her, she wouldn’t eat. And we had quickly come to realize that she would only eat if I fed her. Maddie had once tried, and Ayla refused to eat even a bite.
I looked down at my watch. Twenty minutes since I’d left the estate. Ayla was asleep when I left her, and I hoped she stayed asleep until I got home.
Five more minutes. I would walk in, get the fucking information, walk out, and then I would be on my way back to Ayla.
Five fucking minu—
My phone rang, snapping me out of my thoughts. Glancing at the screen, I saw Viktor calling. I quickly answered the call. “What is it? What happened?”
“Alessio,” he started but never had a chance to finish.
I heard a scream in the background. “No!”
Panic coursed through me, and I sat up straight, my hands shaking. “What’s going on?” I snapped, my voice heavy with fear. I saw Nikolay glancing at me in the rear-view mirror, his expression worried.
There were more screams, and then someone was sobbing.
Ayla!
“Alessio, it’s Ayla,” Viktor said quickly. “She woke up and didn’t find you there. Fuck! She completely lost it. I don’t know what to do.” His voice sounded strange. My heart clenched. Was he crying?
“I tried to get her to calm down, but as soon as I came near her, she would start screaming. Even Maddie and Lena can’t calm her down. She wouldn’t let anyone near her, and we’re worried she’ll hurt herself,” Viktor continued.
Something crashed in the background, and I sat, horrified, as I listened to Ayla screaming and crying.
“Alessio, she wants you. She won’t respond to anyone else. We tried. We fucking tried, but as soon as you left, she woke up. Maddie was with her, and Ayla completely snapped when she didn’t see you.”
“Viktor, do something, please!” I heard Maddie cry through the phone. “She’s going to hurt herself.”
I heard Viktor swear, and my heart stammered painfully. I closed my eyes as a wave of pain went through me.
“Can you get close enough to give her the phone?” I demanded. “Make sure she doesn’t hurt herself.”
I heard screaming again. It was filled with so much pain, and I blinked away tears.
What have I done?
I should have never left her.
I opened my eyes to see Nikolay nodding at me. Without me saying anything, he was already changing the route and doing a U-turn.
Fuck the Black Club and Alberto. My Ayla needed me now.
I heard sobbing through the phone, and my heart lurched. “Angel,” I said gently.
She only cried.
“I’m sorry, Angel. So, so sorry. I’m coming home, okay? I will be there quickly. I didn’t leave you. I would never leave you. I just had something to take care of, and now I’m coming back home to you,” I whispered, hoping my voice would bring her back.
“You are so strong; you know that? The strongest person I know, and I am so in awe of you. Don’t cry, my sweet Angel. I am coming home and won’t leave you again. I’m not going anywhere.”
My voice broke over the words, and I closed my eyes as Ayla continued to quietly cry. Her cries were heartbreaking. It was agony to hear.
“Shhh…it’s okay. It’ll be okay. When I get back, I’ll take you to the creek. We’ll spend some time there. Just me and you, okay? What do you think? Would you like that?” I said, my fingers tightening around the phone.
“Will you play for me tonight?” I asked softly. “Or maybe do you want to dance? Remember how we danced before and you were smiling, laughing. You were so beautiful, my Angel. You took my breath away that day.” I held the phone tighter, desperate to get my feelings across to her.
“I’m coming home. Just a few more minutes and I will be in your arms again.” I kept talking even when I knew there would be no answer.