His Hidden Treasure (Completed)

Thirty-Five

"Hey Orillia," I called out as I rushed out the door, "I'm heading out shortly. Can you let my brother know I'll be back for dinner?" Orillia nodded and waved me off as I headed towards my car. A sense of urgency and concern filled me as I made my way to Kylie.

Earlier that morning, she had called me in a panic, her voice trembling with fear and desperation. I couldn't ignore her pleas for help, knowing how fiercely independent she was. As soon as I got into my car, I dialed her number to confirm her address, but she redirected me to meet her at a clinic instead.

My mind raced with worry and possibilities of what could be wrong. Did she get hurt? Was something wrong with her health? But I pushed those thoughts aside and focused on getting to her quickly.

As I pulled up to the clinic, I checked my phone and saw several missed calls from Zephyr. It had been a few weeks since our turbulent night in the storm, and although things were initially awkward between us, we had grown closer than ever before. We were even starting to act like a real couple, much to the delight of Orillia and Michael. Speaking of Michael, our relationship had vastly improved since that fateful night. It felt like a weight had been lifted off our shoulders, and everything was finally falling into place.

I sent Kylie a quick message to let her know of my arrival, but when I didn't receive a response back, a knot of unease formed in my stomach. Ignoring it for now, I entered the clinic and checked in with the receptionist using Kylie's name. The waiting room was filled with women of all ages, some visibly pregnant while others appeared tense and anxious.

As minutes ticked by slowly, each one feeling like an eternity, the air in the waiting room grew heavier with silence. The only sounds were the occasional shuffling of feet or a soft hum from the air conditioning. I could feel the tension and emotions emanating from each woman, some filled with hope and joy, while others seemed to be weighed down by worry.

The longer I waited, the more my worry for Kylie grew. Why hadn't she responded to my messages? Was she okay? My impatience and uncertainty gnawed at me until finally, a nurse called out her name. I held my breath as the nurse repeated it once more, but still there was no response. With a deep sigh, I checked my phone one last time before reluctantly getting up from my seat.

Following the nurse down the hallway, my mind raced with questions about what could have brought Kylie to this clinic. I tried calling her again, but it went straight to voicemail. The unknown reasons for her visit swirled in my mind, but I pushed them aside, determined to find out what had compelled her to come here today.

* * *

Frustration and worry boiled beneath the surface as Zephyr cursed under his breath. He had been trying to get a hold of Nila all day, but each call and message went unanswered. Though she was free to do as she pleased, Zephyr had just received some unpleasant news that had him on edge.

"Luca, I need you in my office," he ordered his fratello, who was currently with Nolan.

A few minutes later, Luca walked into the room and immediately noticed the tense lines on Zephyr's face.

"What's wrong?" he asked, concern evident in his voice.

Zephyr turned his laptop around to show Luca what had been sent to him in an anonymous email earlier that morning. As Luca read the caption underneath the photo, tension grew within him as well.

"Is it a threat or legit?" Luca questioned.

"It's real; I verified it myself. We need to find whoever did this and put an end to it now. And we also need to find out where Nila went off to - it's not safe for her out there," Zephyr instructed, pointing at the screen which displayed a shadow ledger with his wife's name listed among the top three targets. It was clear that someone was targeting her, and Zephyr couldn't let anything happen to her.