He hadn’t even attempted to call me back. If he thought I was someone trying to prank him like Dad had, then he should have at least called me back and verbally ripped me a new asshole. If he had, I would have been able to convince him that I was me and not some imposter trying to taunt him. There were things only I would know, and I could tell him, make him realize that I was me and not whoever he thought was trying to hurt him over my death.

Late one night while I was asleep, someone had shown up at the gate to the property, demanding Manuel Ramirez show himself. Cali should have had someone wake me, but she’d told her men to let me rest. Since she was still bleeding steadily, she’d only been getting reports of what was going on around the property. From what she told me when I’d gone to her room to have breakfast with her the next morning, Guzman, who was the head of security, had taken Manuel’s body to whoever was at the gate, and once they had what they came for, they simply left.

They hadn’t tried to come on to the property and see for themselves that either of us was okay. They just took the rotting carcass of what was left of Ramirez and walked away as silently as they arrived.

Whoever it was that had come, I was sure my brother would have been among them if it had been my family. He would have figured out by this point that Ramirez had taken Cali and come to find her. But no. There had been no sign of him or anyone else in search of either of us. For all I knew, whoever had shown up at the gate to demand Manuel was one of his many other enemies.

I was starting to think Cali was right. Out of sight, out of mind. No one had come to save us, even though we technically no longer needed saving. And as much as I didn’t want to be the damsel in distress, I wouldn’t have minded having someone play the white knight and try to rescue me from the monster who had snatched me away.

“Why aren’t you here yet, Ryan?” I muttered to myself as I walked into the library. A computer was on the desk where the landline extension was set up, and I carefully sat in the chair. I thought my muscle pain would have at least started to fade by now, but I still felt like I’d been run over by a truck. My arm was the biggest problem of all, but I wasn’t going to worry about it until after I figured out what was going on back home and why Ryan hadn’t come to get me yet.

Turning on the computer, I waited for it to boot. At least we had good internet access, but typing one-handed wasn’t easy for me. Sighing, I found the app Ryan had installed on my phone for the CCTV feed to the cameras he’d put up for me to watch him from. I hadn’t even gotten to enjoy them for a full day before everything happened.