Chaper 31

Von's day had been dragging on like any other—no different from the usual grind. He spent the morning checking in with his guys, handling business, making sure everything was running smoothly. He wasn't one to get wrapped up in the little things. Focused. Calm. That's how he kept his mind, how he kept everything in check.

But something felt off today. He couldn't shake the nagging feeling gnawing at him in the pit of his stomach. It had started small—just a faint, quiet unease that had grown over the course of the day.

Von wasn't the type to believe in instincts or some mystical sense of danger, but when you've been around this life as long as he had, you learned to trust the little signs—the quiet moments when things didn't feel right.

He had been trying to reach Selena for hours.

Her phone went straight to voicemail, which wasn't like her. She always answered, even if it was just to tell him she was busy or couldn't talk.

Then Ray hit him up, asking about her. She had been MIA for a while, and she didn't respond to any of Ray's texts either.

The worry in Ray's voice had only made things worse. Von wasn't one to freak out, but this was different. Selena was always in control, always on her game. So, the fact that she wasn't answering made his chest tighten in a way that didn't sit well with him.

That was when he knew something wasn't right.

He ran through everything in his mind—who she had been around lately, what had been going on. Nia was one person who kept popping up. She was supposed to be just another acquaintance, another one of Ray's friends, but the more Von thought about it, the more he felt like there was something off about her.

That gut feeling.

He paced his apartment, his thoughts running a mile a minute. Selena had been so caught up in her content, her trips, her life—things were starting to change. Von had tried to pull her back from getting too deep into it, too wrapped up in the glitz and glam, but he knew he wasn't the only thing pulling at her.

Still, he never thought anything like this would happen.

His mind snapped back to reality when his phone buzzed again. This time, it was Ray. Her tone was frantic when he picked up.

"Von. Have you heard from Selena?"

"No," he muttered, his jaw tightening. "Where is she? What the fuck is going on?"

"I don't know, bro. I've been calling her, but her phone is off. I checked her apartment—she's not there. I'm telling you, something's wrong." Ray's voice was thick with worry.

Von's heart hammered in his chest. His fists clenched. Something inside him told him this wasn't just a coincidence. It wasn't like Selena to go quiet like this.

"She's not answering me either, bro. I'll check the spots she usually goes to. You find anything, hit me up. I'm on it."

Von didn't wait for a response before ending the call. His mind raced, a thousand different scenarios running through his head. His first instinct was to head over to her apartment, but that would've been too predictable. He couldn't risk it.

Instead, he headed straight to the one place where things always seemed to go down—the street.

His car growled as he took a sharp turn onto Sherwood, the streets familiar and comforting in their chaos. He wasn't sure where to go, but the feeling in his gut told him he was getting closer to something.

The thought of Selena—his Selena—being out there alone, in whatever mess she'd found herself in, made his blood boil. He tried not to think about it too much, tried to keep his focus sharp, but the idea of her in danger had a way of eating at him.

As he drove through the area, his eyes scanned the surroundings. He knew this block. He knew the people, the cars, the movements. And that's when he saw it.

A few streets down, he spotted Nia's car, parked on the corner. His instincts flared, and he pulled over without a second thought.

Nia.

He'd been suspicious of her from the moment he laid eyes on her—there was something in her that just didn't sit right with him. He had never trusted her, even when she'd been around Selena. And now, it seemed like she had something to do with all this.

Von didn't waste time. He stepped out of his car, locking eyes with a couple of the guys hanging nearby. They recognized him immediately, their postures stiffening. He was a known face in these streets, and his reputation preceded him.

"Yo, you seen Nia?" Von asked, keeping his voice low and steady.

A young dude, one Von had seen a few times around the block, nodded. "Yeah, she was with some dude. Took off toward that old warehouse place near the river."

Without another word, Von turned, heading straight toward his car. His grip on the steering wheel tightened, and the engine roared to life as he sped toward the warehouse. His thoughts flashed to Selena, his heart pounding in his chest.

Something was about to go down.

As he neared the location, the streetlights flickered, the silence in the air growing heavier. His headlights cut through the darkness, and he could barely make out the silhouette of the old warehouse.

Every part of him was on alert now. He knew the danger that came with places like this. If Selena was here, it wasn't good. He could feel it in his bones.

Von pulled into the lot, cutting the engine and stepping out of the car, his senses heightened. Every step he took toward the building felt like it took an eternity.

His mind kept replaying Nia's face, her actions. He couldn't shake the feeling that she had been the one to orchestrate this.

He pushed open the door to the warehouse, the faint sound of muffled voices reaching his ears. The cold, stale air inside hit him immediately, but he wasn't here to admire the surroundings.

His eyes locked onto Trey, the man from the bar—the one who had been so interested in Selena. And just behind him, tied to a chair, was Selena, her face pale and bloodied, her body shaking.

Von's heart dropped to his stomach. He couldn't waste another second.

"Let her go," Von's voice was a low growl, filled with danger.

Trey's lips curled into a sneer, but Von didn't flinch.

"I'm not here to talk," Von said, his hand already resting on the gun tucked in his waistband.

He was done playing games.