“I can carry on looking after Nate, if you’d like, while you focus on finding Ella,” the doctor said.
Assessing her windswept hair as she faced him, he shook his head. “It’s okay, I’ll manage.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes—he’s my son and having one parent missing is enough.”
Marcus didn’t mean to snap but reining in his anger proved difficult. He should have considered what the Morrigan wanted more closely. He marched away from the doctor. Ten minutes later, he stood in the command center, staring overhead at the television screens relaying news. Nate lay stretched out and fast asleep in the playpen, oblivious of the panic of his missing mother. Each member of the team recited the last twenty-four hours, bringing him up to speed as he drilled them, going over every single moment. He scribbled down names and times on the whiteboard, creating a timeline of Ella’s disappearance. He scratched his head, examining the facts.
“According to this, the last person who saw Ella was Lady Tenille and Huron. What have they said?”
“They were with her for thirty minutes. Ella was tired, and Lady Tenille left her sleeping. I was not aware of this until now, because she broke protocol by sending her guard away. Hollywood feels responsible,” Jake said.
Damn her. He lowered his head. “Where is he? I know my wife was in charge, but goddammit, how the hell were you not aware of her missing for such a long period of time? When did Ella visit the doctor?” Marcus asked.
Jake met his gaze and shook his head before turning his head toward Isabella. “I didn’t realize she had. Sparkles?”
The witch shook her head. “Ella doesn’t run everything by me. I did think it was odd she didn’t return to the command center after the meeting but didn’t examine it further as we were running your mission. The hours slipped by.”
Marcus listened, knowing the team had been focused on Isaac’s retrieval. Damn it. The man might not survive to be of any use to anyone. This was a real clusterfuck. “The surveillance cameras don’t show Ella leaving. Her phone is missing, but her purse with car keys and wallet were left in the office, which means if she left, it would have been on foot and would have been spotted on the cameras.” Marcus shook his head. He knew his wife. “If Ella needed space, she would have taken Nate, and let someone know.”
Isabella frowned at him but he was in no mind to explain about the miscarriage right now.
“Jake, what’s the status on the professor?” Marcus asked.
“He’s been working in the lab since the new year, trying to recreate the toxin that killed the shifter. He’s close.”
“Is there any reason to suspect he’s somehow involved in Ella’s disappearance?”
“The professor’s bracelet around his ankle gives us continuous feedback as to his whereabouts, plus there is a guard stationed outside the lab. And Ella hasn’t been to see him since she saved his life, so no, I don’t believe he’s involved. In all honesty, the guards say he’s totally submerged in his work. Perhaps too much—he’s been caught talking to the plants. But we can interview him and check to be sure.”
“Yes. And find out what the professor does when he isn’t working.” Marcus scratched his head. He detested the professor, but once the man established the Padre as his enemy, he became willing to work with Orion, knowing the only way he would ever be free was if they worked together.
“Aside from the lab, he spends his time growing flowers in the greenhouse, and reading.”
“Well, interview him. And I want to see the results of his tests. But first, I need you to contact Henry. The Morrigan is behind Ella’s disappearance, I’m certain. Her parting words in Wales suggest as much. But we need to find out what Henry knows.”
Ella had vanished into thin air, with no sign of a struggle or clue as to her whereabouts. Strolling over to her desk, he sat down and accessed her emails from the computer. He scrolled through, checking to see whether anything could shed any light on what had happened but there was nothing. Waiting for news would drive him crazy, and he was not a patient man. Slumping back, he shut his eyes.
“Boss, I’m sorry. She made me stay here and dig out information about the Padre. I should’ve just refused and stayed at her side…” The muscle in Hollywood’s cheek twitched as his eyes met him straight on.
Marcus pinched his nose. There was no point taking it out on the man; he was a soldier and he obeyed an order. He heaved a sigh.
“Let me see the file. Aside from that, we retrace her every step. We turn Steel’s office upside down. We will find her.”
Hollywood nodded and strode away. Isabella handed him a steaming mug and he clung to it, sipping the rich brew, needing the fortification it offered to stay alert. He could not afford any more surprises.
“Drayton—Zephra wants to speak with you alone and do a walk-through,” Isabella said.
“What’s a walk-through?”
“Zephra can access the third eye. It’s how she can see things we can’t. She can view time in a different way than you or I. Usually she catches glimpses of the future, but she can also see the
