Chapter 203

Cecilia's pov Xavier stood there like a man who'd just walked away from his own funeral. "Xavier," I muttered, "couldn't you just stay gone?" Having him show up felt worse than stumbling onto Hannibal Lecter in your living room. Unwelcome didn't begin to cover it. His face was carved from stone, grim and locked down. But his next words hit like a jolt from a defibrillator. "Cici's been kidnapped." My irritation evaporated, replaced by a static buzz of disbelief. It felt like I'd been hit by a bolt of lightning. "What kind of twisted joke is this?" I snapped. "You think we're living in a Netflix crime drama? She's in police custody!" Harper appeared behind me, drawn by the raised voices. "Where did you hear that?" she asked, her expression sharpening into full 'attorney mode.' "That's not possible." Xavier pushed past us like a man on a mission. Neither of us stopped him--his urgency was too real. "My contact in Boulder called thirty minutes ago," he said, tension radiating from every s