Chapter 68

Alistair’s POV

Yesterday was more than hectic. I didn’t make it home last night. Instead, I crashed on the leather sofa in my private lounge, the one I’d installed off my study so I could work through the night when necessary. Only once I’d woken this morning did I realize how badly I’d slept—and how much I’d missed Lyra already.

I sat up, rubbing the back of my neck. My phone lay on the low table, dark and silent. Twenty missed calls from unknown numbers. Not one from her. My heart thumped loud enough I worried the walls might shake. Lyra would be frantic by now. I tapped at my screen. “No service.” The words blinked back at me like a slap in the face. The memory of her last message rolled through my head. She’d been out running errands, said she’d meet me for dinner. Then I dove into work. Conference calls, a crisis with one of our overseas clients—you name it, I was shoulder-deep in it. By the time I looked up, it was past midnight.

I grabbed my blazer an