Chapter 19

Ramon POV

I’d never seen Lake move so quickly. The moment his panic attack subsided, he was in motion—throwing on clothes with the desperate speed of someone who couldn’t bear to be separated from their child a second longer than necessary.

His hands shook as he pulled on a sweater, and I could see him fighting the urge to simply run downstairs in whatever he was wearing.

“He’s safe,” I reminded him as he struggled with the buttons, his fingers too unsteady to work properly.

“I know,” he said, but his voice carried no conviction. “I know you said that, but I need to see him. I need to make sure—”

“Of course.” I finished dressing quickly, understanding that no amount of reassurance would calm him until he had visual confirmation that Ollie was unharmed.

“Let’s go.”

The walk to the morning room felt endless, Lake’s anxiety radiating off him in waves that made my own protective instincts surge. I could hear voices as we approached—my mot