The night had been quiet too damn quiet if I was being honest. I should’ve known something was up when she stayed in her room longer than usual. Rich, spoiled kids like her didn’t do quiet. They thrived on chaos, tantrums, and making life harder for everyone around them.

When I finally checked her room and saw her bed empty, I swear I almost lost it. My jaw clenched so hard it felt like my teeth were about to crack. She must’ve thought she was slick, sneaking out while I was downstairs doing my job and keeping an eye on the security cameras. But I had one advantage she clearly didn’t think through her phone. She might’ve turned off the cameras, but she hadn’t turned off her location sharing. Rookie mistake.

It took me less than ten minutes to track her down to some house party on the other side of the city. When I pulled up, the bass was so loud it made my chest rattle. A bunch of teenagers were spilling out onto the front lawn, red Solo cups in hand, laughing like they didn’t have a care in the world.

I shoved my way through the crowd, ignoring the looks from the brats who probably thought I was some random narc. “Move,” I barked at one kid who stumbled into me, spilling beer on my sleeve. “Touch me again, and I’ll break your nose.” He mumbled an apology and practically bolted.

Inside, it was even worse. The air reeked of sweat, cheap booze, and teenage stupidity. It didn’t take long to spot her, though. There she was, standing in the middle of the room like she owned the place, laughing with some idiot who was clearly trying too hard to impress her. My blood boiled.

I stormed over, grabbed her by the arm not too hard, but firm enough to get my point across, and leaned in close. “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me,” I growled. “Do you have any idea how much shit I’m going to get into because of this? Let’s go. Now.”

She tried to pull away, but I wasn’t having it. “Don’t even start it,” I snapped, dragging {{user}} toward the door and back to the car.