Unmatched Wife: Not His To Claim Anymore novel Chapter 96

Chapter 96

Chapter 96

BIANCA

I stared at the screen, my heart rate immediately kicking up.

Vera.

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The last time I’d met with Vera, I’d snuck out without telling Rivera where I was going. We’d argued about it afterward–a real fight that had ended with both of us acknowledging I couldn’t keep running off to meet contacts without backup, and he couldn’t keep trying to protect me from every potential threat.

We’d found a compromise: honesty. Communication. Trust that we were building something together rather than operating as separate entities trying to manage the same problems.

Which meant I needed to call Rivera before I did anything else.

I pulled up his contact and hit dial, already standing and gathering my things. He answered on the second ring.

“Hey. I thought you’d be home by now.”

“I got a text from Vera,” I said without wasting time. “She wants to meet at the Riverside Motel. Room 247. Says it’s urgent.”

A pause that stretched just slightly too long.

“When?”

“Just now. The text came through a few minutes ago.”

“Did she say what it was about?”

“No. Just ‘urgent‘ and ‘come alone.“” I shouldered my bag and headed for the elevator. “I’m calling you before I go this time. Learning from past mistakes.”

“Good.” His voice shifted, taking on that edge of command I recognized from serious situations.

“Don’t go alone. I’m leaving the council building now–I’ll meet you there in fifteen minutes.”

“Rivera-”

“Bianca, the last time you met with Vera, she warned you that Thorne Lockwood was still active and dangerous. If she’s reaching out urgently, it means something’s happened. Something bad enough that she’s risking exposure.” He paused. “I’m not asking you to wait because I think you can’t handle yourself. I’m asking because if this goes sideways, I want backup there for both of you.”

He was right, I knew he was right.

“Okay,” I said. “I’ll drive to the motel and wait in the parking lot. But Rivera, if this is time–sensitive

“Then we’ll handle it together. Fifteen minutes. I’m already in my car.”

The call ended, and I stood in the elevator alone, staring at the text message.

Vera had been in hiding for over a decade. She moved constantly, never staying in one place too long, never leaving a trail The fact that she’d sent me a specific room number meant she was either desperate or compromised.

Possibly both.

The Riverside Motel was a twenty–minute drive from the hospital, located in one of BloodMoon City’s less prosperous neighborhoods. Not dangerous exactly, but the kind of area where people minded their own business and didn’t ask questions

Chapter 96

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about guests who paid cash and kept their curtains closed.

I arrived at 7:03 PM and parked in the far corner of the lot where I could see the entrance to room 247. The door was closed, curtains drawn, no visible movement.

My phone buzzed: *Five minutes out. Stay in the car.*

I waited, my eyes fixed on that closed door, my medical instincts already running through possibilities. If Vera was injured, if she’d been attacked, if this was a trap-

Rivera’s car pulled in at 7:08, and he was out and moving toward me before the engine had fully stopped.

“Anything?” he asked, his eyes scanning the motel.

“Nothing. No movement, no lights, door’s been closed the whole time.”

He studied the building, his expression unreadable. Then he pulled out his phone and made a call.

“Klaus. I need backup at Riverside Motel, room 247. Potential hostile situation.” A pause. “Yes, now. Bring Elijah and whoever else is close.” Another pause. “I’ll explain when you get here. Five minutes.”

He ended the call and looked at me. “We wait for backup.”

“Rivera, if Vera’s hurt-”

“Then three more minutes won’t kill her, but walking into an ambush might kill us.” His voice was firm but not unkind. “I know you want to help. I know your instinct is to run toward people who need medical attention. But Bianca, this could be a setup. Vera could be compromised, could be bait to draw you out.”

I hated that he was right. Hated the calculating caution that came from understanding how dangerous the people we were investigating could be.

But I also understood survival. And survival meant being smart, not just brave.

Four minutes later, two additional cars pulled into the lot.

They approached our car, and Rivera stepped out to meet them. I followed, because sitting in the car while they strategized felt

wrong.

“Bianca, this is Klaus,” Rivera said, gesturing to the tall man. “And Elijah, Mikael, and Roy. They’re–friends. People I trust.”

Klaus’s eyes moved to me with sharp assessment. “Dr. Morrison, Rivera’s told us about you.”

“Hopefully good things,” I said, shaking his offered hand.

“Mostly good,” Klaus said with the ghost of a smile. “What’s the situation?”

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