Submitting to my Ex Uncle-Chapter 206

Celeste tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear, and paced around the room absentmindedly.

Something was wrong. She felt it, but just couldn’t point a finger at what was wrong.

The air felt heavier than usual. Maybe it was just the way the night dragged. Or maybe it was because Dominic hadn’t called.

He always called when he stayed out late.

There was a knock at the door. Rodger’s voice followed. "Ma’am."

Celeste stilled, her brows knitting slightly. "Come in."

Rodger stepped inside, dressed in his usual black. His eyes scanned the room once. His eyes caught the untouched dinner, and cleared his throat. "Boss said he won’t be coming home tonight. He says you should go to bed."

Celeste’s frown deepened. "Dominic couldn’t call me to say this?"

Rodger hesitated. "He’s busy, ma’am."

"Busy," she repeated, her voice quiet. "He’s always busy."

Rodger didn’t answer. He stood there, hands behind his back, and face unreadable. However, the flicker of uncertainty in his eyes gave him away.

Celeste caught it.

Her chest tightened immediately. "Where is he?"

Rodger straightened, but didn’t move. "At a meeting."

Celeste’s stomach twisted. "Rodger," she said softly, "how long have you worked for Dominic?"

"Ten years."

"Then you should know that I won’t like being lied to."

Rodger’s jaw tensed. He looked at her silently. The silence stretched long enough to make her heart sink.

Finally, he said, "He didn’t want you to worry."

Celeste’s breath caught. Her eyes drifted toward the window, and to the quiet city beyond. "Something happened, didn’t it?"

Rodger didn’t confirm it, but he didn’t deny it either.

That was enough.

Her throat went dry. She turned away, pressing a hand to her chest to steady her breathing. "Where is he?"

"I can’t say, ma’am."

Her voice hardened. "Rodger."

He looked away. "It’s not my place to say."

Celeste stepped closer. Her tone softened, but the weight of it made him flinch slightly. "If something’s happened to him, and you let me sit here pretending everything’s fine, I’ll never forgive you."

Rodger’s gaze lifted back to her, and for a brief second, the soldier in him faltered.

"He’s alive," he said quietly. "That’s all I can say."

Her chest rose and fell sharply. "Alive," she repeated.

"Yes, ma’am."

She pressed a hand to her lips, trying to think. "Where was he last?"

Rodger didn’t answer, but that silence spoke again.

Celeste didn’t want waiting. She wanted Dominic. She wanted answers. Fear had burned through her all afternoon and now it tasted like iron in the back of her throat.

"You’re not telling me everything," she said flatly, stepping forward. "Where is he?"

Rodger’s jaw moved. "Ma’am—"

"You’re Rodger. Dominic’s man. You drive him, you protect him, you keep secrets for him. If anyone knows where he is, it’s you. Don’t be polite. Tell me now."

He swallowed. He looked like a man who had practiced steel and had forgotten how to put it on right.

"It’s not that simple," he said.

"It is," she snapped. "Either you tell me, or you let me walk out that door and make a mess of whatever loyalty you think you have. I will go, right now and I will not ask nicely."

Rodger’s face hardened at the edges. He always hated being told what to do by anyone other than Dominic. This was different. Celeste could hear it in the way his eyes flicked to the hallway, checking for ears.

"You don’t understand what you want to walk into," he said finally, too calm.

Celeste’s patience snapped clean. Her hand flew out before she’d felt it, and the slap landed sharp on the side of his face. It echoed in the quiet foyer.

Rodger startled, the color rising in his cheek where her hand had hit. He didn’t expect her to hit him. She didn’t expect herself to either.

"You work for Dominic," she said, voice low and hard. "You wash blood off his shoes and you smile while you do it because he pays you. Fine. But don’t tell me you can’t tell me where he is. You either do your job sith the loyalty he pays you for or you answer to me."

He looked at her, tired and sharp. "You won’t listen."

"You think I won’t?" She leaned in until their faces were inches apart. "You used to keep that finger off the trigger when Dominic told you to. Don’t forget who you work for. Help me or don’t. I’ll find him either way."

Rodger closed his eyes for a second like he was considering a blow. When he opened them, his expression had changed. He straightened. "Get your coat."

Celeste moved quickly. She grabbed her coat from the chair, her phone from the table, and forced her hands to stop shaking long enough to text him again.

She texted. "Where are you? Call me. Please."

The message went through, but there was no response.

She stood by the window, staring at the phone, waiting. The city lights glimmered below, but all she saw was a blur. Her reflection stared back.

The door opened again. Rodger returned. "The car’s ready."

"Good," she said, brushing past him.

Outside, the night was cold. The wind cut through her thin sleeves, but she barely felt it. Her mind was a storm. Every thought spun back to Dominic — his voice, his hand on hers, his promise to always come home.

She slid into the back seat, staring straight ahead. "Drive."

Rodger got in and started the engine. The car pulled out from the gates and into the streets.

Minutes passed. Neither of them spoke. The silence stretched thick and tense, broken only by the steady hum of the car and Celeste’s breathing.

Finally, she asked, "He’s hurt, isn’t he?"

Rodger’s grip tightened slightly on the wheel. "He’ll live," he said.

That was enough to tell her everything.

Celeste leaned back in her seat, blinking hard to keep her focus. "Tell me what happened."

"Ma’am—"

"Rodger," she said, her tone clipped.

He exhaled slowly. "It was supposed to be a deal. Grigor set him up. There were men waiting when he arrived."

Celeste’s stomach twisted. "How bad?"

"He was hit twice. Shoulder and side. We managed to get him out before Carlos’ men closed in."

Her hands clenched in her lap. "And Grigor?"

Rodger’s eyes flicked to her through the mirror. "He escaped. But not clean. Dominic shot him before he could."

Celeste’s jaw tightened. She looked away, blinking back the sting in her eyes.

The car slowed as they approached the private estate near the edge of the city. It was an estate Dominic used when things turned bloody.

Rodger parked near the back. "He’s inside."