18
The night had fallen heavy and still over the city, streets slick from an earlier drizzle, the occasional car cutting through the darkness with its headlights reflecting off the wet asphalt. Adrian sat in the study, eyes fixed on the glowing screens of the villa's newly upgraded security system, monitoring every camera, every entry point. Elena hovered behind him, her arms crossed, lips pressed into a thin line as she scanned the digital map of the surrounding streets.
Adrian exhaled slowly, rubbing his temples. The puzzle pieces fit, but that doesn't mean it's over. There's always a shadow lingering…
"This is it," Adrian muttered, voice low, almost reverent. "This is where the trail picks up again. The kidnapper… whoever's trying to take Emma—or someone else—is close."
Elena narrowed her eyes at him. "Close? How close? We've already covered every street for blocks. We've upgraded cameras, installed motion sensors… nothing has moved in the last twenty minutes."
