LOGINKiara’s POVThe way Leo said it made the entire room go quiet for a second. Even Alex stopped talking.Leo grabbed his keys from the table and started heading for the door like the conversation was already over.My chest tightened immediately.“Wait.”He didn’t stop.“Leo.”This time he paused slightly but didn’t turn around.“We’re not just rushing into some warehouse blindly.”Now he looked back at me.“And what exactly do you suggest we do?” he asked. “Sit here and wait for another picture of Sophia crying?”That hit me hard. I swallowed quickly.Alex stepped in before I could answer. “Nobody said we should sit around. But we need a proper plan first.”“We already wasted enough time.”Leo’s voice stayed calm but I could hear the anger underneath it now. Barely controlled.Alex folded his arms. “What if they’re armed?”“We would stay vigilant.”“And if there are more people there than we expect?”Leo looked at him flatly. “Then we adapt.”I rubbed my forehead slowly because honestly
Leo’s pov“My investigator found something.”The moment Alex said those words, the entire atmosphere in the room shifted.Kiara straightened immediately beside me, her fingers tightening around the edge of the couch cushion. The tear stains on her face were still visible, but right now fear was winning over exhaustion again.“What did he find?” she asked quickly.Alex pulled his phone out and glanced at the screen before looking back up.“One of the traffic cameras caught the SUV about twelve minutes after it left you.”I stood still instantly. “Where?”“The Harbor Freeway heading toward Vernon.”My jaw tightened slightly. “That fast?”Alex nodded once. “But that’s not the interesting part.”I folded my arms slowly.“Continue.”“He said the SUV disappeared from traffic completely for almost seven minutes.”Kiara frowned. “What does that mean?”“It means,” I answered before Alex could, “they switched vehicles.”Her face drained instantly. “No…”Alex nodded grimly. “Most likely inside a
Kiara’s POVI sat curled slightly into the couch, my fingers locked tightly together while Leo paced across the living room like a man seconds away from snapping.His phone stayed in his hand. Every few seconds, the screen lit up.Calls. Messages. Location updates. But none of it could bring Sophia back.His control was barely hanging on.“What exactly can your investigator pull?” Leo finally asked without stopping his pacing.Alex leaned against the dining table with folded arms.“You will see for yourself.”I noticed the way Leo’s jaw tightened slightly.Alex glanced toward me immediately, probably noticing the change in my breathing.“Kiara?”“I’m fine.” It came out too quickly. Neither of them believed me.I looked down at my hands, they were still shaking. I pressed them harder together.“Stop shaking.” I muttered.“You should drink something,” Alex said quietly.“I said I’m fine.” This time my voice cracked slightly.Leo’s pacing slowed, before he stopped completely. I felt his
Kiara’s POV“Kiara, keep driving!”Leo’s voice rang sharply through the speaker as my hands shook violently against the steering wheel.The SUV stayed beside me for two terrifying seconds before suddenly swerving back behind my car again.My heartbeat was so loud I could barely hear properly anymore.“Oh God… oh God…”“Focus,” Leo ordered. “Don’t let them box you in.”I swallowed hard and tightened my grip.Cars blurred around me as I switched lanes again. A horn blasted angrily somewhere behind me, but I barely noticed.The masked man’s face kept replaying in my head. That smile. That gun.“Kiara.” I blinked quickly.“What?”“Look ahead.”“I am looking ahead!”“No, you’re panicking,” he snapped. “Breathe properly and listen to me.”I tried. God, I tried. But every part of me felt like it was shutting down.“They’re still following me,” I whispered shakily.“I know.”“How do you sound so calm right now?”“I’m not calm.”The coldness in his voice made my chest tighten.“I’m trying not
Kiara’s POVThe line went quiet after that. But Leo didn’t hang up. Neither did I.I could still hear him breathing on the other end, heavy and uneven like he was trying very hard to stay calm.“They touched my daughter,” he repeated quietly.My chest tightened painfully again.I looked down at Sophia’s picture once more and immediately looked away. I couldn’t bear it.The fear in her eyes, the tears on her cheeks… “Oh God,” I whispered shakily.“Kiara.” Leo called out.I swallowed hard.“Yes?”“Look at me.”A broken laugh escaped me immediately.“You’re on the phone, Leo.”“I know,” he said sharply. “But listen to me carefully.”His tone made me straighten slightly.“Don’t panic okay.” But I am already.“Just breathe,” he continued. “And you’re going to stay exactly where you are until I get there.”I quickly wiped my face. “What if they hurt her to get to you?”“They won’t.” The certainty in his voice startled me.“How do you know?”“Because if they wanted her dead, they wouldn’t b
Kiara’s povMy hands were shaking. They were trembling so badly that I had to tighten my grip around the steering wheel just to keep the car steady.The black SUV with dark tinted windows was still behind me.Same distance, same slow movement that matched mine too perfectly to be a coincidence.My breathing turned uneven. I glanced at the rearview mirror again and swallowed hard. Forced my eyes back forward, trying to calm the storm building inside my chest.Think, Kiara.Panicing wouldn’t help you right now. But it was difficult not to panic when every instinct in my body was screaming that something was wrong.My phone buzzed suddenly against the passenger seat.I flinched so hard the car swerved slightly.A horn blasted from another lane.“Damn it,” I whispered shakily, steadying the wheel again.The screen lit up. It was an unknown number. My heart dropped instantly.For one second, I just stared at it ringing before I answered.“Hello?”Silence. I frowned slightly.“Hello?” I repe
Kiara’s POVAlex parked in my usual spot and turned off the engine. “Are you sure you’re ready?”“I’ve been ready for three days,” I replied.“That’s not the same thing.”I looked at him. “You promised. One week.”He sighed, defeated but watchful. “I’ll walk you in.”“I can manage.”“I know,” he sa
Kiara’s POVI didn’t sleep. No matter how many times I close my eyes, the accident keeps replying in my head.Alex lay beside me, one arm draped protectively around my waist. His breathing was slow and even. He had insisted on staying the night, despite my protests. I hadn’t had the strength to arg
Leo’s POVI hadn’t seen Sophia in weeks That alone was enough to make my chest feel tight.At first, I told myself it was nothing, but deep down, I really miss her. Every time I drove past her school, hoping, needing to catch even a glimpse of her, I saw nothing.That was when suspicion crept in.
Kiara’s POV“Baby, please be careful today,” I said softly as I bent slightly to Sophia’s level, smoothing down the little bow in her hair. “Stay out of trouble, listen to your teachers, and always remember mummy loves you, okay?”She nodded eagerly, her eyes bright. “I love you too, mummy.”My hea







