Chapter 14

Adrian’s POV

The detective called again later that afternoon.

This time, his voice sounded different, more serious and certain.

“We found the van,” he said.

My heart jumped immediately. “Where?”

“It wasn’t stolen,” he replied. “It was borrowed. A small vehicle rental place about twenty minutes from the studio. They still have the paperwork.”

I grabbed my keys before the call even ended. Daniel followed without saying a word. Neither of us spoke during the drive. The silence in the car felt heavier than anything else.

The rental place was small, almost hidden between two other buildings. The detective was already there when we arrived, talking to the man behind the counter.

“That’s him,” the detective said quietly when he saw us. “The owner. He remembers the person who borrowed the van.”

I stepped closer, my hands already clenched.

“Who took it?” I asked.

The man behind the counter hesitated, looking uncomfortable. “Two men,” he said slowly. “They said they needed it just for the night. Paid in cash. I didn’t think anything was wrong at the time.”

My chest tightened instantly. “Do you remember anything else?”

“One of them had a tattoo on his arm,” the man said. “Small one, near the wrist and they looked nervous… like they were in a hurry.”

The detective nodded. “That’s enough.”

It didn’t take long after that.

One lead turned into another, a small mechanic shop, a street camera near a traffic light, a shop owner who remembered the van stopping for a few minutes.

By evening, we had a location.

A run-down apartment building at the edge of the city.

The moment the car stopped, I felt it. That heavy, suffocating feeling in my chest again.

“It’s here,” I said quietly.

Daniel didn’t answer. The detective didn’t either.

The door wasn’t even locked.

We pushed it open, and the smell inside hit me immediately — old, dusty, and completely empty except for two men sitting near a table like they weren’t expecting anyone to find them.

The moment they saw us, they stood up quickly.

“Where is he?” I said before anyone else could speak.

They didn’t answer and that made me snap.

I didn’t even remember moving, one second I was standing near the door, and the next second I was in front of them, grabbing one of them by the shirt and throwing him against the wall.

“Where is he?!” I shouted, my voice breaking completely.

He tried to push me away, but I didn’t stop. All the fear from the last two days turned into anger so strong that I couldn’t control it anymore. I hit him again, harder this time, and the other man tried to stop me, but I shoved him away too.

“Adrian, stop!” Daniel shouted from behind me, but I couldn’t hear him properly.

All I could think about was Ethan. Alone, scared, and hurt.

“Tell me where he is or I swear—” my voice shook, my hands gripping his shirt tighter. “I won’t stop until you do!”

The man finally broke.

“Okay! Okay!” he shouted, raising his hands. “We didn’t hurt him! I swear! It wasn’t our idea!”

My chest tightened. “Then whose idea was it?”

“A girl!” he said quickly. “She paid us! She said just take him and leave him where she told us! That’s all we did!”

My heart started beating faster again. “Where?”

He hesitated.

“I won’t hand you over to the police,” I said immediately, my voice shaking. “Just tell me where he is.”

The two men exchanged a look.

Then one of them finally spoke.

“There’s an old storage building near the industrial road,” he said quietly. “She said to leave him in room 7. We didn’t even stay long. We just left him there and took the money.”

Daniel stepped forward slowly, his voice calm but firm. “Are you telling the truth?”

“Yes,” the man said quickly. “We didn’t touch him after that. We just did what she told us.”

I let go of his shirt slowly, my hands still shaking.

“We’re going,” I said immediately.

Because now there was only one thing that mattered and that was finding Ethan.

“Call the police to come get them,” I told Daniel as we got into the car.

My hands were shaking on the steering wheel, but I didn’t slow down. The warehouse address kept repeating in my head. Room 7. Room 7. Room 7.

Daniel was beside me, still on the phone with the police.

“Yes, we’re almost there,” he said. “Someone was kidnapped. We already have the location. Please send officers now.”

The dispatcher replied, “We also have a report of a girl who ran away from Saint Haven Psychiatric Hospital. She is considered dangerous. If she is connected to this, do not confront her alone. Officers are already on the way.”

I didn’t say anything, I only drove faster.

When the warehouse came into view, my heart started beating even harder. It was big, quiet, and almost completely dark. It didn’t look like a place where anyone would come during the day, which made it even worse.

I stopped the car and got out immediately.

“I’m going inside,” I said.

The detective stepped in front of me slightly. “We go together, stay behind me until we confirm the room.”

I nodded, even though every part of me wanted to run ahead.

We entered the building slowly. The hallway was long, with many metal doors on both sides. The air smelled old and dusty. Every small sound echoed loudly.

The detective raised his hand slightly. “Stay close.”

We started checking the doors one by one.

Room 3. Empty.

Room 4. Nothing.

Room 5. Broken furniture and old boxes.

My chest felt tight. What if we were too late?

Then we reached Room 7.

The detective looked through the small glass opening on the door first. His expression changed immediately.

“He’s inside,” he whispered.

I didn’t wait for anything else. I pushed the door open.

Ethan was tied to a chair in the middle of the room. His head was lowered, and his hands were tied behind his back and his hair covered part of his face.

For a second, everything around me disappeared.

Then he slowly looked up.

“Adrian…” he said softly, like he didn’t believe it was real.

I rushed to him and dropped to my knees. My hands shook as I started untying the rope. His wrists were red.

“I’m here,” I said quietly. “I’m not leaving you.”

The rope was tight, but I finally managed to free his hands. The moment he was free, he grabbed my shirt tightly.

“I thought you wouldn’t find me,” he whispered.

“I was never going to stop looking,” I replied, pulling him close.

Behind me, I could hear Daniel and the detective pacing near the door, watching the hallway carefully in case someone came back. They didn’t step inside fully.

And then the detective suddenly said, sharply, “Someone’s coming.”

“Is she the patient we were warned about” Daniel asked quietly.

“You shouldn’t have found him,” I heard her angry voice, and footsteps coming closer.

The detective stepped forward immediately, blocking the doorway. “Stop right there.”

But she suddenly pulled out a small knife and tried to push past him.

Everything happened fast.

I stood up immediately and placed myself in front of Ethan. My heart was pounding so loudly I could barely hear anything else.

“Don’t you dare come close to him,” I said, my voice low but shaking with anger.

She tried to move again, but the detective grabbed her arm quickly. Daniel help hold her back before she could get close.

She started shouting “I was helping you get rid of him, he would ruin you.”

“Stay away from him,” I said, my voice low but firm.

She started struggling, but she couldn’t move forward anymore.

I turned back to Ethan immediately.

He was shaking, but he was alive. That was all that mattered.

“I’ve got you,” I said quietly, helping him stand. “We’re leaving now.”

He held onto my arm tightly like he didn’t want to let go, outside, we could already hear police sirens getting closer.

It was then the fear in my chest slowly started to fade, I found him and I wasn’t letting him go again.