LOGIN"I was talking about Ethan," Ryan said quickly. "Not me. I was accusing Ethan of having feelings for Cora. Not admitting my own."Alexander's eyes narrowed. "You were accusing your brother of having romantic feelings for your sister?""Yes," Ryan confirmed. "Because he does. Anyone with eyes can see it.""That is absurd," Ethan said. "Father, this is Ryan deflecting. Trying to distract from the fact that he wants to interrogate Liam violently.""I do not care about interrogation tactics right now," Alexander replied. He looked directly at Ryan. "I care about what you just said. About romantic feelings. About Cora. Explain yourself."Ryan hesitated. This was not how he wanted this conversation to happen. Not in a hallway. Not with everyone exhausted and emotional. Not when Cora was still missing."There is nothing to explain," Ryan said finally. "I was angry. I said something stupid. That is all.""It did not sound stupid," Alexander observed. "It sounded very specific. You accused Eth
"Let me talk to him," Ryan said. He was staring at the door to the security office where Liam was being held. His hands were clenched into fists. "Give me ten minutes alone with him.""No," Ethan replied immediately."I can get him to talk," Ryan insisted. "I can make him tell us where Vanessa is keeping Cora.""By doing what exactly?" Ethan challenged. "Beating it out of him? Torturing him? That is not how this works.""He helped kidnap our sister," Ryan said. His voice was rising. "He gave information to Vanessa knowing she was going to use it to hurt Cora. He deserves whatever happens to him.""Maybe," Ethan agreed. "But we need information more than we need revenge. And you going in there angry is not going to get us information.""You do not think I can control myself?" Ryan demanded."I think you are too close to this," Ethan replied. "Too emotional. You will go in there wanting to hurt him and he will shut down. Stop talking. Then we get nothing.""So what is your plan?" Ryan a
The breakthrough came on day six. Ryan's specialized team reported they had tracked digital communications to a location thirty miles outside the city. An abandoned industrial complex that had been purchased two months ago by a shell company."This is it," one of the operatives said over encrypted phone. "Multiple heat signatures inside. Recent vehicle activity. Security measures that are way too sophisticated for an abandoned building."Ryan gathered his brothers immediately. "We have a location. High confidence. My team wants to move tonight.""What about law enforcement?" Ethan asked. "Should we bring in FBI for the extraction?""And risk the kidnappers getting spooked and killing Cora?" Ryan replied. "No. My team goes in quietly. Confirms she is there. Then we decide next steps."Alexander insisted on being part of the planning despite Caleb's objections. "She is my daughter. I am not sitting this out."They spent hours preparing. Reviewing building layouts. Planning entry points.
Ryan waited until they were in his private office before saying anything. Made sure the door was closed. Made sure no staff were nearby. Even checked his phone to confirm it was not recording."I need to tell you both something," Ryan said. He looked at Ethan and Caleb. "But this stays between us. No one else can know. Not staff. Not security. Not even Father.""What is it?" Ethan asked."I hired a specialized team," Ryan explained. "Very specialized. People who operate outside normal channels. Who use methods that are not exactly legal.""How illegal?" Caleb demanded."Very," Ryan admitted. "These are former intelligence operatives. People who worked in espionage. Counterterrorism. Black ops. They do not follow rules. They do not worry about warrants or proper procedures. They just get results.""You hired mercenaries," Ethan said flatly."I hired people who can find Cora when everyone else has failed," Ryan corrected. "The FBI has protocols. Private security has limitations. These p
The interview requests started within hours of the abduction going public. Every major news network. Cable channels. Morning shows. Evening programs. Everyone wanted Alexander Sterling to appear. To talk about his daughter's kidnapping. To plead for her safe return on camera.Ethan's phone had not stopped ringing since noon. Producers. Journalists. Public relations firms offering to manage the family's media response. Everyone wanting a piece of the Sterling family tragedy."Mr. Sterling, this is Sandra from Channel Seven News," one voicemail said. "We would love to have your father on our evening broadcast to discuss the kidnapping. Our viewers are very concerned and—"Ethan deleted it. Moved to the next one."This is Robert from Good Morning America. We understand this is a difficult time but we think your father's story could really help generate leads. Public awareness is crucial in cases like—"Delete."Mr. Sterling, this is the producer for Dateline. We are planning a special ep
The first break came three hours after the abduction. A traffic camera on the outskirts of the city had captured one of the vans heading east on Highway 47. Clear image. Timestamp. Direction of travel."We have something!" one of Ryan's tech specialists shouted. "Van heading east at eleven forty-two AM. Approximately thirty minutes after the abduction."Ryan was at the screen immediately. "Can we track it further? See where it went?""Working on it," the specialist replied. Fingers flying across keyboards. Pulling up more camera feeds. More intersections. More potential sightings.They found the van again twelve miles down the highway. Then again at a gas station. Then turning onto a rural road with no cameras."Damn it," Ryan muttered. "Where did they go after that turn?""Satellite imagery," another specialist suggested. "If we can access real-time satellite feeds, we might be able to track them even without ground cameras.""Do it," Ryan ordered. "Pull whatever strings you need to







