Chloe has Lily

Chapter 15

The days following James' war of words with Chloe were a whirlwind of pastime. True to his phrase, he had mobilized each useful resource at his disposal, mounting a steady pursuit to deliver Chloe to justice.

Yet, even as the evidence piled up and the authorities closed in, James could not shake the nagging experience of unease that plagued him. Lily became nonetheless missing, her destiny a looming query mark that haunted his every waking moment.

It became certainly one of his restless nights, tossing and turning in the confines of his motel room, when his phone rang, shattering the silence like a gunshot. He fumbled for it, his heart pounding as he saw an unknown quantity flashing at the show.

"Hello?" he responded, his voice laced with a combination of preference and trepidation.

"James," a voice crackled over the street, distorted however unmistakably Chloe's. "Did you truly assume you could take me on and walk away unscathed?"

James felt his blood run bloodless, his gr