Semua Bab SCORNED EX WIFE : Queen Of Ashes: Bab 161 - Bab 170

Chapter 162The morning sun sparkled on the lake as Camille prepared to leave. The overnight stay had been a brief but needed escape from the constant pressure of the past months. Victoria stood on the deck, waving as Camille loaded her bag into the car."Come back next weekend," she called. "Bring Alexander next time. I need civilized company out here."Camille smiled, knowing Victoria was far from lonely with her staff and security team in constant attendance. "I'll call you tonight," she promised.Alexander had left early that morning, called back to the city for an urgent meeting with the FBI. He'd wanted to postpone his return until he could travel with Camille, but she had insisted she would be fine with her security detail."Four weeks without a sign of Rose," she had reminded him. "And I'll have two cars of security personnel. Go handle the FBI."Now, as her driver James held the door open for her, Camille felt a flicker of unease. The peaceful night at the lake had lowered he

Chapter 164The drive to the lake house was a battle against time and his own racing thoughts. Alexander made calls continuously, to his security teams, to his tech specialists, to anyone who might help locate Camille. He ordered satellite imagery of the area where she was taken. Traffic camera footage. Cell tower data. Anything that might give them a lead.Victoria was waiting on the deck when he arrived, her face pale but composed. Despite her illness, despite her recent treatments, she stood straight-backed and commanding. The sight gave Alexander a flicker of hope. If anyone could match Rose's determination, it was Victoria Kane."The FBI will be here in thirty minutes," he reported. "Stefan Rodriguez shortly after. I've got my own teams setting up tracking operations."Victoria nodded, gesturing for him to follow her inside. The living room had been transformed in record time. Computer screens lined one wall. Maps covered another. Victoria's assistant directed a constant flow of

Chapter 166Alexander stared at the map spread across Victoria's dining table, his eyes burning from lack of sleep. Twenty hours since Camille's abduction. Twenty hours of dead ends and false leads. He marked another X on the map, another empty location searched and cleared."Nothing at the warehouse in Queens," he reported, his voice rough with exhaustion. "Just like the other three properties."Across the table, Stefan Rodriguez nodded grimly. The two men had barely spoken directly to each other in the past hours, communicating only through updates and tactical discussions. Their shared history, Stefan as Camille's ex-husband who had chosen Rose over her hung between them like an invisible wall."She's playing with us," Stefan said, studying the pattern of X marks across the map. "Leading us in circles while she keeps Camille somewhere we haven't even considered."Alexander's jaw tightened. The thought of working with Stefan still turned his stomach, but the man knew Rose better tha

Chapter 168Stefan paced the length of the makeshift command center, running his hands through his hair for the hundredth time. The room buzzed with activity, Alexander's security team, FBI agents, police liaisons, all working frantically to find Camille. Twenty-six hours had passed since her abduction. Twenty-six hours of dead ends and false leads."This isn't working," Stefan muttered, stopping at the map where pins marked locations they'd already searched. "We're missing something. Rose wouldn't just take her anywhere."Alexander looked up from a table covered with files, dark circles under his eyes. "Every property connected to Rose or her aliases has been searched. Twice.""It's not about property records," Stefan said, something nagging at the back of his mind. "It's about meaning. Rose does everything with purpose. She'd want somewhere that... that connects to their past."He closed his eyes, trying to focus. Images flashed through his mind: Camille showing him old family photo

Chapter 170The first explosion rocked the cabin, sending dust raining from the tunnel ceiling. Alexander and Stefan pressed forward, fighting against the urge to retreat. Behind them, the passage began to collapse."Move!" Alexander shouted as they burst through the exit into the stormy night.Rain hit their faces like tiny needles. The boathouse stood twenty yards ahead, its weathered blue paint visible in the lightning flashes. Two armed men guarded the entrance, their attention fixed on the main cabin as it began to burn.Alexander signaled to his team, spreading them into position around the clearing. Stefan crouched behind a fallen tree, his heart hammering against his ribs. From inside the boathouse came the sound of raised voices."The boat won't start!" a man yelled."Fix it!" Rose's voice, sharp with panic. "We need to leave now!"Alexander caught Stefan's eye, mouthing the words: _Three. Two. One._The team surged forward. The guards spun, raising their weapons, but Alexand