Damien didn't move for a long moment. Arianna's phone remained in his hand, the cracked screen dimming slowly until it went black.
Silence filled the apartment. His gaze lifted, scanning the space again, but this time, not as a guest.bAs something else. Something sharper and more dangerous.
"She didn't leave," he said under his breath.
Damien slipped the phone into his pocket and pulled out his own immediately.
This time, he didn't hesitate. He dialed.
The line connected almost instantly.
"You don't usually call me this late," a calm voice answered.
Damien's jaw tightened. "Nathan."
His elder brother.
"I need you."
There was no hesitation on the other end.
"What happened?"
"She's gone."
A sudden pause and confusion sent chills down to Nathan years. It's been 2 years since he broke up with Laila and now, he's confused about who is now gone-the kind that meant Nathan was already thinking.
"Explain."
"I got to her place. The door was slightly open. Her phone's on the floor, cracked. No sign of forced entry. No obvious struggle."
Another pause.
Then...
"You think she was taken."
"I know she was." Nathan exhaled quietly.
"Stay there. Don't touch anything else. I'll be there in ten."
The line went dead. Damien lowered the phone slowly, his expression unreadable.
But beneath it, something had already shifted.
****
Arianna came back to herself in pieces. First, the ache, then the cold, and followed by the realization.
Her eyes opened slowly, lashes heavy as the room came into focus in fragments-blurred shapes, shadows, unfamiliar lines.
Her breath hitched. This wasn't her apartment. Her body shifted-and stopped.
Her wrists, bound and tight.
The panic came instantly, sharp and suffocating, clawing its way through her chest.
No, no, no...She pulled against the restraint.
The rope held firm, biting slightly into her skin.
Her breathing quickened.
"Hello?" she called, her voice rough, unsteady.
Silence answered, too much silence.
The kind that pressed in from all sides.
Arianna swallowed hard, forcing herself to slow down.
Panicking wouldn't help her. Her eyes moved around the room carefully. Dim lighting, bare walls, no windows, one door.
Her stomach twisted. Memory slammed into her, the hallway, the shadow, and the hand over her mouth.
A shiver ran through her.
"Oh God..."
***
The sound of the apartment door opening again made Damien turn.
Nathan stepped inside without hesitation.
Tall, composed, and precise.
Where Damien carried controlled intensity, Nathan carried something quieter, colder, sharper in execution.
His eyes swept the room once. Nothing escaped him.
"Walk me through it," Nathan said.
Damien gestured toward the hallway.
"The door was open and no signs in the living room."
Nathan moved immediately, his steps measured as he approached the hallway.
He stopped halfway, his gaze dropped slightly.
"Here," he said.
Damien stepped closer. Nathan studied the floor carefully, his expression unreadable.
"The struggle started here, quick and controlled."
Damien's jaw tightened.
"She didn't go willingly."
"I know." Nathan stood, dusting his hands lightly.
"No forced entry," he continued. "Which means she either opened the door..."
"Or didn't get the chance to refuse."
Nathan glanced at him briefly.
"You're taking this personally."
Damien didn't respond because he did not see the need to.
Nathan held his gaze for a moment longer before turning away.
"Who knew about her?" he asked.
"No one."
"That's unlikely."
"It's the truth."
Nathan studied him, then gave a small nod.
"Then we assume observation," he said.
Damien's eyes darkened. "Someone's been watching."
"Yes."
The confirmation came without hesitation.
"And they planned this," Nathan added. "Clean entry. Fast execution. No noise."
Damien's expression hardened further. "Find them."
Nathan pulled out his phone. "I'll start with building cameras."
***
Arianna forced her breathing to be steady, slow and controlled.
Her heart was still racing, but her mind was catching up now, fear was there.
But so was awareness.
"You're calmer than I expected." The voice came from the shadows.
Arianna's head snapped up. A figure stepped forward. Not fully into the light-but enough.
Feminine. Tall. Poised.
That registered immediately.
Arianna's brows drew together slightly.
"Who are you?" she demanded.
The woman didn't answer. Instead, she tilted her head slightly, studying her.
"Most people panic," she said softly.
"Most people don't get kidnapped," Arianna shot back.
A faint smile touched the woman's lips. "I like you."
Arianna didn't respond, she didn't trust that.
Not even slightly.
"What do you want?" she asked again.
The woman took a slow step closer. Her heels echoed faintly against the floor.
"Not you," she said.
Arianna's stomach tightened. "Then why am I here?"
A pause.
Then...
"Because you matter to someone."
The words landed heavier than they should have.
Arianna's breath caught. Damien. This was about Damien.
Her fingers curled subtly against the rope.
"Who are you?" she repeated, sharper this time.
The woman's smile didn't reach her eyes.
"That's not important."
But it was and Arianna knew it. Because whoever this was, they knew exactly what they were doing.
**"
Nathan ended the call and slid his phone back into his pocket.
"Cameras picked up movement," he said.
"There's a blind spot near the hallway entrance."
Damien's jaw tightened.
"Professional."
"Yes."
Nathan stepped closer.
"The vehicle used has no registered plates."
Of course, this wasn't random and planned
deliberately.
Nathan's gaze sharpened slightly.
"This is connected to you."
The words settled heavily between them. Damien didn't deny it.
His expression darkened.
"Find her," he said.
Nathan held his gaze. "We will."
But Damien's focus had already shifted beyond the room, beyond the evidence, else entirely, Something more personal.
***
Arianna watched the woman carefully now.
"You're not afraid," the woman observed.
"I am but not hopeless," Arianna replied honestly.
That earned her a slow, approving look.
"Good," the woman said.
She turned slightly, pacing again. "You'll need that."
Arianna's chest tightened. "What does that mean?"
The woman stopped, then looked back at her.
And for the first time, there was something darker in her gaze, something personal.
"Because the man you're involved with..."
A pause.
"...don't let things go."
Arianna's pulse spiked. Damien. This woman knew him. That realization hit harder than anything else.
"What does that have to do with me?" she asked carefully.
The woman stepped closer again. Close enough now that Arianna could feel the weight of her presence.
"Everything."
