ZEKE'S pov
She pointed at the floor where someone had cleared away dust recently. Footprints led to a corner room while they were fresh enough that I could see the tread pattern clearly. We followed them while my grip tightened on my weapon.
The corner room's door was closed while I could hear something moving inside. I motioned for my team to get ready while counting down silently with my fingers. On zero I kicked the door open while
rushing in.
The room was empty of people but it definitely had been used recently. A child's blanket lay crumpled on a dirty mattress in the corner while empty food containers were scattered around. And there on the floor was a stuffed dolphin that Cecelia made a broken sound seeing.
She ran forward while grabbing the dolphin and holding it to her chest. "This is Golden's," she said while tears ran down her face. "Fatima gave this to him for his birthday, he takes it everywhere."
I moved around the room while looking for more clues. There was a small pile of toys in one corner while drawings covered part of one wall. I looked closer at the drawings while my chest got tight. They were clearly done by a child while stick figures were labeled "Mama" and "Me" in messy handwriting.
"He was here," Cecelia sobbed while still clutching the dolphin. "He was right here and we missed him."
Marcus's voice came through my earpiece. "Alpha, we found vehicle tracks leading away from the back of the building. They're fresh,
maybe less than twelve hours old."
"Damn it," I swore while hitting the wall with my fist. "They moved him right before we got here."
"How did they know?" Cecelia demanded while her fear was turning into anger. "How did they know we were coming?"
"The package," I realized while my stomach dropped. "Sending Golden's shoe was a test to see how fast we'd track the location. When we did exactly what they expected they moved him."
"So we're still at square one,"
Cecelia said while her voice went flat and empty in a way that scared me more than her crying.
"No," I said firmly while moving to take her shoulders. "We know he was alive recently enough to make those drawings. We know he's thinking about you which means he's holding on. And we know they're moving him which means they're getting desperate."
"Or they're always going to be one step ahead," she said while all the fight seemed to drain out of her.
I pulled her against my chest while
she didn't cry or fight, just stood there like a doll. Through the bond I felt her hope dying while being replaced with a terrible emptiness that made my wolf howl.
"Marcus, I want every inch of this place searched," I said into my radio. "Look for anything that might tell us where they went. Hair, fibers, tire tracks, anything."
"On it," Marcus replied.
I guided Cecelia out of the room and back down the stairs. Outside the building she pulled away from me while walking a few feet away
and just staring at the trees. I stayed close but gave her space while understanding she needed a minute to process.
"We were so close," she said without turning around. "If we'd gotten here yesterday or even this morning he might have still been here."
"I know," I said while moving up behind her. "But beating ourselves up doesn't help Golden."
"Nothing helps Golden," she said while her voice broke. "We keep chasing and they keep moving him
and I can't keep doing this. I can't keep hoping and then having it ripped away."
"Cecelia," I turned her around to face me. "Look at me."
She looked up while her eyes were red and empty in a way that scared me. "What?"
"We are going to find him," I said while holding her face in both hands. "I know you're tired and scared and feel like giving up but I need you to hold on a little longer."
"I don't know how," she whispered while fresh tears fell. "I don't know
how to keep going when every lead turns into nothing."
"Then let me be strong for both of us right now," I said while pulling her close again. "Let me carry this until you can breathe again."
She broke down completely while sobbing into my chest. I held her tight while my own throat was tight with frustration and fear no because she was right that we kept getting close but not close enough. But I couldn't let her see my doubt
while she needed me to be certain.
One of my warriors approached
carefully. "Alpha, we found something you need to see."
I looked at him while keeping one arm around Cecelia. "What is it?"
"Basement access," he said. "Hidden under a tarp in the processing building. There's a tunnel system underneath."
Hope sparked in my chest while this could change everything. "Show me."
We followed him to the largest building while Cecelia walked beside me holding my hand tight. Inside, my team had cleared away a
rushing in.
The room was empty of people but it definitely had been used recently. A child's blanket lay crumpled on a dirty mattress in the corner while empty food containers were scattered around. And there on the floor was a stuffed dolphin that Cecelia made a broken sound seeing.
She ran forward while grabbing the dolphin and holding it to her chest. "This is Golden's," she said while tears ran down her face. "Fatima gave this to him for his birthday, he takes it everywhere."
I moved around the room while looking for more clues. There was a small pile of toys in one corner while drawings covered part of one wall. I looked closer at the drawings while my chest got tight. They were clearly done by a child while stick figures were labeled "Mama" and "Me" in messy handwriting.
"He was here," Cecelia sobbed while still clutching the dolphin. "He was right here and we missed him."
Marcus's voice came through my earpiece. "Alpha, we found vehicle tracks leading away from the back of the building. They're fresh,
maybe less than twelve hours old."
"Damn it," I swore while hitting the wall with my fist. "They moved him right before we got here."
"How did they know?" Cecelia demanded while her fear was turning into anger. "How did they know we were coming?"
"The package," I realized while my stomach dropped. "Sending Golden's shoe was a test to see how fast we'd track the location. When we did exactly what they expected they moved him."
"So we're still at square one,"
Cecelia said while her voice went flat and empty in a way that scared me more than her crying.
"No," I said firmly while moving to take her shoulders. "We know he was alive recently enough to make those drawings. We know he's thinking about you which means he's holding on. And we know they're moving him which means they're getting desperate."
"Or they're always going to be one step ahead," she said while all the fight seemed to drain out of her.
I pulled her against my chest while
she didn't cry or fight, just stood there like a doll. Through the bond I felt her hope dying while being replaced with a terrible emptiness that made my wolf howl.
"Marcus, I want every inch of this place searched," I said into my radio. "Look for anything that might tell us where they went. Hair, fibers, tire tracks, anything."
"On it," Marcus replied.
I guided Cecelia out of the room and back down the stairs. Outside the building she pulled away from me while walking a few feet away
and just staring at the trees. I stayed close but gave her space while understanding she needed a minute to process.
"We were so close," she said without turning around. "If we'd gotten here yesterday or even this morning he might have still been here."
"I know," I said while moving up behind her. "But beating ourselves up doesn't help Golden."
"Nothing helps Golden," she said while her voice broke. "We keep chasing and they keep moving him
and I can't keep doing this. I can't keep hoping and then having it ripped away."
"Cecelia," I turned her around to face me. "Look at me."
She looked up while her eyes were red and empty in a way that scared me. "What?"
"We are going to find him," I said while holding her face in both hands. "I know you're tired and scared and feel like giving up but I need you to hold on a little longer."
"I don't know how," she whispered while fresh tears fell. "I don't know
how to keep going when every lead turns into nothing."
"Then let me be strong for both of us right now," I said while pulling her close again. "Let me carry this until you can breathe again."
She broke down completely while sobbing into my chest. I held her tight while my own throat was tight with frustration and fear no because she was right that we kept getting close but not close enough. But I couldn't let her see my doubt while she needed me to be certain.
One of my warriors approached
carefully. "Alpha, we found something you need to see."
I looked at him while keeping one arm around Cecelia. "What is it?"
"Basement access," he said. "Hidden under a tarp in the processing building. There's a tunnel system underneath."
Hope sparked in my chest while this could change everything. "Show me."
We followed him to the largest building while Cecelia walked beside me holding my hand tight. Inside, my team had cleared away a
large tarp revealing a trap door set into the concrete floor.
Marcus stood over it looking grim.
"These tunnels connect to the old mining system from a hundred years ago," he said while showing me maps on his tablet. "They run for miles underground connecting various points across the region."
"They're using the tunnels to move him," I realized while anger burned through me. "That's how they've been staying ahead of us."
"The tunnel system is extensive," Marcus said while zooming in on
the map. "There are dozens of exit points within a fifty mile radius underground."
Cecelia grabbed the tablet while studying the map. "Then we search every tunnel until we find him."
"That could take weeks," Marcus said gently. "We don't have the manpower to cover that much area quickly."
"Then we get more people," Cecelia said while her voice went hard. "Call in every favor, hire mercenaries, I don't care. We search every inch of those tunnels."
I looked at the map while my mind raced through options. She was right that we needed to search but Marcus was also right that it would take too long. We needed something to narrow down the search area.
"The tracks outside," I said suddenly. "They led away from here which means wherever they took him isn't accessible by tunnel alone or they wouldn't have needed vehicles."
"So they used the tunnels to move him from this building to wherever they had vehicles waiting," Marcus
said while following my logic. "Which means the exit point is somewhere close by."
We went back outside while following the tire tracks. They led through the woods for about half a mile before reaching a small clearing where it looked like several vehicles had been parked recently.
"This is where they loaded him," one of my trackers said while pointing at the disturbed ground. "At least three vehicles based on the different tire patterns."
"And from here?" I asked.
"They headed east," the tracker said while pointing. "Toward the coast based on the direction."
The coast. My mind flashed back to something Cecelia had said about her vision through the bond. She'd smelled salt water while seeing Golden in that warehouse.
"They took him to the ocean," I said while looking at Cecelia. "Your vision was right."
"How does that help us?" she asked while looking tired beyond her years. "The coast goes for hundreds of miles."
"But there are only so many buildings near water that are isolated enough to hide someone," Marcus said while already pulling up maps on his phone. "Abandoned
warehouses, old canneries, empty boat houses."
"Start there," I ordered. "I want teams checking every coastal structure within the area those vehicles could reach in twelve hours."
"That's still a lot of ground to cover," Marcus warned.
"Then we better get started," I said
while my voice dropped into Alpha command. "Golden is running out of time and I'm running out of patience."
We headed back to the vehicles while Cecelia was quiet beside me. She still held Golden's stuffed dolphin while her fingers were white from gripping it so hard. Once we were in the vehicle heading back I pulled her against my side.
"We're going to find him," I promised while saying it as much
for myself as for her.
"I know," she said quietly. "I just
hope we find him alive."
The words hung between us heavy with the fear we both felt but couldn't say out loud. Because the longer Golden was missing, the more likely it was that something terrible had happened or was happening to him.
And if we were too late, if someone had hurt my son beyond fixing, there wasn't a place in this world they could hide that I wouldn't find them.
But first we had to get to Golden before that worst case became
reality.
Cecelia's POV
The tunnel entrance looked like a black hole waiting to swallow us while my stomach twisted with fear about going down there. Zeke had his flashlight ready along with Marcus and six other warriors who would come with us underground. The rest of the team stayed above to guard the exits in case whoever had Golden tried to escape.
"Stay close to me," Zeke said while checking my tactical vest one more time. "The tunnels are old which
means they might not be stable."
"I'll be fine," I said even though my hands were shaking. "Let's just go find our son."
We climbed down the metal ladder into darkness while the air got colder the deeper we went. My feet hit solid ground while I turned to see a tunnel stretching in both directions lit only by our flashlights. The walls were rough stone while water dripped somewhere in the distance making echoing sounds.
"This way," Marcus said while pointing left based on the maps
he'd studied. "This tunnel runs east toward the coast which matches where those vehicle tracks were heading."
We started walking in single file because the tunnel wasn't wide enough for two people side by side. Zeke went first with me right behind him while his hand kept reaching back to make sure I was still there. Every few steps he'd look over
his shoulder checking on me even though I was only inches away.
The tunnel felt like it went on forever while we walked and walked with nothing changing. Just stone
walls and darkness and the sound of our boots on the wet ground. My legs started to hurt while I wasn't used to this much walking but I didn't complain because Golden had probably been carried through here scared and alone.
"How much further?"
I asked after what felt like an hour.
"Another mile or so before we reach the first junction," Marcus said from behind us. "Then we'll have three directions to choose from."
Great, I thought while my hope was starting to fade again. We could
walk these tunnels for days and never find the right path while Golden could be anywhere in this underground maze.
Then something happened that made me stop walking so fast that the warrior behind me almost ran into me. Pain exploded through my chest while it felt like someone was squeezing my heart in a fist. I gasped while grabbing Zeke's arm to keep from falling.
"Cecelia, what's wrong?" Zeke spun around while his hands caught my shoulders.
I couldn't answer because my whole body hurt while the pain was so bad I thought I might throw up. But it wasn't my pain, somehow I knew that while it was coming from somewhere else through the bond between me and Zeke except it felt different than when I felt his emotions.
Then images flashed through my mind like someone was playing a video in my head. I saw Golden lying on a table while blue light was coming from under his skin. He was crying while someone in dark clothes bent over him doing
something I couldn't see. The image shifted while showing metal walls and bright overhead lights that hurt to look at.
"Cecelia, breathe," Zeke's voice broke through while he was holding my face in both hands. "You need to breathe for me."
