Chapter 6 - THE EMPTY BACK SEATThe boss ran.
He reached the underground garage in seconds.
His car was still there.
The back door was open.
The plush bunny lay on the seat.
He picked it up.
His hand trembled.
For the first time that night, panic broke through his controlled exterior.
He called his security team.
No answer.
Again.
Nothing.
Then his phone rang.
A woman's voice whispered:
“You should have listened to the child.”
The boss turned toward the garage entrance.
Nobody.
“Where is she?”
“You know where.”
“I swear—”
“Don't make promises you can't keep.”
The call ended.
He stared at the plush bunny.
Something hard was hidden inside.
He opened the seam.
A tiny memory card dropped into his palm.
He inserted it into his phone.
A video appeared.
The little girl sat in a bright kitchen.
Her mother stood behind her.
The woman looked exhausted.
“Listen carefully,” she said to the camera.
“If you're watching this, I failed.”
The boss froze.
The woman continued.
“They will tell you the child is dangerous.”
She shook her head.
“She isn't.”
The video flickered.
A man's voice sounded in the background.
“Claire said you wouldn't survive.”
The woman turned.
The screen went black.
The boss stared at the phone.
Then a second video automatically loaded.
Ethan appeared.
Older.
Tired.
Alive.
He looked directly into the camera.
“If you're seeing this, I know exactly what you're thinking.”
The boss whispered:
“Ethan.”
Ethan continued.
“I didn't disappear.”
“I was removed.”
The video glitched.
“And the person who ordered it is someone you still trust.”
The boss's eyes narrowed.
The screen displayed one final photograph.
His own security chief.
The man he had known for twelve years.
The man who had been protecting him.
The man who had driven his children to school.
The man who had access to every camera in the building.
The boss stared at the photograph.
Then his phone vibrated.
A message appeared.
COME HOME.
He looked toward the garage exit.
For a moment, he considered calling the police.
Then he remembered the files.
The network.
The photographs.
The red light.
He started the car.
If someone had betrayed him, he needed to know why.
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And if the little girl was still alive, he would find her.
Even if the trail led directly into his own house.
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