Chapter 131: Missing

Cecilia

The drive to my childhood home took about forty minutes, and I spent most of it thinking about what Daniel might have found, running through possibilities in my mind.

Maybe he'd gotten phone records proving Irene had contacted my mother, or maybe he'd found a witness. I pulled up to the house and immediately saw Daniel's car in the driveway, and a huge wave of relief flooded through me knowing he was already here.

I parked behind his car and got out, looking around the neighborhood. "Daniel?" I called out, pushing open the front door. It wasn't locked, which was strange, but maybe he'd been in a hurry, so I moved deeper into the silent house, my footsteps echoing in the empty space.

"Daniel, if this is some kind of joke—" That's when I heard it. A loud crash from upstairs echoed through the house, followed immediately by a muffled sound, like someone trying to shout through a hand clamped tightly over their mouth.

And then Daniel's voice rang out, desperate and terrified: "Ceci, run! Get out of here!"

The sound cut off abruptly, and my blood instantly turned to ice. I turned and ran, my heart hammering furiously against my ribs as my breath came in panicked gasps.

I burst out the front door and sprinted for my car, fumbling blindly with my keys, my hands shaking so badly I could barely get them in the ignition.

The engine roared to life and I threw the car into reverse, my tires squealing loudly against the pavement as I backed out of the driveway.

Through my rearview mirror, I caught a terrifying glimpse of two figures emerging from the house—large men in dark clothes, moving fast.

I slammed the car into drive and floored it, the rapid acceleration pressing me hard back into my seat.

But they were ready for this, and a black SUV suddenly pulled out from where it had been hidden down the street, cutting me off and forcing me to swerve wildly. I took a hard right, my tires screaming in protest, desperately trying to lose them in the deserted streets.

But they were faster and clearly more experienced, knowing exactly what they were doing as they hunted me down. The SUV came up beside me, and I saw it happening in slow motion—the massive vehicle turning sharply and violently ramming into my side.

My car spun out completely, the world tilting in a dizzying blur, and then I was airborne for a terrible, weightless second before everything came crashing down.

The impact was absolutely deafening. Metal crunched and glass shattered everywhere, my body jerking violently against the seatbelt as the car finally rolled to a crushing halt.

And then there was nothing but blinding pain, encroaching darkness, and the terrifying, distant sound of heavy footsteps approaching my wrecked vehicle.

Arthur, I thought desperately, as consciousness began to slip away from me. I'm so sorry.

Arthur

The call came at 11:47 PM.

I was in the middle of reviewing construction blueprints for the California facility when my phone lit up with Mrs. Chen's name, and something about the late hour immediately set off alarm bells in my head.

"Mr. Winston," her voice was tight with barely controlled panic, "Miss Locke hasn't returned home. I've tried calling her multiple times, but there's no answer. Her phone goes straight to voicemail."

My blood turned to ice. "When did she leave?"

"This morning, around 9:30. She said she was going to the old family home—her childhood house—and that she'd be back by afternoon." Mrs. Chen's voice cracked slightly. "Sir, it's been over twelve hours. Something's wrong."

I was already on my feet, my mind racing through possibilities, each one worse than the last. "Send security to the house. Now. And keep trying her phone."

"Yes, sir. I'm so sorry, I should have called sooner, but I thought—"

"It's not your fault," I cut her off, already pulling up Ethan's number. "Just find her."

Ethan answered on the first ring, his voice alert despite the hour. "Mr. Winston?"

"Cancel everything," I said, my voice coming out clipped and hard. "All meetings, all site visits, everything. Get the jet ready immediately. I need to be back within the hour."

"Sir, what's—"

"Cecilia's missing." The words felt like broken glass in my throat.

Ethan replied immediately. "I'll have the jet ready in twenty minutes."

"Good." I was already grabbing my jacket, my overnight bag forgotten on the bed. "Call Detective Clark. Tell her we need police at the old Locke residence immediately. Possible abduction."

I made it to the airport in fifteen minutes, breaking every speed limit, my hands gripping the steering wheel so tight my knuckles went white. The whole drive, my mind kept replaying this morning—Ceci warm and sleepy in my arms, the way she'd smiled at me, the way I'd left her safe in our bed.

I should have made her come with me. Should have insisted. Should have—

My phone rang. Mrs. Chen again.

"Security just got to the house," she said, her voice shaking. "Sir, there's no one here. But there are signs of a struggle upstairs. Broken furniture, what looks like blood on the carpet."

The world tilted sideways. "Blood?"

"Not much," she said quickly. "But enough to suggest someone was hurt. And sir—Daniel Brahmore's car is in the driveway, but he's not here either."

Daniel? He came to thank Ceci for her help before, but why was he at the old family home?

"Tell the police everything," I said, forcing my voice to stay level. "And Mrs. Chen? Lock down Black Peak. No one in or out without security clearance. Understood?"

"Yes, sir."

The jet was waiting when I arrived, engines already running. Ethan met me at the stairs, his expression grim.

"Detective Clark is on her way to the house," he said as we boarded. "And I've already contacted our security team. They're sweeping the area, everything."

I nodded, unable to speak past the terror clawing at my throat. The thought of Ceci hurt, scared, in danger—it was unbearable.

The flight back felt like it took years instead of hours. I spent the entire time on the phone—coordinating with security, speaking with Detective Clark, trying to piece together what the hell had happened.

By the time we landed at 2 AM, the picture was becoming clearer. And it was worse than I'd imagined.