Chapter 26 Free
Brielle called Damon, her voice sharp with worry.
“How’s it going? Did you find anything yet?”
Damon sighed and leaned back in his seat, eyes fixed on the flickering dots on his tablet screen. “Nothing yet,” he replied. “But Jaxon and I are already planning to go in. We can’t just sit here any longer.”
“Be careful,” Brielle warned, her tone trembling. “You don’t even know what you’re walking into.”
“We’ll handle it,” Damon assured before ending the call.
Inside the abandoned building, Elena was pacing slowly around the small, dim room. The single window above her head was narrow, covered in rusted bars, and barely allowed sunlight through. Her wrists were sore from the ropes, but her mind was racing faster than ever.
She kept thinking about her parents, about how they’d be panicking by now, calling everyone they knew. And Jaxon—her mind lingered on his name longer than she wanted. He must be losing it right now, she thought, biting her lip. If only I could tell him I’m fine…
Little did she know, Jaxon and Damon were outside that very building, hidden behind a row of broken cars and thick bushes. They’d been watching for nearly half an hour, studying guard patterns, counting shadows that moved behind the dusty windows.
Jaxon’s patience was wearing thin. He clenched his jaw, his gaze dark and fixed on the structure ahead. “We’re going in,” he said quietly.
Damon looked up from his tablet. “You sure? We still don’t know how many guards are inside.”
“I don’t care,” Jaxon muttered. “She’s in there. I can feel it.”
Meanwhile, in a different room upstairs, Caleb and Maya sat at a long, dusty table.
Neither of them knew their little secret had already been compromised.
Caleb’s expression was cold, unreadable. “We have to make sure Jaxon doesn’t make it to that engagement tomorrow,” he said. “If his reputation burns, everything else collapses with him.”
Maya nodded, crossing her legs and smirking faintly. “He’s already halfway destroyed. Elena’s disappearance is the final crack. Once people start asking questions—”
“They’ll assume he had something to do with it,” Caleb finished, grinning. “Exactly the chaos I wanted.”
But neither of them realized how close the storm already was—how Jaxon, furious and desperate, was waiting just outside their walls.
And somewhere in the basement below, Elena was silently plotting her escape, unaware that she was only a few walls away from the people who’d caused her pain.
Damon leaned forward in the passenger seat, eyes glued to his tablet as streams of code danced across the screen. The glow from the device flickered over his face, making him look even more focused. Jaxon sat behind the wheel, fingers tapping anxiously on his thigh, every muscle wound tight.
“Talk to me, Damon,” Jaxon muttered, voice sharp with worry.
“I’m trying,” Damon replied, typing faster. “Their system is old—seriously outdated. Which is good news, because it means the firewall is basically held together with tape.”
The car was hidden behind overgrown bushes, positioned just far enough from the old building to stay unseen but close enough for Jaxon to run in if needed.
Jaxon swallowed hard. “How close are we?”
“Almost… hold on—” Damon zoomed into a building layout on his screen. “Okay. Good news: I found the security hub. Bad news: their cameras are grainy, low-res trash.”
“Damon.”
“Right, right.” He inhaled deeply. “I found her. Bathroom area. She’s still inside. And the guard is right outside the door.”
Jaxon’s chest tightened painfully. “Is she hurt?”
“I don’t see blood. She looks… scared. But she’s standing. That’s good.”
Damon clicked a few keys, and a map of the building appeared. “Okay, here’s the plan. I can cut the power for thirty seconds. That’ll kill the cameras, the alarms—everything.”
“And the locks?” Jaxon asked, eyes narrowing.
“That’s the fun part,” Damon said, lips twitching into a nerdy half-smile. “When the power cuts, the bathroom door unlocks automatically. Old building. Safety protocol.”
Jaxon sat up straight. “So I can get in?”
“Yep. But you’ll only have thirty seconds to get her and get out before backup systems boot up again.”
Jaxon didn’t hesitate. “Do it.”
Damon nodded, fingers flying across the tablet. “Okay… cutting power in three… two… one.”
THE BUILDING — DARKNESS.
Just as Elena pressed her ear to the bathroom window, trying to judge if anyone was nearby, every single light in the building snapped off.
Total darkness swallowed the place whole.
She jumped back with a startled gasp, heart pounding.
“What the—?”
Outside the bathroom, the guard panicked.
“Hey! What’s going on?!” he shouted, banging on the door.
“Hey! Stay inside!”
She didn’t listen.
The moment she heard the locks click and release, she unlocked the bolt herself and pushed the door open.
The hallway was dark. Cold. Silent except for footsteps and confused voices.
Her breath trembled.
Now or never.
She stepped out cautiously—
And froze.
A dark figure appeared at the end of the hallway.
“Elena.”
The voice was low. Familiar. Intense.
Her knees almost buckled. “Jaxon?”
He reached her in seconds, pulled her tightly against him.
She felt the tremor in his arms — he’d been terrified.
“Oh my God… Jaxon,” she whispered, clutching his shirt. “How—how are you here?”
“I’m getting you out,” he said firmly. “We don’t have time. Follow me.”
He held her hand, guiding her toward the emergency exit Damon had marked.
“What about the guard?” she whispered anxiously.
“They can’t see us. Damon cut the power,” Jaxon said, squeezing her hand. “Just stay with me.”
They slipped through the hallway, stepping over debris and avoiding voices.
Elena’s fear and adrenaline made her steps shaky, but Jaxon kept her close.
Two guards tried to stop them but Jaxon was able to knock them out.
They reached the back door.
Jaxon pushed it open—
Night air rushed in. Cool. Fresh. Free.
“Run,” he told her softly.
They sprinted across the uneven ground until Damon’s car flashed its headlights twice — the signal.
Elena practically collapsed into the backseat, chest heaving.
Jaxon slid in beside her, pulling her into his arms again.
Damon stepped on the gas immediately.
“We got her,” he announced breathlessly. “Thank God.”
It was too late before the guards new what had happened.
Elena clutched Jaxon tightly. “I thought I’d never see you again.”
Jaxon rested his forehead against hers.
“I almost lost my mind,” he whispered. “I’m never letting anything happen to you again.”
Her eyes stung.
For the first time since she’d been taken… she felt safe.