Chapter 47 Where is Chelsea?

Chapter 47 Where is Chelsea?
Alex

✦

Everything moves fast after the phones are found.

Too fast.

And somehow not fast enough.

The club is no longer a club.

It’s a crime scene.

Yellow tape stretches across entrances.

Patrol cars fill the parking lot.

Blue and red lights flash across the pavement.

Across Chelsea’s car.

Across Livia’s.

Across the building.

Every time I look at those cars, my stomach twists.

Because they’re still here.

And Chelsea isn’t.

Neither is Livia.

Kyler is already in full work mode.

Officer mode.

The version of him that doesn’t panic.

The version that compartmentalizes.

Makes decisions.

Gets things done.

He’s called in additional units.

Detectives.

Crime scene technicians.

Everybody.

People move in and out of the building carrying cameras, evidence bags, notebooks.

Questions get asked.

Then asked again.

Then asked a third time.

When was the last contact?

What were they wearing?

Who knew they were coming here?

Did they have enemies?

Ex-boyfriends?

Anybody making threats?

I answer everything.

Every question.

Every detail.

And every answer makes this feel more real.

Chelsea isn’t just late anymore.

She’s missing.

The word sits like a knife in my chest.

Missing.

Nobody knows where she is.

Nobody knows where Livia is.

And the only thing we have—

Are two phones pulled from a trash can.

I stand near the entrance while a detective photographs them.

Chelsea’s phone.

Livia’s phone.

Evidence bags now.

Not phones.

Evidence.

I hate that.

I hate all of this.

A detective approaches Kyler.

“No witnesses.”

The words hit me immediately.

“What do you mean no witnesses?” I ask.

The detective sighs.

“We’ve interviewed staff, customers that were still here, security.”

He shakes his head.

“Nobody remembers seeing them leave.”

Nobody.

My chest tightens.

“That’s impossible.”

But the detective doesn’t argue.

Because apparently it isn’t.

A few feet away, Mr. Nightly watches everything unfold.

The owner.

Top hat.

Face tattoos.

Perfectly calm.

Too calm.

Maybe it’s unfair.

Maybe it’s because I need someone to blame.

But every time I look at him something feels off.

Like he’s annoyed this is happening.

Not concerned.

Not surprised.

Annoyed.

Kyler notices me staring.

He walks over.

“You’re thinking the same thing I am.”

“He’s suspicious.”

Kyler nods.

“Yeah.”

We both look toward the owner.

He’s talking to another officer now.

Arms folded.

Relaxed.

Comfortable.

Meanwhile my entire life is imploding.

“Can we see the security footage yet?” I ask.

“No.”

I already know the answer before he says it.

Still.

I ask anyway.

Kyler rubs his forehead.

“We need a warrant.”

I swear under my breath.

“We don’t have time for this.”

“I know.”

“No. You don’t understand.”

My voice cracks.

I hate it.

I hate how helpless I sound.

“Every minute we’re standing here is another minute Chelsea is—”

I stop.

Because I can’t finish that sentence.

Kyler’s expression softens.

“Alex.”

I look away.

The parking lot blurs for a second.

I blink hard.

Not now.

Not here.

“We’ll get the warrant,” he says.

“We’ll get the footage.”

“And if something happened in this building, we’ll find it.”

I nod.

But it doesn’t help.

Because all I can think about is Chelsea.

Terrified.

Alone.

Wondering if anybody is looking for her.

The answer is yes.

I am.

And I won’t stop.

No matter how long this takes.

No matter where it leads.

Because somewhere out there—

Chelsea is waiting.

And I intend to find her.

✦

The waiting is killing me.

Every minute feels like an hour.

Every conversation feels pointless because none of it answers the only question that matters.

Where is Chelsea?

The parking lot is crowded now.

Patrol cars.

Detectives.

Crime scene techs.

People moving constantly.

And still no Chelsea.

No Livia.

Kyler walks back over to me around two in the morning.

“We’re bringing in K-9 units.”

I immediately stand up straighter.

“Good.”

He nods.

“We’ve got their phones. Now we need a trail.”

For the first time all night, I feel something close to hope.

Not much.

Just enough to keep breathing.

The dogs arrive about twenty minutes later.

Handlers.

Equipment.

Flashlights.

Everybody suddenly moving with purpose again.

One of the handlers approaches.

“We need something with a strong scent.”

I don’t even hesitate.

“I have something.”

I practically jog to my car.

Open the passenger door.

And there it is.

Chelsea’s hoodie.

The oversized one she always steals back from me even though she claims it’s hers now.

My chest tightens.

I hand it over.

The handler lets the dog smell it.

The K-9 immediately goes to work.

Everyone follows.

Me.

Kyler.

The handlers.

Several officers.

The dog leads us back inside the club.

Straight through the main floor.

Past the bar.

Past the dance floor.

Then down the hallway.

My heart starts hammering.

The same hallway.

The one leading toward the restrooms.

The dog pulls harder.

The handler follows.

The animal leads directly into the women’s restroom.

A chill runs down my spine.

Kyler and I exchange a look.

Neither of us says anything.

We don’t need to.

Because we’re both thinking the same thing.

This is where it started.

The dog circles.

Sniffs.

Moves.

Then abruptly turns and heads back out.

Down the hallway again.

Past the restrooms.

Toward an emergency exit.

The handler pushes the door open.

Cool night air rushes inside.

The dog doesn’t hesitate.

It charges into the alley behind the club.

Everyone follows.

Flashlights sweep across dumpsters.

Brick walls.

Puddles.

Discarded trash.

The alley stretches behind the building, mostly empty.

Then the dog suddenly stops.

Its nose drops to the ground.

The handler kneels.

“Something here.”

My pulse spikes.

Kyler is already moving.

He crouches down near a patch of cracked pavement.

Reaches toward something lying in the dirt.

Then stands.

Slowly.

His face changes immediately.

Not good.

Not even close.

He turns toward me.

Holding something in his hand.

For a second my brain doesn’t process what I’m seeing.

Then it does.

Keys.

A set of keys.

Actually—

Two sets.

My stomach drops.

Hard.

“Alex…”

Kyler’s voice is quiet.

Careful.

He holds them out.

I recognize them instantly.

Chelsea’s little sunflower keychain.

The one she’d had for years.

And hanging tangled beside it—

Livia’s keys.

I stare at them.

Then at Kyler.

Then back at the keys.

“No.”

The word barely comes out.

“No.”

My chest feels hollow.

Because cars don’t end up abandoned in a parking lot while their keys get dumped behind a building.

Not accidentally.

Not normally.

Someone took them.

Someone had them.

Someone came through this alley.

Kyler’s jaw tightens.

The handler looks around the area.

The other officers immediately begin searching.

Flashlights sweep outward.

Looking for anything.

Tire tracks.

Footprints.

Evidence.

Anything.

I just stand there staring at the keys.

Chelsea touched these tonight.

A few hours ago she was laughing with Livia.

Dancing.

Texting me.

Living her life.

Now all I have is a hoodie and a set of keys.

And for the first time tonight, the horrible truth settles in my stomach like a stone.

This wasn’t somebody leaving without telling anyone.

This wasn’t somebody losing their phone.

This wasn’t somebody staying out too late.

Someone took them.

And somewhere out there—

Chelsea is waiting for someone to find her.

The keys almost slip out of my hand.

Everything around me suddenly feels distant.

The flashing lights.

The officers talking.

The dogs.

The alley.

It all blurs together.

Because all I can see is Chelsea’s sunflower keychain.

The one she jingles absentmindedly when she’s looking for something in her purse.

The one I teased her about because it was impossible to miss.

The one she had tonight.

My chest tightens so hard it hurts.

“No.”

I shake my head.

“No, no, no…”

My breathing starts coming faster.

Too fast.

A horrible thought crashes into my mind.

Kethan.

It has to be him.

Who else?

Who else would know her routine?

Who else would have an obsession with her?

Who else showed up after all this time claiming he wanted her back?

My hands start shaking.

Anger mixes with fear until I can’t tell them apart.

“I knew it,” I say.

Kyler looks at me.

“Alex—”

“I knew something would happen.”

My voice rises.

“I knew it.”

The words come pouring out before I can stop them.

“She wanted space and freedom and I gave it to her.”

The guilt is immediate.

Brutal.

I can still hear Chelsea in our apartment.

“Trust me.”

“I need room to breathe.”

And she’d been happy.

For an entire month she’d been happy.

No fear.

No anxiety.

Just living her life.

And now she was gone.

I drag a hand over my face.

My breathing is becoming ragged.

The alley suddenly feels too small.

The night air feels too thin.

“I should’ve—”

The words die.

Because I don’t even know what comes after that.

Should’ve what?

Never let her leave?

Followed her everywhere?

Locked her inside?

None of that makes sense.

But my brain isn’t being logical right now.

My brain is imagining Chelsea scared and alone somewhere.

And it’s tearing me apart.

Kyler steps closer.

“Alex.”

I don’t answer.

My eyes burn.

I look away.

Then suddenly Kyler grabs my shoulder and pulls me into a quick hug.

Not because either of us are huggers.

Not because either of us are okay.

Because neither of us are.

His girlfriend is missing too.

Livia is out there somewhere with Chelsea.

He’s scared too.

Maybe just hiding it better.

“We’re gonna find them,” he says firmly.

I swallow hard.

“We have to.”

“We are.”

I shake my head.

“You don’t know that.”

His grip tightens slightly.

“No. I don’t.”

The honesty surprises me.

Then he continues.

“But what I do know is this.”

His voice becomes all business again.

Focused.

Steady.

“The longer we spend losing our heads, the less time we’re spending finding them.”

I stare at him.

“We need to stay locked in.”

He points toward the club.

“We need that footage.”

Then toward the alley.

“We need evidence.”

Then toward the crime scene.

“We need answers.”

His jaw clenches.

“And we need them now.”

I close my eyes for a second.

Trying to steady myself.

Trying to breathe.

Trying not to picture all the things that could be happening.

When I open them again, Kyler is still standing there.

Still focused.

Still fighting.

For Livia.

For Chelsea.

For both of them.

“The longer it takes to find a kidnapped victim,” he says quietly, “the harder it gets.”

The words hit like a punch.

“But they’re alive right now.”

He says it with conviction.

Like a choice.

Like a fact he’s forcing himself to believe.

“And we’re going to find them.”

I nod slowly.

Because I have to believe that too.

I have to.

Because Chelsea isn’t just my girlfriend.

She’s my future.

The woman I wanted to marry someday.

The woman I pictured growing old with.

The woman I imagined moving into a house with instead of our tiny apartment.

The woman I imagined having kids with one day.

The woman I love.

And somewhere out there tonight…

She’s waiting.

So I take a shaky breath.

Look back toward the club.

And force myself to focus.

Because breaking down can happen later.

Right now?

We have to find her.

✦

authors note:

Hey everyone,

If you’ve made it this far into the second half of the book—thank you. Seriously. This story is about to shift into a much heavier, more intense direction, and I don’t take lightly that you’re here reading it with me.

This next stretch of the book is going to be longer, more layered, and more emotionally volatile. There are a lot of moving parts coming together now, and nothing is going to stay comfortable for very long. You’re going to see the consequences of every choice these characters have made start to collide in real time.

A quick but important content note moving forward: this portion of the story contains mature themes, including kidnapping, psychological distress, coercive control, intense violence, and emotionally charged survival situations. There are also romantic and sexual elements woven into the narrative in later chapters that are intended for a mature audience. The focus, however, is never just shock value—it’s about power, fear, attachment, survival instincts, and what people become under pressure.

One of the major threads you’ll notice developing is how trauma bonds can form in extreme situations, and how blurred the lines between fear, dependence, and emotional survival can become when characters are pushed past their limits. If that’s a heavy topic for you, I just want you to be aware as you continue reading.

That being said… this is where things get interesting.

Kethan’s return has already changed the entire emotional temperature of the story. His conversation with Alex wasn’t just confrontation—it was a fracture point. Everything from that moment onward is going to feel like it’s tilting toward something irreversible. And I’m very curious how you all are interpreting him right now. Is he exactly what he appears to be? Or something more complicated?

And then there’s the question everyone is sitting with:

Who took Chelsea and Livia?

Alex and Kyler are not done yet. Not even close. But what they find next will either confirm their worst fears or completely rewrite what they think they know about this case. The investigation is going to escalate quickly from here—police pressure, new evidence, and decisions that can’t be undone once they’re made.

Alex, especially, is not in a stable emotional place right now. His guilt, rage, and fear are all starting to overlap in ways that are going to affect how he moves, how he thinks, and how far he’s willing to go. The line between protecting someone and losing yourself in the process is about to become very thin.

So I’ll ask you what I’ve been wondering while writing it:

Do you think Alex and Kyler are going to find them in time?

And what are your theories right now—about Kethan, about the kidnapping, about what Chelsea and Livia are going through behind the scenes?

Because from here on out… nothing plays out cleanly.

Thank you for reading, for sticking with the tension, and for trusting me with these characters. The next chapters are going to test everyone involved.

\- B.