DEVIL:
I haven't slept in the last four days. Four days since she was taken. Four days since I started hunting the monster. Four days since my bed turned ice cold and guilt gnawed at me like a parasite. I should've known better. Abby had a tracking device on her—the very one that led Russo straight to my house. A place I chose for its obscurity, hidden deep on the outskirts of town, camouflaged like an abandoned shell. No one should've found it.
But he did.
He came. He saw. He won.
And I lost.
I can't sleep. I can't eat. I can't think straight. My Estrelitta—is out there, and she's in danger. Real danger. So tell me, how the fuck am I supposed to stay calm?
Mark hacked into Russo's security systems, hoping for a lead. But the bastard was prepared. Every trace wiped clean. His mansion? Empty. His vacation homes? Abandoned. It's like he vanished into thin air.
Where the fuck is he?
Rii, my panther, sat beside me, head down, as if sensing my rage and despair. He's usually indifferent to Ana—hell, she's scared of him—but I think... I think even Rii misses her.
Lara hasn't stopped crying for Amara. That kid somehow carved her way into all our hearts. Even Mark's gone unusually quiet. He's always been the silent type, but this... this silence is different. Heavy. Suffocating.
They're all looking to me. For strength. For a miracle. And I'm letting them down. She's counting on me, and I'm failing. I don't know if I'm even thinking straight anymore, but one thing is clear—I'll burn this whole fucking world down if that's what it takes to find her.
David? He's been a pain in the ass lately, ever since our last fallout. But like it or not, I may need him. Especially now that Russo has the black box. Ana didn't figure out how to open it yet, but Russo won't rest until he does. That box is dangerous in the wrong hands.
"Fuck!" I slammed my fist against the wall. Another night gone. Another lead dead.
It was around 4:30 a.m. when my phone lit up with a notification. A missed call. I blinked.
Salem?
What the actual fuck?
That's impossible. He's dead. I stared at the screen like it would change the truth. Without thinking, I called the number back—but it was switched off.
My heart thudded.
Who the hell was using Salem's number? Was this a trap?
Wait.
Could it be... her?
Could Ana have found Salem's phone and tried to reach me?
"Mark!" I shouted, breathless as I took the stairs two at a time. "I think we have a lead!"
Mark didn't waste a second. He jumped to his setup, fingers flying over the keyboard. I stood behind him, eyes glued to the screen, pulse racing.
Click. Tap. Scroll.
Then... he froze. His eyes lit up.
"Moscow," he said.
And just like that, the hunt began.