DAVID:
Two weeks.
Two excruciating weeks since Anastasia vanished.
Part of me wants to believe she's safe. That she's alive, just hiding. But the louder, darker part of me knows better—she's in danger. And if she's with him... then she's already living a nightmare.
The Devil never brings peace. Only chaos, fear, and destruction. But she doesn't see it. Or maybe... maybe I never told her clearly enough. Maybe I was too damn late. Too cowardly to speak my heart when it mattered.
Sometimes I wonder—if I had just confessed, if I had told her everything I felt before he sunk his claws into her—Would things have been different?
I was the one who knew her first. I was supposed to be the one by her side.
Maybe it's not too late. Maybe I can still rip off his mask and show her his true face before he destroys everything.
My desk was buried under papers, maps, phone records—chaos, much like my mind. I hadn't slept properly in days. Coffee kept me breathing, but only barely.
All signs pointed to the same conclusion—Anastasia's in trouble.
And she's running out of time.
Mr. Brown hasn't stopped either—he's just as desperate, maybe more. Her birthday is in two days. She should be blowing out candles, not fading into shadows.
"Sir," Dorian said, stepping in with a laptop in hand, "we've been trying to track her mobile network for days, but it's dead. Battery's been removed—completely untraceable. We also tried contacting Miss Garcia—Anastasia's last call was to her—but her phone rings out too. No answer."
I nodded slowly, gripping the cup like it could anchor me. The town has been combed top to bottom. No signs of him. No signs of her.
They didn't leave through the ports—we've locked those down.
They're still here. Somewhere. Or they've gone deeper underground than we anticipated. Then—my phone buzzed.
Unknown number. A single message. Coordinates.
I frowned. Tapped the link. Moscow.
Moscow?
What the hell?
Is this a trap?
Or a lead?
My heart dropped. My mind knew exactly who sent this. The Devil.
But why? Why reach out to me now? Why lead me there? Unless...
Unless she's in Moscow.
I don't know what game he's playing, but I'm done waiting.
I'm going. Even if it's a trap—I'll find her.