22
The city lights flickered like distant stars as night settled over the streets. The warehouse now lay behind Adrian, Elena, and their ally, its shadows fading into memory—but the danger was far from over. The kidnapper had slipped through their fingers again, leaving only a single, chilling message on Adrian's phone:
"Time is running out. You have twelve hours."
Adrian stared at the screen, his jaw tight, eyes scanning the alley as if the kidnapper could appear from any corner. "Twelve hours… twelve hours to what? To disappear again? Or… or to hurt her?"
Elena's hands trembled slightly as she gripped his arm. "We can't waste a second. We have to move—now. Every minute counts."
The ally, moving beside them, pulled out a small tablet. "I've cross-referenced locations, movement patterns, and security feeds. If he's sticking to his routine, we have a window—maybe an hour—to intercept him before he reaches a more permanent location."
