Chapter 31
Damian hadn’t slept. Not really.
He sat in his office, surrounded by maps, screens, and printouts. The
room looked like a command center more than a home now.
Mira entered, carrying a tablet. Her face was pale, but determined.
“No luck from the scent hounds,” she said. “Whatever vehicle they
used–its trail was completely masked. And the roads were swept with
chemical blockers. They were professional.”
“Too professional,” Damian muttered.
He ran a hand over his face. The stubble on his jaw was rough–he
hadn’t shaved in days.
Mira leaned against the table. “But we did find something in the
garage security logs.”
That caught his attention.
She handed over the tablet, showing footage from the day Selene was
taken. One of the guards was caught glancing into the camera,
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covering it for three seconds. Just three.
“That’s all they needed,” Mira whispered. “Long enough to swap her
without triggering the emergency protocols.”
Damian’s knuckles went white.
“I want him found,” he said. “I don’t care what it takes.”
Mira hesitated. “There’s more.”
She tapped to another screen.
“This footage was pulled from a traffic cam two towns over. It’s
grainy, but… we think this van could be connected.”
She enlarged the frame. Damian leaned in. He couldn’t see Selene-
but he could feel it. His instincts screamed that she was inside.
“I’ll call Reed,” he said. “We’ll head there in thirty.”
Mira stepped in front of him.
“Damian… what if this isn’t random? What if this is about you?”
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He stared at her.
“You’ve made enemies, and Selene’s your Luna. She’s leverage.”
“I know,” he said darkly. “Which is why we’re going to flip the board.”
Back in Captivity
Selene sat on the floor, the flash drive still untouched on the table.
She didn’t sleep that night either.
Mark returned in the early evening, holding a chessboard.
“You play?” he asked.
She blinked. “What?”
“Chess. I find it… meditative. Strategic. Teaches people to think five
steps ahead.”
She didn’t respond.
He set the board up on the floor between them.
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“You be white,” he said. “You go first.”
Reluctantly, she moved a pawn.
They played in silence for a while, the clink of plastic pieces echoing
in the quiet room.
Then Mark spoke, his voice casual.
“You know, I wasn’t always like this.”
She moved her knight. “Like what?”
“Cold. Calculating. Alone.”
Selene arched a brow. “You kidnapped me.”
Mark smiled faintly. “Yes. I did. Because I need you. But not in the
way you think.”
Her stomach tightened. “Then how?”
“You’re a key. To something much bigger than either of us.”
Selene studied him carefully.
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He wasn’t just dangerous. He was delusional.
And that made him even more dangerous.
He suddenly reached forward, moving his queen into an aggressive
position.
“Check,” he said.
Selene moved her king, breaking the threat.
“Not today,” she whispered.
Mark smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes.
Back with Damian
The town was quiet when they arrived. Reed and three enforcers flanked Damian as they scouted the area where the van was last seen.
They followed the road until it veered into abandoned property.
Forest. Dirt paths.
And silence.
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