Chapter 36 The Hunt Begins
The unknown number flashed on her screen.
Veyra’s finger hovered over the answer button. Her heart was pounding. The car was dark. The road was empty. The driver was watching her in the rearview mirror.
She answered.
"Hello?"
"Hi, is this the woman who put up the flyers?" A young voice. Female. Urgent. "The missing little girl? The man in the mask?"
Veyra sat up straight. "Yes. This is her. Do you have information?"
"I work at the coffee kiosk on Third Avenue. The one near the park. You came by this afternoon with the flyers."
"I remember."
"Well, about twenty minutes ago, an older woman came in. She saw the flyer on our window. She said she saw a man matching that description. And a little girl. Dark hair. Dark eyes. About this tall." The woman’s voice was excited. "The older woman said they were at the Greenery Villas. She saw them going into one of the houses."
Veyra’s heart leaped.
"Greenery Villas?" she repeated. "Are you sure?"
"Positive. The woman was very specific. She said the little girl looked scared. She wanted to call the police but didn’t know if she should get involved. I told her I would call the number on the flyer."
"Thank you," Veyra said. "Thank you so much."
She hung up. Her hands were shaking. But not from fear. From hope.
Lily was alive. Someone had seen her.
She pulled up the map on her phone. Typed in "Greenery Villas."
The location was on the east side of the city. The complete opposite direction from where she was heading. The kidnapper’s coordinates had been for South Ring Road. A remote area. Isolated.
This was a trap.
She knew it now. Eleanor had sent her on a wild goose chase. South Ring Road was probably empty. Or worse, full of people waiting to hurt her.
But Greenery Villas was real. Someone had seen Lily there.
She made a decision.
"Sir," she said to the driver. "I need to change the address."
The driver looked at her in the rearview mirror. "Change it to where?"
She showed him the map. "Greenery Villas. East side."
He frowned. "That’s the other direction. We’re almost at South Ring Road."
"I know. I need you to take me to Greenery Villas instead."
He hesitated. "That’s going to add another forty minutes. Maybe more with traffic."
"I’ll pay you double. Triple. Whatever you want. Just take me there."
He shrugged. "It’s your money."
He pulled over to reprogram the GPS.
They had been driving for ten minutes when Veyra noticed the headlights behind them.
The same set of lights. Staying the same distance. Not passing. Not falling back.
She had been so focused on getting to Lily that she had not been paying attention to anything else. But now she watched. The car behind them matched every turn. Every lane change.
Someone was following her.
She thought about Eleanor. About the trap. About the message that had said come alone, no police, no bodyguards. Eleanor had probably expected her to follow the original coordinates. She had probably posted people along that route to make sure Veyra did not change direction.
But Veyra had changed direction.
And now someone was following her.
"Sir," she said to the driver. "I need you to make a turn at the next intersection. Then pull over somewhere quiet."
The driver glanced at her. "Is everything okay?"
"Everything is fine. I just need to get out."
He did not argue. He turned at the next intersection. The road was darker here. Fewer streetlights. More trees.
He pulled over at a small parking lot next to a closed gas station.
Veyra handed him a wad of cash. More than enough. "Wait for me here. If I’m not back in fifteen minutes, leave. Don’t wait."
His eyes widened. "Miss, what’s going on?"
"Nothing you need to worry about. Just wait."
She got out of the car. She ducked behind a large billboard at the edge of the parking lot. The metal frame was cold against her back. She pressed herself against it and waited.
The black car appeared. It slowed down. It passed the parking lot. It kept going.
Veyra let out a breath.
She walked back to the driver’s window. "Keep going straight. Don’t look back. Don’t stop until you reach Greenery Villas."
"What about you?"
"I’ll find my own way."
She turned and walked toward the main road. Behind her, the driver pulled away. His taillights disappeared into the darkness.
She hailed another taxi ten minutes later.
This driver was older. Gray hair. A kind face. He did not ask questions. He just took the address and started driving.
Veyra sat in the back seat and watched the city change. The buildings got older. The streets got narrower. The trees got thicker.
Greenery Villas was not what she expected. It was not a villa at all. It was a gated community. Older homes. Large lots. Wrought iron fences.
But the gate was open. The security booth was empty.
The driver pulled up to the entrance. "This is as far as I can go. The address you gave me is about half a mile in. You’ll have to walk."
Veyra paid him. She got out of the car.
The street was quiet. Too quiet. No cars. No people. Just the wind in the trees and the distant sound of a dog barking.
She started walking.
And then she saw it.
Dorian’s car.
It was parked at the curb, half-hidden behind a large hedge. Black. Sleek. Unmistakable.
Her heart jumped.
He was already here. He had found Lily before she could.
She felt a rush of relief. And then a rush of fear.
If Dorian saw her, he would send her back. He would order Li Wei to take her home. He would tell her she was in the way.
She could not let that happen.
She ducked behind a row of bushes and looked around. There was a side path. Overgrown. Narrow. It led around the back of the houses.
She took it.
She was halfway down the path when she heard voices.
She stopped. Pressed herself against the trunk of a large oak tree.
Two men. Speaking in low tones. One of them was Kaelen. She recognized his voice.
"...the kidnapper took her toward the lake. Mr. Thorne is already en route."
The other man spoke. "Should we call for backup?"
"No time. The kidnapper has a knife. If we wait, she’s dead."
Veyra’s blood went cold.
A knife. The kidnapper had a knife. Lily was in danger.
The two men ran past her. Their footsteps faded into the darkness.
Veyra waited until she could no longer hear them. Then she stepped out from behind the tree.
The lake. They had said the lake.
She looked around. A bicycle was leaning against a fence. Old. Rusted. But the tires still had air.
She grabbed it. She swung her leg over the seat and started pedaling.
The path was rough. Roots and rocks and patches of mud. The bicycle bounced and rattled. Her bag slapped against her hip. The pistol inside felt heavy.
She did not slow down.
The lake appeared through the trees.
Moonlight reflected off the water. Silver and black. The shore was lined with willow trees, their branches hanging down like curtains.
Veyra stopped the bicycle behind a large willow. She let it fall to the ground. She pressed herself against the trunk and peered through the hanging branches.
She could see them.
Dorian was standing twenty feet away. His bodyguards flanked him. Their hands were raised. Their faces were tense.
The kidnapper was backed against the lake. A man in a dark jacket. A hat. A face mask. Lily was in front of him. His arm was around her chest. A knife was pressed against her throat.
The blade glinted in the moonlight.
Veyra’s hand went to her mouth. She forced herself not to scream.
But Lily was not screaming.
The little girl stood very still. Her small hands were pressed against the kidnapper’s arm. Her face was pale. But her eyes were steady.
She was not crying.
She was not begging.
She spoke. Her voice was clear. Loud enough for everyone to hear.
"I am a daughter of the Thorne family," Lily said. "I am not afraid."
Veyra’s heart swelled.
The kidnapper’s arm tightened. The knife pressed closer. A thin line of red appeared on Lily’s throat.
"Back up," the kidnapper said. His voice was muffled behind the mask. "Back up or she dies."
Dorian did not move.
"Back up!"