Chapter 33: Gone in the Night
The moonlight painted her like art—slumped by the poolside, glass loose in her hand, eyes half-lidded in a drunken daze.
That's when he came.
From the shadows.
"Got you again, baby," a cold voice whispered. His face was hidden beneath a black mask, but his voice was unmistakable to her subconscious.
She tried to get up, but her limbs betrayed her. The world spun violently.
The man took her gently, almost mockingly, in his arms.
And vanished into the dark.
Back inside, Luca glanced at his watch—and frowned. An odd feeling clawed at him.
Where is she?
Panic tightened his chest. He rushed through the ballroom, scanning every corner. Janet was nowhere.
"Janet…!" he called aloud. No answer.
His footsteps echoed in panic as he raced to the parking lot. Nothing.
He jumped into his car and sped back to the mansion, fury and fear rising with each mile.
When she wasn't there either, he barked orders into his phone. "Find her! Every guard, every drone, every contact—we don't rest until she's found!"
Meanwhile…
In a faraway, dimly lit mansion bedroom, Janet lay unconscious on a velvet bed. Wine-stained lips. A cut on her shoulder from a rough grip.
The man sat across the room, spinning a blade between his fingers, a twisted smile on his lips as he stared at her sleeping form.
"This time, Janet," he whispered, "You're not getting away."