Page 52 of Closer Than You Think
An hour. In that short span of time, someone I trusted managed to infiltrate my fortress of a home and take the one person who matters most to me. The thought fills me with a cold, calculating rage that demands retribution.
“I can't lose her, Cain,” I say, my voice barely above a whisper. “Not like this. Not after everything we've been through.”
I feel his hand rest on my shoulder, a gesture of solidarity and support. “We'll find her, Silas. But we need to stay focused.”
Cain's words cut through the haze of fear and anger that clouds my mind. He's right. I need to stay in control, to think like the strategist I was trained to be.
I take a deep breath, forcing myself to push aside the image of Hallie, scared and alone, at the mercy of some unknown assailant. I can't afford to let my emotions get the best of me, not when her life hangs in the balance.
“Okay,” I say, my voice steady and determined. “We start with the security footage. See if we can identify who did this and where they might have taken her.”
I stride towards the hidden control room, Cain following close behind. The room is a technological marvel, with screens covering every wall, displaying live feeds from cameras throughout the building and the surrounding area.
But as I enter the room, my heart sinks. The screens are dark, the feeds cut. Whoever did this knew exactly what they were doing.
“Fuck!” I yell, throwing a chair against one of the screens, shattering it.
“Hey, you gotta keep it together,” Cain says.
I know he's right, but the urgency coursing through my veins demands more immediate action. Violent action.
I pace the room, my mind racing through the possibilities. Whoever took Hallie knew what they were doing. They managed to breach my security, disable the cameras, and overpower her without leaving any obvious traces.
But then, a realization hits me like a thunderbolt.
The tracker.
The one I implanted in Hallie's skin when I carved my initial into her, branding her as mine. It was a desperate measure to ensure her safety. A decision born of my own paranoia and the dark realities of my world.
I grab my phone, my fingers flying across the screen as I access the tracking program. “Cain,” I say, my voice tight with a mix of hope and trepidation. “I put a microchip in Hallie. It was a precaution, in case something like this ever happened.”
He claps me on the back. “That’s fucking weird, but I get it. Thank fuck you did, because that’s going to be her saving grace.”
The location loads and I see the tracker ping on the outskirts of the city, a beacon of hope in the darkness. I feel a surge of determination, a primal need to bring her back safe, no matter the cost.
“Let's go,” I say, my voice steel and resolve.
Cain nods, already moving towards the door. I follow, my mind racing with scenarios, plans of action, and the growing fear of what we might find when we reach our destination.
I throw myself into the passenger seat, the engine's growl reverberating through the car as Cain takes the wheel of my SUV. The cityscape rushes by in a blur of neon lights and towering structures before giving way to the dense forest that encircles Alcott.
“Talk to me, Si,” Cain prompts, his gaze briefly meeting mine, catching my grim resolve. “What's the play once we arrive?”
“We hit them fast and hard,” I respond, already strategizing our approach. “They won't see us coming so soon; we exploit that.” My hand instinctively checks my gun, its weight familiar and reassuring. “Hallie is our priority. We extract her at any cost.”
Cain nods, his focus unwavering on the road ahead as he pushes the car to its limits. The city fades into obscurity behind us, replaced by the looming darkness of the forest ahead.
The abandoned warehouse materializes in front of us, a decrepit monument of decay with its rusted metal frame and shattered windows. I signal for Cain to cut the engine, plunging us into an abrupt silence within the confines of the vehicle.
We exit the SUV, leaving the doors open so as to not make a sound. The weight of my gun is familiar, grounding me as we approach the warehouse. The structure seems to grow with each step, its sprawling footprint bigger than I could have anticipated. Having only two of us here puts us at a major disadvantage, but I can’t risk bringing anyone else in when I don’t know who to trust. Not that there’s enough time to wait for others anyway.
My heart pounds in my chest, a relentless rhythm that echoes the urgency coursing through my veins. Hallie is in there, somewhere, and the thought of her alone and afraid drives me forward, propelling me towards the unknown.
Cain moves beside me, a silent presence that radiates strength and determination. As we reach the southeast entrance, I pause, my hand hovering over the handle. A deep breath, a moment to steady myself, to push aside the fear that threatens to consume me. I glance at Cain, a final affirmation of our shared resolve, before I wrench the door open, the hinges protesting with a metallic groan.
Darkness greets us, a yawning void that seems to swallow the meager light from the dust-covered windows. I step inside, my senses on high alert, every fiber of my being attuned to the slightest movement or sound.
We begin our sweep, two trained operatives, working in tandem like we have so many times before. Only this time,everything was on the line. We move through the warehouse methodically, clearing each room with military precision.
