Me: Everything okay?
I hit send.
And wait.
It’s delivered.
Time creeps by.
No response.
An image of the girl in the file flashes through my mind. The escalation timeline from the file rolls through my brain.
Silas has a history.What if he’s doing it again?
My jaw tightens.
I call again.
Still nothing.
I try her driver next. The call goes straight to voicemail.
That sharpens the pressure in my chest into something else.
I stop at the exit, staring out through the window at the street without seeing it. My reflection stares back at me—still, composed, my eyes too alert.
I dial Ivy again.
Ring.
Ring.
Ring.
It goes to voicemail.
“Ivy,” I say after the beep, forcing my voice steady. “Call me back. Now.”
I hang up and immediately dial her father.
He answers on the second ring. “Sebastian?”
“Have you seen Ivy?” I ask.
There’s a pause as papers rustle.
“No. She’s waiting for me. A meeting ran late. Why?”
Something inside me goes cold.
“She’s not answering my calls or texts,” I say.
There’s a longer pause.
“She should be there,” he says slowly. “I texted her ten minutes ago.”
I remain silent.
