When we finally regrouped near the main entrance, Selina looked wrecked. Her ponytail had half-collapsed, strands sticking to her flushed, sweaty face. Her eyes werepink and glassy, like she’d been fighting back tears while she ran. She was one of the first people who ever tried to reach out to Kit, back when he was still too terrified to speak to anyone. I never let her get too close, but I saw the way they exchanged those quiet, caring smiles. This week she’d finally started pulling him out of his shell.
Armen wasn’t much better. His tie was loose, shirt untucked, hair a mess from repeatedly dragging his hand through it. He kept avoiding my eyes, shoulders tense with guilt he had no right to carry but clearly felt anyway.
I don’t blame either of them. But I can see it on their faces… they feel like they failed him too. We were allrightthere. So how the fuck did he vanish? That single question loops endlessly in my head, louder with every passing second. One minute he was in the stall next to mine. The next…gone. No scream… no struggle… no sign of him leaving the bathroom. It doesn’t make sense, none of it makes sense.
I stare out the tinted window as the mall shrinks behind us, the lights blurring into streaks. My chest feels too tight, like something is crushing it from the inside.
I keep hoping and praying, that Sam and Luke will have something by the time we get back to the estate. But they haven’t called, not once; that silence is its own kind of torture. If they haven’t called, it means they haven’t found him yet.
My fingers dig harder into my thighs until the knuckles protest. He was smiling today, he was holding my hand, and now he’s gone. I close my eyes for asecond, jaw flexing. The fear is there… raw, ugly, and growing.
Where are you, Kit?
???
The second the SUV stops in front of the estate; I storm out and head straight inside. I don’t deviate, don’t stop to speak to anyone. I just walk, fast and purposeful, boots echoing down the long hallways. The estate feels too big tonight. Three fucking turns just to reach the security wing where Sam, Luke, and their team work. Every corridor stretches longer than it should.
When I finally push through the door into their main room, the atmosphere is thick with tension. Five guys are locked in at their stations, fingers flying across keyboards. Luke sits at the largest desk surrounded by multiple monitors, while Sam is pacing like a caged animal.
Sam sees me first. He stops mid-step, looks at the floor for a second, then meets my eyes with a grim nod. “Boss.”
I inhale sharply through my nose. “Please give mesomethinghere, Sam.”
His sigh says everything. He runs a hand through his hair, clearly exhausted. “We found the moment you and Kit went into the toilets.”
I nod once, jaw tight.
Sam scratches his jaw, hesitant. “Boss… onlyyoucame out, not Kit. Christopherneverleft that hallway.”
I frown. “What the fuck do you mean he didn’t leave?” A bitter, pissed-off laugh escapes me. “So… he just turned invisible andfuckedoff, huh?”
Sam flinches at my tone. “I just… I just meanourChristopher didn’t leave the hallway. But some other people did come and go.”
I lick my teeth, the frustration and fear twisting together into something ugly. “He’s…” I shake my head through another harsh laugh. “You’re gonna tell me he’s been…kidnapped, aren’t you, Sam?”
Sam looks sheepish, almost apologetic. “I-I think so, sir. It’s theonlyexplanation that fits.”
Luke turns in his chair. “Boss, can you think of anyone you might have recognised? Anyone acting dodgy or threatening?”
I rub my temples hard, trying to think straight. The morning flashes through my mind… Kit’s shy smile in the Apple Store, the way he’d dragged me around like I was his oversized bodyguard, the milkshake, the way he’d held my hand without hesitation. Everything had been… good.Reallygood.
“I don’t…” I mutter, eyes still closed. “We just went shopping, for fuck’s sake. Everything was going alright. No one spoke to us other than staff.”
Luke nods and stands. “I’ll link the footage to your laptop so you can go over it in your study.”
“Good.” I nod once. “That’s where I’ll be. Don’t bother me unless it’s important. Andnoonestops working on this. You can eat, sleep, and piss at different times.”
They both nod. I stand here for a moment longer, staring at the wall of screens, the frozen frames of the mall corridors mocking me. Then I clear my throat, turn on my heel, and leave without another word. The hallway feels colder on the way back.
???
I shove the study door open harder than I mean to and step inside, the heavy wood slamming against the wall behind me. The sound echoes, but I don’t care.
My suit jacket feels like it’s strangling me. Too tight, too restrictive, too fucking everything right now. I rip it off and hurl it across the room onto one of the leather couches. It lands crooked, one sleeve dangling off the arm like a broken wing. I yank the top three buttons of my shirt open, then roll the sleeves up to my elbows with sharp, impatient movements. The fabric still feels too warm against my skin.
I drop into my chair, the leather creaking under my weight, and stab the power button on the laptop. While it boots up, I drag both hands through my hair and then down my face, pressing my palms hard against my eyes until I see stars. My heart is still hammering like I’ve just run a mile. Nervous doesn’t even cover it… I feel sick.
I navigate straight to the folder Luke sent, load the footage, and the screen fills with dozens of small camera feeds… every angle of the mall, every corridor, every entrance near those goddamn bathrooms. I scroll the timestamp back to the moment we arrived and hit play.
