“Oh, I’ve seen what a good girl you were for Elijah,” he says, eyes narrowing with something darker. “So obedient. So quick to please. Such a good little whore.”
My stomach churns.
“I can make you be one for me, too. If you know what’s good for you. If not… well, let’s just say that your lover boy and your friends will be the ones who suffer the consequences”
The threat hits like a slap, cold and disorienting.
“You stay away from them,” I hiss, the fear morphing into something harder. “You don’t touch him or my friends.”
Henry just smiles again—casual, patient, like he has all the time in the world. Like he already owns it.
“Then do what you’re told.”
For a second, he just watches me. I think he’s waiting—for me to break. But I don’t. I won’t. Not for him.
He walks to the door, heavy boots scraping the concrete.
And just before he leaves, he says, “Think about what kind of girl you want to be in here, Ava. It’ll go easier if you make the right choice.”
The door clicks shut behind him, louder than it should be. Final.
I sit perfectly still, not blinking, not breathing. This is not a test.
This is not a mistake. This is what he planned.
But I am not the girl he thinks I am. Not anymore.
Elijah
It took me less than fifteen minutes to reach Kingston Security. Kade had told me to head there—where they have the tech and the team ready to coordinate the rescue as soon as the tracker pings again.
On the way, I called Asher and asked him to keep an eye on Mia. The last thing we need is for something to happen to her too.
Sebastian and Gabriel are on their way as well, even though I told them to stay at their offices. They're coming anyway. And honestly, I’m grateful beyond words. I don’t know what I’d do without them right now.
The moment I stepped into Kade's office, they show me who they believe is behind Ava’s disappearance. To my shock, it's the same guy she had that awful date with.
“We’ve got something,” Kade says, spinning his laptop toward me. “It’s him. Henry Barrett. That’s your guy."
I’d never even considered him a possibility—and I’m sure Ava hadn’t, either. But what I still can’t wrap my head around iswhy. They barely exchanged a handful of texts and had one awkward dinner. A few days later, Ava deleted the app, and we both forgot he existed.
Maybe that was exactly how he slipped under the radar: we never imagined he could be the one behind the notes—not evenwhen they started showing up right after she bolted from her car that night.
I step in close. His DMV photo stares back — bland, forgettable. But I remember him now.
Kai speaks next, scrolling through documents. “Worked IT at a failing startup. Let go of last year. Drug history—meth, benzos, maybe harder stuff. No convictions, but a couple of court-mandated treatments.”
“Here,” Keller says. “Protection order filed by an ex-girlfriend. 2019. Emotional abuse, threats. She dropped the charges before the case went to trial.”
I don’t even feel my jaw tighten anymore. It’s been clenched since I realized she was gone.
Kaleb walks in, holding a thin red file.
“He bought burner phones,” Kaleb says. “Cash, prepaid. We pulled store security footage from one of the gift deliveries. He wore gloves, hoodie, but same shoes and gait pattern as the alley footage behind Ava’s shop.”
I look up.
“And?”
