Was I conscious? Unconscious? Dead?
Couldn't tell. Couldn't think. Couldn't feel anything beyond a distant floating sensation.
Somewhere far away, voices. Muffled. Distorted.
"—got him. Moving to secondary location—"
"—boss will be pleased—"
"—make sure he stays under until—"
The voices faded. Became nothing. Just darkness and silence.
I tried to hold onto consciousness. Tried to fight the drug pulling me down.
But I was drowning. Sinking. Falling into an abyss I couldn't escape.
The last sensation before everything went completely black was rough hands. Movement. Being carried somewhere.
Then absolutely nothing at all.
CHAPTER 18: ELIO
I WAS INmy office reviewing security camera feeds when my phone rang.
Matteo. Unusual. He rarely called during the day unless something was wrong.
"What's up?" I answered.
"Elio." His voice was tight. Controlled in the way it only got during emergencies. "Stefan just called me. Julian's missing. Taken. Three men, tranquilizer guns, outside that coffee shop on 5th. Both security guards are down. Stefan's there now. He's—he needs you there."
The world stopped.
Everything stopped.
My heart. My breathing. Time itself.
"What?" The word came out strangled. Wrong. Like someone else was speaking.
"Julian was taken. Kidnapped. Professional job. You need to get there now."
I was already moving. Grabbed my jacket. My keys. My gun. Couldn't think. Couldn't process. Just moved on pure instinct.
"I'm on my way. Five minutes."
I ran. Actually ran through Inferno's hallways. Burst through the exit. Got in my car and drove like I was being chased by demons.
Five blocks. The coffee shop was five blocks away. I made it in three minutes through traffic that should've taken ten.
Stefan was standing on the sidewalk. Pale. Shaking. Looking lost.
Both security guards were on gurneys. Paramedics working on them. Unconscious but breathing. Thank God. They were alive.
But Julian—
"Where is he?" I grabbed Stefan's shoulders. "What happened? Tell me everything."
Stefan's words came out in a rush. Panicked. Guilty. "We came for coffee. I went inside to order. Julian stayed outside with security. When I came out—maybe two minutes later—both guards were down. Julian was gone. Witnesses said three men. Professional. Fast. Tranquilizer guns. They shot the guards first, then Julian. Threw him in a black van. Gone in under thirty seconds."
