Chapter 133
Chapter 133:
Aron and Davy were still huddled against Ashely on the sofa. Despite their remarkable intellects, they were five years old — they had never faced anything like this. Their sister had been taken from right in front of them, and the shock had hollowed them out completely. They sat crying silently, too stunned to even reach for their tablets.
Cailin crossed the room and dropped to her knees in front of them, gripping their small, trembling shoulders. She needed them back. She needed her team.
“Aron. Davy. Look at me.” Her voice was fierce, cutting through the fog of their panic. “I know you are scared. This is your first real emergency. But I need you to be brave right now. Code Black p>
The words broke through like a key turning a lock. Both boys blinked, drew shaky breaths, and something shifted behind their eyes. They wiped their faces. They got up and went to their computers.
“Mommy, I can track her smartwatch!” Davy’s fingers flew across the keyboard. “It’s still active p>
“Do it. Aron — get into the school’s system. The external cameras are wiped, but check the internal feeds. Find a reflection, a shadow, anything,” Cailin ordered, pacing the room, shivering uncontrollably.
Ashely appeared at her shoulder with a blanket and a glass of water. “Drink. You need to focus. You’re going to pass out again p>
𝘋oո’𝘁 𝗺𝗂𝘴𝘀 𝘯𝖾w 𝗋е𝗅𝖾𝗮s𝖾𝘴 𝘰ո
Cailin pushed the water aside. “I can’t lose her, Ash. She is my heart. She is the only good thing I have ever made p>
“Got it!” Aron shouted.
A video feed filled his screen — grainy footage showing the woman in the nurse’s uniform taking Elia’s hand near the gate.
“The main camera was wiped, but they missed the server backup from the library’s security feed,” Aron said quickly. “I installed a backdoor last month when I was bored. It gives me access to the raw data p>
“Freeze it. Zoom in on the window behind them,” Cailin said, leaning over his shoulder. She smelled of sickness and fear.
The badge was clearly fake. But caught in the reflection of the library window, just visible at the edge of the frame, was the gray van.
“Run the plate,” Cailin said.
“It’s stolen. Dead end,” Aron groaned.
“Wait — the smartwatch!” Davy shouted. “Elia did what we practiced! She must have hidden it on herself. The kidnapper never found it p>
A red dot appeared on the map of New York City, moving steadily westward.
“They’re heading to the docks,” Cailin said. “Pier 4 p>
“Or they’re dumping her in the river,” Ashely whispered, her hand flying to her mouth.
Cailin snatched her car keys from the counter. “I’m going p>
“You cannot drive — you’re running a 103 fever and you were hallucinating an hour ago!” Ashely grabbed her arm. “You can barely stand p>
“Then drive me. Or I walk.” Cailin pulled free and stumbled, catching herself against the wall.
She stared at the map. The dot was moving fast. Traffic would swallow them whole — they would never reach the pier in time.
“We need more power,” Cailin said, going very still. “We need a blockade p>
She looked down at her phone. She scrolled to a contact she had sworn, on every instinct she possessed, she would never call for help.
Hilliard.
“We need the King,” she whispered.
She pressed call.