Page 39

T he kitchen hums with warmth, the savory scent of garlic and rosemary mingling with the soft crackle of the pan. I stir the vegetables absently, letting the routine of cooking soothe my nerves. My phone plays a song from an album that Kai has been listening to on repeat lately.

It’s been a rare, peaceful evening so far, and I’m determined to keep it that way.

“Hey, Little Devil.” Silas’s deep voice rumbles as he steps into the kitchen.

I turn, wiping my hands on a towel, turning toward him. Silas fills the doorway, his broad frame taking up most of the space. His dark sweater clings to his shoulders, his hair slightly tousled from the cold wind outside.

“Smells good in here,” he says, walking toward me and placing a swift kiss on my temple before heading to the fridge to grab a bottle of water.

“It’s just pasta,” I reply, rolling my eyes. “Don’t act like I’m making a gourmet feast.”

“Better than anything I could manage.”

Before I can respond, he steps forward, reaching out to tuck a stray strand of hair behind my ear. The gesture is quick, almost absent-minded, but it sends a warmth spreading through my chest.

“Need help with anything?”

“Just set the table, maybe?”

He nods, moving to grab plates from the cabinet.

Levi appears next, dressed like he just got done with a tutoring session, his tie hanging loose around his neck. He takes the elastic out of his hair and runs his fingers through, massaging his scalp.

“Hey,” he murmurs finally.

“Hey.”

He crosses the room in a few easy strides, pausing beside me. His hand brushes against my back as he leans in to glance at the stove. “Kai’s favorite.”

“Mhm!” I say, though my heart gives a small flutter at the way his hand lingers.

Levi’s lips tilt upward in a faint smirk. “Can you make my favorite next time?”

Dayton appears from the den, peering over my shoulder with an exaggerated sniff.

I swat his hand as he reaches for a slice of bell pepper on the cutting board. “If you touch anything else before dinner, you’re going to lose a finger”

He laughs. “All right, all right. No need to get violent.”

Dayton hops onto the counter, his long legs swinging as he watches me work. His easy grin never falters, but his eyes are warm, a quiet affection lingering beneath his usual bravado.

“Miss me today?”

“Only for the five minutes you left me alone to use the restroom.”

“Admit it, you’d miss my charm if I wasn’t around.”

“Kinda hard to miss you when you hardly leave me alone. Where’s Kai?”

“Probably got distracted,” Dayton says with a shrug. “You know how he is.”

“Yeah.” I bite my lip, but a small twinge of unease coils in my chest. That’s not how he usually is.

“I just got off the phone with him like twenty minutes ago and he said he was on his way home.”

“Maybe he walked back?” Silas suggests.

“No. he took the car.”

I grab my phone, dialing his number. The line rings twice before going straight to voicemail.

“His phone’s probably dead,” Silas offers, his tone steady.

“Probably,” I echo, setting the phone down. But the unease doesn’t fade—it lingers, growing heavier with each passing minute. Wouldn’t he have told me his phone was about to die when I was on the phone with him an hour ago?

Had it really been an hour?

Minutes pass. The vegetables finish cooking, and the pasta is drained, but the nagging feeling only grows.

“Sable,” Levi says, his dark eyes watching me closely, “he’s probably fine.”

“I know,” I reply, but my voice wavers slightly. My fingers drum against the countertop as I stare at my phone, willing it to ring.

The room feels quieter now, the air heavier.

“He’s never this late without telling us,” I finally admit.

Silas’ phone buzzes on the counter, and he grabs it immediately. His eyes darken as he reads the screen, and without a word, he steps out into the hallway.

“Silas,” I call after him, but he’s already gone.

The knot in my chest tightens further, my mind racing with worst-case scenarios. Silas steps back into the kitchen a few moments later, his face like stone. His usual composure is gone, replaced by a tension that sets my nerves on fire.

“What is it?”

Silas doesn’t answer right away.

Then, wordlessly, he holds up his phone, turning the screen toward us.

The blood drains from my face.

The image on the screen is unmistakable.

Kai, lying down on some metal flooring, his wrists bound behind him with thick rope. Blood trickling from a split in his lip, staining the collar of his shirt, his hair hanging messily in front of his eyes.

A man with a dark hood sits menacingly beside him, tilting his head slightly in the photo.

“This was sent to me,” Silas says. “No message.”

No one says a fucking word.

Dayton steps closer, examining the photo further. “They sent this to you? Why?”

“Who the fuck?—”

“Is it the Syndicate?” Dayton asks.

“No, the Syndicate wouldn’t take him. We still have two days left,” Levi says.

“Unless we weren’t moving fast enough.”

“No, they wouldn’t go back on their word,” Levi says

“It’s the killer wanting us to play their fucking game.”

My chest tightens as I stare at the photo, the knot of fear in my stomach threatening to unravel completely. “Is… is he okay?” I manage to choke out, though I already know the answer.

Silas’s hand tightens around his phone. “He’s alive,” he says, though his voice is rough like he’s forcing the words out. “For now.”

“They sent this to get under our skin. They want us to panic.”

“Well, it’s fucking working,” Dayton snaps, pacing the room. “Who the hell are these people? And what do they want with Kai?”

Silas’ gaze doesn’t waver. “It has to be the killer. This is their way of telling us to back off.”

My mind races and my legs feel like they’re going to give out.

“They sent a fucking picture. Why not just?—”

“What else do we know?”

“That’s it. No location, no demands. Just the photo.”

Dayton slams his fist against the wall, the sound echoing through the kitchen. “Fuck!” he snarls. “We need to find him. Now.”

Silas’ phone buzzes again, and when he opens it up, his face immediately darkens to the most deadly of glares. Without a word, he holds the phone out for everyone to see. A link to a live stream with the following text:

Blocked Number

I want to play a game with you. Find him in 30 minutes or he’s dead.