The tension in the safe house was suffocating. Milan, Enzo, and Thiago were all on edge, their expressions grim as they worked tirelessly to piece together any clues about Jade and Mia’s whereabouts. Hours had passed since they discovered she was missing, and frustration was mounting with every dead-end lead.
Milan paced back and forth in the living room, his jaw tight and his fists clenched. Enzo sat at the kitchen table, his laptop open, scanning surveillance footage from the mall parking lot. Thiago leaned against the counter, his usual lighthearted demeanor replaced with a rare seriousness as he scrolled through his phone, calling every contact he could think of.
“Anything?” Milan asked sharply, stopping to glance at Enzo.
“Nothing yet,” Enzo replied, his tone clipped. “No one’s talking, and the footage from the mall cuts out at just the right time. Someone knew what they were doing.”
Thiago swore under his breath. “This has Vivienne written all over it. She’s the only one bold enough to pull something like this.”
Milan’s eyes darkened at the mention of her name. “If it’s her, she’s crossed a line. We need to find them. Now.”
Enzo slammed his laptop shut, running a hand through his hair. “I’m doing everything I can, but it’s like they vanished into thin air.”
“They didn’t vanish,” Milan growled, his voice low and dangerous. “Someone knows where they are, and we’re going to find them.”
Just then, Enzo’s phone buzzed on the table. He grabbed it immediately, his brows furrowing when he saw the unknown number. “Hold on,” he said, holding up a hand as he answered the call. “Enzo speaking.”
There was no response at first, just a low static. Then, a voice filled the room, smooth and chilling. “Looking for your little pet, Enzo?”
Enzo’s eyes widened as he immediately recognized the voice. “Vivienne.”
Milan and Thiago froze, their attention snapping to Enzo. He put the call on speaker, his hand trembling slightly as the voice continued.
“Don’t look so surprised,” Vivienne purred, her tone mocking. “I told you I’d make you regret crossing me.”
“Where are they?” Milan demanded, stepping closer to the phone. His voice was sharp, his fury barely contained.
A soft laugh came from the other end. “Oh, you’ll see soon enough.”
Enzo’s phone buzzed again, this time with a notification. A message had come through with a video attachment. He opened it, and all three men leaned in to watch.
The video was shaky, clearly taken in a moving vehicle. It showed the inside of a dimly lit van, with Jade and Mia unconscious on the floor. Their hands and feet were bound, and their faces were pale, but they were breathing.
“Jade,” Milan muttered under his breath, his jaw tightening as he clenched his fists.
Vivienne’s voice continued as the video played. “Sweet Jade and her little friend. Such a shame they got caught up in all of this. But then again, you should’ve known better than to think you could keep her safe.”
“What do you want?” Enzo growled, his voice filled with rage.
Vivienne laughed again, a cold and hollow sound. “Oh, Enzo. It’s not about what I want. It’s about what I deserve. You and your brothers have taken so much from me, and now it’s my turn to take from you.”
“You’ve gone too far, Vivienne,” Thiago said, his voice deadly calm. “You think you can use them against us? You won’t get away with this.”
“Won’t I?” Vivienne replied, her voice dripping with amusement. “You seem to forget who you’re dealing with. I hold all the cards now.”
The video ended abruptly, leaving a still frame of Jade and Mia bound in the van. Enzo slammed his fist on the table, his frustration boiling over. “She’s taunting us.”
“She wants us to make a mistake,” Milan said, his tone icy. “She wants us to come after her recklessly.”
Thiago shook his head, his eyes fixed on the screen. “We can’t play her game. We need to stay smart.”
Enzo glared at the phone, his jaw tight. “Smart or not, we can’t let her get away with this. We need to find them before she does something worse.”
Milan’s mind raced as he pieced together their next move. “She’s not hiding them far. She’s too arrogant for that. The van in the video—it looked old, patched together. That means she’s using a disposable vehicle, probably rented or stolen.”
Thiago nodded, already pulling out his phone. “I’ll start tracking any reports of stolen vans in the area.”
Enzo was already on his laptop again, his fingers flying over the keyboard. “I’ll dig into rental records. If she’s sloppy, we’ll find her.”
Milan stood at the head of the table, his icy-blue eyes filled with determination. “We don’t stop until we find them. Vivienne thinks she’s in control, but she’s underestimated us.”