Caleb’s POV
When I stepped off the rooftop of our compound, my mind had finally cleared. Those minutes alone under the night sky, wrestling with my thoughts and begging whatever higher power existed to keep my son safe, had given the steel I needed. Walking back into the main operations room of our family headquarters, I imdiately barked at the first soldato I saw.
"Any updates?"
"Nothing yet, Don," ca the reply.
I needed to check on Ivy. After everything that had happened with the family war brewing, she deserved my attention. I strode toward Xavier’s office, expecting to find her curled up in a chair behind bulletproof glass, but the room was empty.
"Where the hell is Ivy?" My voice cut through the compound chatter like a blade.
Zoe looked up from her surveillance station, confusion creasing her features. "What do you an? She told she was going to spend ti with you in the safe room."
"Well, she’s not with . She’s not in my office, and she sure as hell isn’t at the front security desk." The growl in my voice made every family mber freeze. "So where is she?"
"Easy, Caleb," Nora said, rising from her chair near the weapons cache. "Maybe she went to grab coffee from the kitchen or hit the communications room."
Within seconds, the entire compound transford into a search party. Ard n scattered in every direction, calling Ivy’s na, checking every corner and crevice of our fortress-like headquarters.
I stord back to the main security station, my heart hamring against my ribs. "Gemma, have you seen Ivy?"
Gemma shook her head, worry etching lines around her eyes. "I’m sorry, Caleb. It’s been absolutely insane here today with all the territory disputes. What’s happening?"
"I can’t find her anywhere." The words tasted like ash in my mouth.
That’s when Nora appeared, her face pale as death. "The ergency exit to the back alley is wide open."
"Fuck. No, no, no." If Ivy had gone through that exit, we were dealing with sothing far worse than a simple misunderstanding. She knew never to leave the compound without an escort during family conflicts. I sprinted to my office, adrenaline flooding my system. "Felix Hayes, get the security footage from that ergency exit. Now."
The screens flickered to life, showing Ivy entering the back stairwell. Felix Hayes’s fingers flew across the keyboard, switching between cara feeds without having to ask. We watched her step into the service elevator, her phone pressed against her ear. Soone had called her out of that building.
The elevator doors opened on the ground floor. Ivy walked out and disappeared through the rear entrance that led to the street. The external caras caught her for a few more seconds before she vanished completely from view into the maze of back alleys that surrounded our territory.
Damn you, Ivy. What have you gotten yourself into?
My composure shattered like glass hitting concrete. I couldn’t form words, couldn’t think straight. Felix Hayes stepped into the void my panic had created.
"Ivy left the compound a short while ago," he announced to the room. "Soone contacted her by phone first. We’re going to find her, Caleb. I’m already working on tracking her cell through our underground network."
The wait felt endless before Felix Hayes delivered the news that made my blood run cold. Ivy’s phone had been found smashed to pieces in a dumpster several blocks from our compound. When the dirty cops on our payroll tried to claim it as evidence, Felix Hayes shut them down with an authority that brooked no argunt.
"I don’t give a damn about your evidence protocols. That phone contains the key to finding her. I’m keeping it, and I’m going to recover every piece of data on it."
The corrupt officer didn’t even attempt to argue.
While Felix Hayes worked his technological magic, ti crawled forward and my desperation grew like a living thing inside my chest. The operations room had fallen into a strange paralysis. Ivy’s father was trying to console her mother, whose quiet sobs filled the air. Finn had his arm around Zoe, who kept muttering about how this was all her fault for not watching Ivy more carefully during such dangerous tis.
I couldn’t stand seeing Zoe tear herself apart. I walked over and dropped into the chair beside her.
"Zoe, look at . This isn’t you talking. Where’s our favorite chaos-causing soldier?" I managed a smile despite the terror clawing at my insides.
"It’s my fault, Caleb. I should never have let her wander off alone when we’re in the middle of a territory war."
"Bullshit. You gave her the space she needed, which is exactly what any rational person would do. You’re not to bla here." I leaned forward, catching her eyes. "You’re Ivy’s guardian angel. You’re my son’s guardian angel. You always know what’s best for them in this life we lead. Right now, I need you to be that for too, because I’m about to lose my mind."
"What do you need to do?" Zoe wiped her eyes and straightened in her chair.
"I need you to be the chaos-causing soldier. Stand up and take control of this room. Be the lieutenant who barks orders and keeps everyone in line. Point fingers, assign tasks, make everyone move. Can you do that for ?"
Zoe took a deep breath that seed to fill her with renewed purpose. She stood up, and I could practically see the transformation happening.
"Consider it done. These idiots are about to learn what real military efficiency looks like."
"Show them who runs operations when I’m not around."
Zoe marched into my office with Finn and trailing behind her, watching her tamorphosis with sothing approaching awe.
"Listen up, you useless excuses for soldiers. I’m running this operation now, and things are about to get very intense around here. Nobody sits idle for even one second." Her voice carried across the room like a whip crack. Within minutes, she had every family mber moving with purpose, searching for Ivy and my son with renewed energy.
Dominic, Finn, and Zoe’s father gathered around , all wearing expressions of impressed surprise.
"That assistant of mine is absolutely incredible," Dominic said with obvious pride, bringing the first genuine smiles we’d seen all day.
"I think I’m genuinely terrified of that girl," Scott comnted as he approached with another man I didn’t recognize. "Caleb, I hate to add to your problems, but there’s sothing you need to know imdiately. It’s not about Ivy."
"Perfect. Because this day clearly wasn’t complicated enough already." I sighed and walked to my desk, picking up the encrypted phone to call Xavier. "Go ahead, Scott. Let’s hear it."
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