Daniel’s POV
The decision to visit the private dical facility today seed routine enough. I had wrapped up a security sweep in the territory and ntioned to my crew that I wanted to check on Caleb and Ivy’s newborn quadruplets. My lieutenant Bella, who was behind the wheel of our armored sedan, imdiately perked up at the ntion of eting the babies. Before I knew it, the entire security detail was eager to see them.
We had been hunting Roman for months now, and my team had beco deeply invested in this vendetta. Each of them had crossed paths with our Don and his wife at so point during our operations, forming a loyalty that went beyond professional duty to the Thorne family.
Bella insisted we make a detour to the facility’s exclusive gift boutique. Soon we were all pooling our money together, buying tallic balloons, premium chocolates for Ivy, and an assortnt of stuffed animals. The sight of three seasoned enforcers debating over teddy bear colors would have been amusing under different circumstances.
Standing before the private nursery window, watching those four tiny beings sleep peacefully, should have filled with warmth. Instead, an icy dread settled in my stomach. Sothing was wrong. I counted again, slower this ti. Three babies. Only three.
I approached the private security guard stationed nearby, keeping my voice steady despite the alarm bells screaming in my head. "Where’s the fourth baby?"
He shrugged with casual indifference. "One of them got taken for so dical procedures, I think."
"Just one?" The question ca out sharper than I intended. "Why would only one need testing?"
His blank stare told everything I needed to know. He had no answers, and worse, he hadn’t thought to ask questions. This wasn’t one of our people.
A nurse erged from the nursery, her scrubs pristine white under the soft lighting. I intercepted her path, my tactical vest and visible family crest imdiately commanding her attention. She took in my bulletproof protection, still worn from our earlier patrol, and the Thorne insignia on my jacket.
"Ma’am, I need to know why only one of the quadruplets was taken for procedures."
Her expression shifted from professional courtesy to concern. "Let check our system."
She disappeared back into the nursery, her fingers flying across the computer keyboard in the corner. When she returned, her face had gone pale.
"Sir, we have a serious problem. There are no dical orders for any of those babies in our system. I’m alerting facility security imdiately."
The world seed to slow around . "Do it now!" I barked, already pulling out my encrypted phone. "Which direction did they go?" I demanded of the security guard, whose casual deanor had evaporated into nervous fidgeting.
He pointed toward a corridor with shaking hands.
My fingers found Director Taylor’s number with muscle mory. The facility director picked up right away.
"Taylor, lock down the facility imdiately. One of the Don’s babies is missing. Code Black, now!"
I didn’t wait for his response. The announcent system crackled to life before I even hung up, announcing the lockdown protocol that would seal every exit within seconds.
I sprinted down the corridor the guard had indicated, my boots echoing against the polished floor. Every staff mber I passed got the sa urgent question about a nurse and security escort. The trail led to a fire escape door, and my blood ran cold when I found it unlocked.
Inside, I discovered the security guard crumpled on the landing, blood seeping from a gash on his head. I dragged his unconscious form back through the doorway just as the security protocols engaged, sealing us inside.
A doctor materialized at my side, professional instincts kicking in as he assessed the injured guard. When the man regained consciousness, his story confird my worst fears. He rembered following the supposed nurse into the stairwell, finding her behavior suspicious. Then nothing but pain and darkness.
"He needs stitches and a full dical workup," the doctor inford as I prepared to leave them.
I needed to get back to my team, but the security doors between facility wings had already locked down. Another call to Taylor resolved that obstacle, but precious minutes were slipping away.
The fire escape yielded nothing despite my frantic search. The facility’s massive structure mocked my efforts. I needed backup, and I needed it now.
Back on the maternity floor, I found Taylor coordinating with his head of security, who was barking orders at his overwheld staff.
"Do we have surveillance footage?" I cut straight to the heart of the matter.
"Already pulled it. Follow ."
The security office was cramped, designed for routine monitoring rather than crisis managent. Four chairs surrounded a small table where a laptop displayed frozen footage. The head of security hit play, and we watched our nightmare unfold in grainy black and white.
The woman looked convincing in her nurse’s uniform, cradling the baby with practiced ease. The security guard approached her, following protocol by assigning an escort. We tracked their movent through multiple cara angles until they reached the stairwell, where the footage went dark.
"Check the entrance logs," I ordered.
The woman had entered legitimately, her badge granting access through the turnstiles. But there was no record of her leaving, which ant she was still inside. The tifra was narrow, working in our favor. From the mont she took the baby until lockdown, no one had exited through any monitored entrance.
"She’s got help," I concluded grimly. "No way she knocked out that security guard while holding an infant. We’re looking for at least two people."
Taylor nodded grimly. "What’s our next move?"
"We tell Caleb and Ivy what’s happening. And move the other three babies to their room. Consolidate security and keep the family close to their children."
The walk to Ivy’s private suite felt like a death march. Caleb’s personal security detail had already briefed them, and Ivy’s anguished sobs echoed down the hallway before we even reached the door.
Caleb’s eyes t mine with desperate hope, as if I could work miracles through sheer force of will. His usual composure was cracking, but he was fighting to hold himself together for his wife’s sake.
"I’ll find your baby," I promised them both. "Trust ."
At the doorway, Caleb caught my arm. "I can’t believe this is happening again, Daniel."
The weight of his past trauma, everything Roman had already put them through, made this violation even more heinous.
"Stay strong," I told him. "Keep Ivy calm. I’m going to tear this place apart if I have to."
I assembled my teams with military precision. Twenty floors stretched above and below us. My three n, plus seven of Caleb’s personal guards, minus the injured one and the four I stationed at the suite. It wasn’t enough manpower for a building this size, but it would have to do.
The elevators were locked down, forcing us to use the stairs for everything. Taylor had provided master keys and override cards, giving us access to every room and corridor in the building.
We started on the maternity floor and worked systematically. Each empty room, each supply closet, each maintenance area got the sa thorough treatnt. Nothing.
Hours crawled by like days. I sent updates to both Taylor and Caleb after clearing each floor, knowing they were hanging on every word. By the ti we reached the administrative level, my team was running on pure determination and adrenaline.
The first floor should have been our last hope, but room after room yielded nothing. My fury was building to dangerous levels. How could two people and a baby simply vanish inside a locked building?
Sowhere in this maze of corridors and rooms, one of the Don’s children was being held by people capable of violence. Every minute that passed increased the danger, and I was no closer to finding them than when we started.
The search would continue. I would turn over every stone, open every door, and check every shadow until that baby was back in its parents’ arms where it belonged.
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