Julian walked into the dimly lit room where Seraphina was being held.
He looked tired and angry. In the center of the room, Seraphina was chained to the wall and forced to stand upright.
Her face was swollen and bruised. It was clear she had already been questioned, and yet she had refused to say anything.
Julian didn’t feel sorry for her, instead he looked impatient.
"Has she revealed anything yet?"
"Not yet," Ethan replied, stepping back to give Julian space. "She refuses to talk."
"Is this what you have resorted to," Seraphina hissed. "Torturing innocent people because your lover got missing."
Julian stared at her for a second. His eyes were cold, like a man who had run out of rcy.
"Cut off her ear," he said, his voice flat and emotionless. "Start with the left one."
Seraphina’s eyes went wide with terror. She tried to pull against the chains, the tal rattling loudly in the quiet room.
"Julian, you can’t be serious!" she scread, her voice breaking.
"You have a choice," Julian said, turning his back on her. "I don’t have ti to play gas with you. I do want my lover back, and I will take you apart piece by piece, until I find her."
One of the n reached into his jacket and pulled out a sharp, silver blade. The light caught the edge of the tal.
"No! Please!" Seraphina sobbed, her body shaking. "I dont know anything."
The man didn’t stop. He grabbed the side of her head, pulling her hair back to expose her ear. Seraphina’s breath ca in sharp, panicked gasps.
"Wait! No! Stop!" Seraphina shrieked.
The cold tal of the knife pressed against her skin. A tiny bead of blood appeared where the blade bit in.
"I’ll talk! I’ll tell you everything!" she scread. Her legs gave out, and she hung by her chains, her body limp with fear.
Julian stopped at the door. He didn’t turn around. "Where is she?"
Seraphina hesitated for only a second. She looked at the knife, then at the man standing by the door.
"She is with Andrew Thorne," she sobbed. The words tumbled out of her mouth as she began to cry.
Hearing Andrew Thorne’s na twisted sothing inside Julian. It was like a bomb went off in his mind. He finally turned around, his face dark with a terrifying anger.
"Son of a bitch," Julian whispered.
....
Ten pickup trucks pulled up to the Thorne mansion. Over fifty n jumped out and stord the building.
They searched every room, throwing furniture aside and tearing down curtains.
But the house was empty and Lyvana was nowhere to be found.
The n dragged Andrew Thorne and Zara out onto the front lawn. They forced them to their knees in front of Julian, who stood by his car, his face like stone.
"Where is she?" Julian asked. His voice was quiet, which made it even scarier.
"We don’t know who you are talking about," Zara said, her voice shaking.
"Wrong answer," Julian replied.
One of his n stepped forward and slapped Andrew hard across the face. The force of the blow knocked him to the ground.
"Stop it!" Zara scread. Tears welled up in her eyes as she looked at her sob on the ground. "We don’t know anything! Please, just stop!"
Just then, Ethan ran towards Julian. He leaned in and whispered, "They found her. She’s in an abandoned shack just south of here!"
Julian didn’t waste a single second. "Throw Thorne into the trunk," he commanded. "Leave a dozen n here to watch the mother. The rest of you, move out. Let’s go!"
The trucks roared to life and sped away. They skidded to a stop in front of a small, rundown shack.
Dust filled the air.
A few police cars were already there, their blue and red lights flashing against the rotting wood of the building.
Ethan had received the call from the police only minutes ago. A small group of officers stood near the door, waiting for an ambulance.
They looked nervous as Julian’s fifty n jumped out of the trucks, looking ready for a fight.
Julian didn’t wait for the police to speak. He shoved past them, his face like stone.
Inside, the shack slled of mold and old rain. In the corner, on a dirty mattress, Lyvana lay unconscious.
Two policen and a female officer stood nearby. They looked up, surprised by Julian’s sudden entrance.
Julian froze. For a second, his heart stopped and his blood ran cold. He had never been this afraid in his life.
He rushed to the mattress and knelt beside her. His hands trembled, but he forced himself to focus. He had spent four years in dical school, so he knew the basics.
He pressed two fingers to her neck. Her pulse was steady. He checked her eyes and looked at her pupils. Then he leaned down, listening to the sound of her breathing.
"She’s been drugged," Julian whispered to Ethan, who was standing right beside him.
Julian didn’t stop there. He lifted Lyvana’s wrist and scanned her skin until he saw the tiny needle marks. He leaned closer, sniffing near her lips for any chemical sll, then used his thumb to check the color of her gums.
"Sedative," Julian muttered. "Low dose. They wanted her out, not dead. It’s easier to move a body that doesn’t fight back."
Outside, the sirens of the ambulance grew deafeningly loud. Red and blue lights flashed through the cracks in the wooden walls.
Julian didn’t wait for the paradics to co inside with a stretcher. He slid one arm under Lyvana’s knees and the other behind her back. He lifted her easily, holding her close to his chest. She felt light in his arms, her head resting against his shoulder.
Then he carried her outside.
A paradic rushed forward with a stretcher. He moved carefully, laying Lyvana down on the mattress. He kept one hand behind her head to support it until she was settled.
As they rolled her into the back of the ambulance, he climbed in after her. He wasn’t going to let her out of his sight again.
One of the paradics opened her eyes and shined a small light into them.
"She’s been drugged," Julian said. "It’s a low dose sedative."
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