The black car started moving.
Slowly.
Quietly.
Like it had all the time in the world.
Lia's stomach dropped.
For a second—
She couldn't move.
Couldn't think.
Couldn't breathe.
On the other end of the call—
Ryan was already running toward his car.
"Lia."
His voice snapped her back to reality.
"LIA."
"Y-yeah?"
"Run."
The word hit her like ice water.
"What?"
"RUN."
And for the first time—
Lia obeyed without arguing.
She turned around and started walking faster.
Then faster.
Then running.
Her heart pounded wildly inside her chest.
The black car immediately sped up.
"Oh my God."
Fear exploded through her body.
"Ryan!"
"I'm coming."
Ryan was already driving.
Too fast.
Ignoring traffic lights.
Ignoring speed limits.
Ignoring everything.
Only one thing mattered.
Finding Lia.
"Lia, where are you?"
She looked around desperately.
The street names blurred together.
"I-I don't know!"
Her voice cracked.
"I think I'm near the old shopping center!"
Ryan immediately recognized the area.
Twenty minutes away.
Too far.
Way too far.
His hands tightened around the steering wheel.
"Keep talking to me."
Meanwhile—
The black car suddenly accelerated.
Lia heard the engine.
Closer.
Closer.
Closer.
Then—
The car stopped in front of her.
Blocking the road.
The door opened.
A man stepped out.
Tall.
Wearing black.
Lia's entire body froze.
Then survival instincts kicked in.
She turned and sprinted in the opposite direction.
The man cursed.
"GET HER!"
Two more men jumped out of the car.
Lia ran.
Her lungs burned.
Her legs hurt.
Her chest felt like it would explode.
But she kept running.
Ryan could hear everything through the phone.
The footsteps.
The shouting.
The fear in her voice.
And it terrified him.
"LIA!"
"I'm running!"
"Don't stop!"
Tears filled her eyes.
"I'M TRYING!"
The road ahead split into two paths.
Without thinking—
Lia turned into a narrow alley.
A mistake.
A terrible mistake.
The moment she entered—
She realized there was no way out.
Dead end.
Her heart stopped.
No.
No.
No.
The men appeared behind her seconds later.
Smiling.
Like they already knew.
Like they had planned this.
Lia backed away slowly.
Her hands trembled.
"Please..."
One of the men laughed.
"Sorry."
Another grabbed her arm.
Lia screamed.
And fought.
She kicked.
Scratched.
Bit.
Anything.
Everything.
But there were too many.
Her phone fell to the ground.
The call disconnected.
At that exact moment—
Ryan heard silence.
Complete silence.
The line went dead.
Ryan's blood turned cold.
"No."
He called again.
No answer.
Again.
No answer.
Again.
Nothing.
For the first time in years—
Ryan Blake felt genuine panic.
Not worry.
Not fear.
Panic.
Because somewhere in the city—
Lia Thompson had disappeared.
And he had a horrible feeling he knew exactly who was responsible.
Meanwhile—
Several streets away—
A black SUV pulled into a dark warehouse district.
Inside the vehicle—
Lia struggled weakly.
Trying to stay conscious.
Trying to stay awake.
One of the men looked at his phone.
Then spoke quietly.
"The boss wants us to keep her here."
Another man nodded.
"And the boy?"
A smirk appeared.
"He'll come."
The first man looked toward Lia.
"People always come when it's someone they love."
Lia's eyes widened slightly.
Then everything slowly faded into darkness.
TO BE CONTINUED...