Amara stepped out of the study, her mind spinning with a mixture of fury and fear.
Vaughn’s kidnapping had torn apart her already fragile world, and now every second felt like a battle against time.
She couldn’t afford to be paralyzed by the terror of what might happen to her son.
She had to act. Vincent and Lucas followed closely behind her, both men quiet but alert, the gravity of the situation weighing on them as well.
Amara stopped at the base of the stairs and turned to her father Vincent, “We need to reach out to everyone,” she said, her voice flat and cold, though it quivered at the edges. “All our contacts. Anyone who might know something.”
Vincent nodded, his expression unreadable. “I’ll make the calls,” he said, stepping away toward his office. “Lucas, check with our men in the streets. See if anyone’s heard anything suspicious.”
Amara didn’t wait for more instructions.
Her own hands itched to do something.
The Moretti family had no shortage of connections, from business allies to those who operated in the shadows.
She would use every single one of them.
She pulled her phone from her pocket, dialing the first number in her contacts, her mind racing through the possibilities.
They had to have missed something. Someone had to know.
The line clicked after a few rings, and a deep voice answered, “Miss Moretti, it’s been a while.”
“Cut the pleasantries,” Amara snapped, pacing the room. “I need information, and I need it now.”
The man on the other end paused. “What kind of information?”
“My son has been taken,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper. “Someone kidnapped him, and I need to know who might be behind it. Whoever they are, they’ve covered their tracks well. You hear anything?”
There was a long silence, and Amara’s heart pounded in her ears as she waited for a response.
“I’m sorry, Miss Moretti,” the man finally said, his voice quieter now. “I’ve heard nothing. Whoever did this… they didn’t go through the usual channels.”
Amara’s hand clenched into a fist. “You’re sure?” she asked, though she knew the answer.
He wasn’t the type to hold back information, not in a situation like this.
“I’m sure. But I’ll keep my ears open. You’ll be the first to know if I hear anything.”
Amara hung up without saying goodbye, her chest tight with frustration.
This was the third call she had made, and all of them had yielded the same result. No one had heard anything.
The underworld was silent, and that silence was more terrifying than anything else.
Vincent returned to the room, his expression grim. “Nothing,” he said, shaking his head. “I’ve called everyone I can think of. If anyone knows, they aren’t talking.”
Amara felt her stomach twist. She had expected this would be difficult, but she hadn’t expected complete silence.
Whoever had taken Vaughn had done it with precision, leaving no trail behind.
Lucas walked in just as Vincent finished speaking. His face mirrored the same frustration. “I’ve got men on the streets, but so far, no word. No one’s seen anything suspicious. It’s like they disappeared into thin air.”
Amara gripped the edge of a nearby table, trying to steady herself.
Her mind raced with dark possibilities.
Vaughn, alone and scared, in the hands of someone capable of pulling off a kidnapping of this scale.
They had too many enemies.. her father’s rivals, Rowan’s enemies, the people Alessandro had wronged.
Any one of them could be behind this, but none of them were leaving a trace.
“I’m not accepting this,” Amara said, her voice trembling with suppressed rage. “Someone knows something. They have to.”
Vincent watched her carefully, his eyes narrowing. “I agree, but we’re hitting a wall here, Amara. The fact that no one is talking means this isn’t just a random act. Whoever took Vaughn… they planned this meticulously. They don’t want to be found.”
Amara shook her head, pacing the room, her heels clicking against the cold marble floors. “I don’t care how carefully they planned it. Everyone has a weakness. Someone out there knows, and I’m going to find them.”
Lucas glanced at Vincent, then stepped forward. “We can go deeper, Miss Amara,” he said. “There are… people we haven’t reached out to yet. People who operate even further in the shadows. But it’ll cost us, and it could get dangerous.”
“Do it,” Amara said without hesitation. She would pay any price to get Vaughn back. “I don’t care what it takes. Just find them.”
Lucas nodded and left the room to make the necessary calls.
Vincent sighed, rubbing a hand over his face. “Amara, we need to be careful. Whoever this is, they’re not amateurs. Going deeper into the criminal world could provoke something we’re not ready for.”
“I don’t care,” Amara snapped, spinning to face him. “Vaughn is out there, scared and alone, and I’m not going to sit here and wait for some ransom note to show up. We don’t even know if this is about money. This could be about revenge, and if it is, we have to act fast.”
Vincent didn’t argue, but the concern in his eyes was clear. “We’ll find him,” he said softly. “But we can’t lose our heads in the process.”
Amara wasn’t listening.
Her mind was already working through the next steps.
The people they had called were the obvious choices.. the ones with connections to the underworld, the people who always knew when something big was happening.
But this time, those channels had come up empty.
They needed to go beyond that, to the people who thrived on chaos, the ones who could pull strings without ever being noticed.
Her phone buzzed, and she glanced down at it, heart racing. It was Lucas.
“I’ve got someone,” he said, his voice low. “Not someone we’ve dealt with before, but they claim to have information. They want to meet.”
“Where?” Amara asked, her pulse quickening.
“There’s a bar on the east side, one of those places where people like to stay invisible. We can meet them there.”
“I’ll be ready,” Amara said and hung up. She turned to Vincent. “We have a lead. It’s not much, but it’s something.”
Vincent’s jaw tightened, and he nodded. “Let’s go.”
They drove through the dark streets, the city lights blurring past the windows as they sped toward the meeting point.
The weight of what could be ahead pressed on Amara’s chest, but she forced herself to focus. They had to stay sharp. This could be their only chance.
The bar was tucked away in a forgotten corner of the city, the kind of place where people went to disappear.
Amara stepped out of the car, her senses on high alert as they approached the entrance.
The air smelled of smoke and stale beer, and the low hum of conversation buzzed from inside.
Lucas led the way, his hand resting on the gun tucked inside his jacket.
Amara followed, her heart pounding in her ears.
The bar was dimly lit, and the faces inside were shadowed, hidden behind smoke and the haze of alcohol.
They found the contact sitting at a back table, a man with sharp features and dark eyes that flicked up when they approached.
He didn’t stand, just motioned for them to sit.
“You’ve been looking for information,” he said without preamble.
Amara didn’t waste time. “What do you know?”
The man smirked, leaning back in his chair. “I know your son was taken by someone who doesn’t usually operate in this city. Outsiders, but professionals.”
Amara’s heart skipped a beat. “Where did they take him?”
The man’s eyes gleamed. “That’s the part I’m not sure of. But I know they’ve got connections with a group we haven’t seen in a while. People who work in the shadows.”
Amara clenched her fists. “Give me names.”
The man shrugged. “Names aren’t useful in my line of work. But… I can tell you this. Whoever took him didn’t do it for ransom. They did it for power.”
Her stomach twisted.
This wasn’t just about revenge. It was about control, and Vaughn was a pawn in someone’s larger game.
As they left the bar, the weight of the information settled heavily on Amara’s shoulders.
Vaughn wasn’t just missing.. he was caught in the crossfire of something bigger, something darker.