Morning light filtered faintly through the blinds of Rhea's office, spreading pale lines across the cluttered desks and scattered files. Dust floated slowly in the air, disturbed by the restless movements inside the room.
Noah sat at Rhea's desk, hunched forward over a pile of documents. Even sitting upright felt difficult. His body still had not recovered from the surgery. Every breath felt heavier than it should, and a dull ache lived constantly beneath his ribs. When he had first stood up after leaving the hospital, the world had spun so violently he thought he might collapse again. Now, even remaining seated made his head feel light. But resting was not an option.
Evan stood nearby, going through another stack of files, carefully flipping through each page. The room carried the quiet urgency of people racing against time. Forty-eight hours, that was all they had.
Noah rubbed his temple slowly, forcing his blurry vision to focus on the papers in front of him. These were Rhea's investigation files. Pages of handwritten notes, timelines, psychological observations, witness accounts. She had gone far. Much farther than Noah had expected. There were patterns circled in red ink. Locations highlighted. Names repeated across different pages. But despite all the work… There was still nothing concrete. No name, no face, no evidence of who Hunter really was.
Noah leaned back slightly, closing his eyes for a moment as fatigue pressed heavily against him. Her words echoed again in his mind. He betrayed us. Rhea's voice from that call. The way she had said it. Noah exhaled slowly and opened his eyes again. His gaze drifted toward Evan.
"Evan."
Evan immediately looked up. "Yes?"
Noah studied him carefully. "Did you have any visions before Rhea went missing?"
Evan froze slightly.
"No."
His answer came quickly.
Noah frowned faintly.
"None at all?"
Evan shook his head.
"Not since… your attack."
The words hung in the air between them. Noah leaned forward again. "Tell me something." His voice was quiet but serious. "When I was attacked… how did you know where I was?"
Evan hesitated. His eyes drifted to the floor as he tried to remember. "I saw it," he said slowly.
Noah waited.
"In the vision," Evan continued quietly. "You were on the third floor. Near the broken railing. I saw the place… exactly." His voice dropped. "I knew the building."
Noah stared at him. "Exactly?" he asked.
Evan nodded. "I knew the exact spot."
Silence settled again. Something stirred faintly in Noah's mind. A thought, a connection, then suddenly something clicked.
His eyes widened slightly. "The laptop."
Evan looked up. "What?"
"Rhea's laptop," Noah said quickly.
He scanned the room, the desk, the shelves, the cabinets. "I didn't see it anywhere."
Evan looked around as well. The office was messy but organized in Rhea's usual method...files stacked carefully, notes pinned to boards.
But the laptop…was missing.
Noah pushed himself up from the chair too quickly. The room instantly tilted. His vision blurred. His legs weakened beneath him. Before he could steady himself, his body swayed.
"Noah—" Evan rushed forward just in time to catch him.
Noah was taller and broader than him, but the moment Evan grabbed his shoulders he felt it immediately. The weight was lighter than it should have been. Too light. Noah's breathing had become uneven. Evan gently helped him sit back down on the chair.
"You're not okay," Evan said softly.
"I'm fine," Noah tried to insist.
"You're not." Evan crouched slightly in front of him. Up close, the change in Noah was obvious. His face had grown thinner. His skin looked pale under the daylight. The strength that usually carried his presence felt fragile now.
Evan placed a hand lightly against his cheek. "You almost died," he whispered.
Noah gave a small tired smile. "But I didn't."
"That doesn't mean you're healed."
For a moment neither spoke. Then Evan leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss against Noah's forehead. It was gentle, careful.
"I'll look for the laptop," Evan said quietly.
"You rest."
Noah shook his head weakly.
"We don't have time."
"I know."
Evan stood up again.
"But if you collapse, we lose more time."
Noah sighed softly but didn't argue. Evan began searching the office more thoroughly. Opening drawers. Checking under stacks of files. Looking through cabinets. All while occasionally glancing back at Noah. The tension in the room never left. Even in that small moment of closeness, the clock kept ticking.
Across the city, Detective Victor Kolon stood beside a police van parked near the wreckage of the old garage. Yellow police tape fluttered weakly in the wind. The damaged metal structure still leaned crookedly where the car had crashed through it. The ground was stained dark with dried blood. Too much blood.
Kolon crouched slightly, studying the marks again. Officers moved around the area, collecting samples, photographing everything. A junior officer approached him. "Sir, we checked nearby cameras again."
Kolon looked up. "Anything?"
The officer shook his head.
"No CCTV coverage in this block. The closest camera is two streets away."
"Witnesses?"
"None."
Kolon stood slowly.
The street had been empty that night, no cameras, no witnesses, just blood and a missing person.
Every minute that passed reduced the chances of finding Rhea alive.
Kolon looked down the silent road again. His jaw tightened.
While...
The person responsible was still moving freely...
And time was running out...