MARRY YOUR KILLER
Chapter Fifty-Three: The Vanishing
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The call came at midnight.
Jay was in the study with Keifer, going over the accounts again, looking for something they had missed. The money was still gone. The trail was still cold. Three weeks of searching, and nothing.
Her phone buzzed. Freya's name flashed on the screen.
"Ella's gone," Freya said.
Jay stood up. "What?"
"Her room is empty. Her bed is made. Her phone is on the nightstand. Her shoes are by the door. She didn't take anything."
Jay was already moving. Keifer was behind her. "When?"
"I don't know. She was there this morning. Care saw her. She was making tea. She said she was going to rest."
Jay walked through the hallway. Percy was at the door. Aries was behind him. Their faces were pale.
"Ella's missing," Percy said.
Jay walked to Ella's room. The door was open. The lights were on. The bed was made. Her phone was on the nightstand. Her shoes were by the door. Her jacket was on the chair. Her bag was on the floor.
She hadn't taken anything. She hadn't planned to leave. She had been taken.
Jay looked at Freya. "Where's Yuri?"
Freya's face went still. "What?"
"Yuri. Where is he?"
Freya looked at the hallway. At the corner where Yuri always stood. It was empty.
"I don't know," Freya said. "No one's seen him since dinner."
Jay walked to Yuri's room. The door was open. The lights were off. The bed was made. His phone was on the nightstand. His shoes were by the door. His jacket was on the chair.
He was gone too.
---
The house was chaos.
Percy was in the living room, his phone pressed to his ear, his voice rising. Aries was beside him, their hands steady, their face calm. Ci N was on the sofa, his phone in his hand, his face pale. Felix was beside him.
Freya was at the door, her gun drawn, her eyes sharp. Erdix was beside her. Rakki was in the hallway, her chaos gone, her face cold. Mayo was with her. Kit was with them.
Care was in Ella's room, checking the windows, the doors, the locks. Cole was beside her. Grace was at the back door, Denzel behind her. Mica was at her laptop, her fingers flying, her face focused. Calix was beside her.
Lyra was in her corner. Her face was blank. Her hands were steady. Alex was beside her.
Jay stood at the center. Keifer was beside her.
"Where is she?" Jay said. "Where is Yuri?"
Mica looked up. Her face was pale. "I tracked Yuri's phone. It's in his room. I tracked his car. It's in the garage. I tracked his bank account. No activity in three days."
"Three days?" Percy said. "He's been planning this for three days?"
Mica looked at him. "He's been planning this for weeks."
The room went silent.
---
Percy walked to the window. His face was white. His hands were shaking.
"Yuri," he said. "Yuri did this."
Aries was beside him. "We don't know that."
Percy turned. His face was hard. "He's gone. His phone is in his room. His car is in the garage. He didn't take anything. He didn't leave a trace. He's been planning this."
Aries took his hand. "We don't know that."
Percy pulled away. "Who else? Who else could get close to her? Who else could take her without anyone seeing? Who else could—"
He stopped. His face went white.
"He was with her every day," Percy said. "He sat beside her. He held her hand. He brought her tea. He—"
His voice cracked. He stopped.
Aries pulled him close. Percy held them. His hands were shaking.
"We'll find her," Aries said. "We'll find her."
---
Mica worked through the night.
She tracked every camera in the house. Every camera on the street. Every camera in the city. The feeds from the house showed Ella in the kitchen at 7 PM, making tea. She walked to her room at 7:15. She didn't come out.
At 8 PM, the cameras went dark. All of them. For exactly twelve minutes. When they came back, Ella's room was empty. Yuri's room was empty.
"Twelve minutes," Mica said. "That's how long it took them to take her."
Jay stood behind her. "Who is them?"
Mica looked at the screen. "I don't know. The cameras were disabled from inside. Someone knew the system. Someone knew the codes. Someone—"
She stopped. Her face went pale.
"What?" Jay said.
Mica looked at her. "Someone who knew our system. Someone who knew our codes. Someone who knew—"
She didn't finish. She didn't have to.
The room was silent. Everyone was looking at the screen. At the cameras that had gone dark. At the room that was empty. At the woman who was gone.
---
The morning came.
The house was quiet. No one had slept. No one had left. They were all waiting. All watching. All hoping.
Percy was on the sofa, his hands empty, his face blank. Aries was beside him, their hand in his. Ci N was in the corner, his phone in his hand, his face pale. Felix was beside him.
Freya was at the door, her arms crossed, her eyes sharp. Erdix was beside her. Rakki was on the floor, her head in Mayo's lap. Kit was with them. Care was in the kitchen, making tea, her hands steady, her face calm. Cole was beside her.
Grace was at the window, Denzel behind her. Mica was at her laptop, still working, still searching. Calix was beside her.
Lyra was in her corner. Her face was blank. Her hands were steady. Alex was beside her.
Jay stood at the window. Keifer was behind her.
"We'll find her," Keifer said.
Jay didn't answer. She was watching the garden. The flowers were blooming. The steps were empty. The corner where Yuri used to stand was empty too.
Her phone buzzed. She looked at the screen. Unknown number.
She answered. Her voice was steady. "Who is this?"
A voice came through. Cold. Familiar. "Jasper Jean Mariano. I've been waiting for this moment."
Jay's hand tightened on the phone. "Where is she?"
The voice laughed. It was a cold sound. "She's safe. For now. But she won't be if you don't listen."
Jay walked to the center of the room. Everyone was watching.
"What do you want?" Jay asked.
The voice was calm. "I want you to know what it feels like. To lose someone. To watch them disappear. To wait. To wonder. To hope."
Jay's face was calm. Her hands were steady. "If you hurt her—"
"I won't hurt her. Not yet. But Keifer's father? He might. He's been waiting for this moment for a long time."
The room went still. Keifer's face was white.
"Keizer," the voice said. "He's been planning this for years. The hack. The money. The war. All of it. He wanted to break his son. And now, he has the perfect way to do it."
Jay looked at Keifer. His face was pale. His hands were shaking.
"Ella," Jay said. "Where is she?"
The voice was quiet. "She's with Yuri. He's been working for Keizer for years. He was supposed to break Keifer. He was supposed to destroy everything. But Ella—Ella changed him."
The line went dead.
---
Percy stood up. His face was white. "Keifer's father. Keizer. He's been behind this the whole time."
Keifer didn't answer. He was standing at the window, his back to the room, his hands in his pockets.
"Keifer," Percy said.
Keifer turned. His face was calm. His eyes were not. "I know."
Jay walked to him. She took his hand. "We're going to find her. We're going to find them both."
He looked at her. His face was tired. His eyes were dark. "Yuri. He's been with us for years. He's been watching. He's been waiting. He's been—"
"Working for your father," Jay said. "But Ella changed him. The voice said. Ella changed him."
Keifer looked at her. "What if it's too late?"
She pulled him close. Her arms were around him. "It's not too late."
---
Lyra was in her corner. Her face was blank. Her hands were steady.
Alex was beside her. "We're going to find her."
She looked at him. "I know."
He took her hand. "You're worried."
She looked at the window. At the garden. At the steps where Yuri used to stand. "He was with her every day. He sat beside her. He held her hand. He brought her tea. He—"
"Loved her," Alex said.
Lyra looked at him. "He loved her."
She pulled her hand away. She walked to the window.
"Yuri," she said. "He was cold. He was distant. He never let anyone in. But he let her in. He let her see him. He let her—"
She stopped. Her voice cracked.
Alex was behind her. His arms were around her. "We'll find her."
She leaned against him. "We will."
---
The search began.
Mica tracked every camera in the city. Freya tracked every car that left the neighborhood. Rakki tracked every boat that left the port. Honey tracked every call that came through Keizer's network.
Percy was at the map, his hand on the pins, his face hard. Aries was beside him. Ci N was in the corner, his phone in his hand, his face pale. Felix was beside him.
Care was in the kitchen, making tea, her hands steady, her face calm. Cole was beside her. Grace was at the door, Denzel behind her.
Jay stood at the center. Keifer was beside her.
"We're going to find her," Jay said. "We're going to find Yuri. We're going to find Keizer. And we're going to end this."
She looked at the room. At her family. At the people who had been through the war, who had bled, who had survived.
"Together," she said.
"Together," they said.
---
The sun was setting when they got the first lead.
Mica's voice came through the speakers. "I found something. A car. Leaving the neighborhood at 8:15. The night Ella disappeared."
The room went to the screen. The car was black. The windows were dark. The plates were covered.
"Where did it go?" Jay asked.
Mica's fingers moved. "The port. Batangas. The same warehouse where we fought Victor."
Jay's hand tightened on Keifer's. "That's where she is."
Percy was already moving. "Let's go."
Freya was at the door. "We'll hit them at dawn."
Jay looked at Keifer. His face was calm. His eyes were steady.
"Together," he said.
She nodded. "Together."
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END OF CHAPTER FIFTY-THREE