Hire a hacker for the work.
"Check." Ewan muttered with a satisfied smile, crossing the item off his to-do list.
Leaning back deeper into his chair, he swirled, reveling in the sense of control he felt. Athena’s lackeys thought they could thwart him from achieving his goals? They clearly had a lot to learn about the different ways things could be accomplished.
He had even gone further by instructing the hacker to dig deeper into Athena’s life after the research deal on the gang.
The unknown figure he had enlisted had promised to work with the clues provided and get him answers within a week. It was a tantalizing prospect. Just as he sank into his triumphant thoughts, a sharp knock sounded at the door, pulling him from his reverie.
"Co in." Ewan called, redirecting his focus to the docunts cluttering his desk. He heard the sound of footsteps striding casually into the office, already knowing who it was.
"Sandro, you sure took your ti." He said without looking up, and when he finally lifted his head, he was greeted by an apprehensive Sandro.
"What now?" Ewan inquired, sensing sothing was amiss. "Did you get the samples for the DNA test?" he pressed.
Sandro nodded but remained standing, which only deepened Ewan’s unease. "Why did you take so long then?" Ewan prompted, irritation creeping into his voice.
"I had to give it to a doctor that wasn’t affiliated with Whitman’s Hospital, rember?"
Ewan nodded, choosing to ignore Sandro’s brittle tone. The poor guy had been out of sorts since Athena’s friend, Chelsea, resurfaced.
Since he knew Sandro wouldn’t be divulging anything about their relationship, he decided against pushing the issue any further. His friend could stew in his ss alone for now until he was ready to share.
"So, how did you manage to get the samples?" Ewan asked, anxious to break the uncomfortable silence.
"I found the contact of the ho tutor yesterday, called her, told her who I was, and promised her a substantial amount..." There was a pause. "The money was good enough to make her overlook her ethics. I’m not even sure if there’s sothing like that in their rules and regulations..."
Another pause hung in the air. "She got the job done today."
Ewan nodded, a stiff smile forming on his lips. "So how long before the test results co back?"
"At least a week from now."
Ewan nodded again, believing that good news would punctuate his days next week. Yet silence descended once more, as he reverted to the docunts before him, thickening the air between them until he could no longer tolerate it.
"Sandro, if you aren’t going to talk about your relationship with Chelsea, then carry your deadpan mood out of my office. It’s seriously affecting my space."
Sandro offered a hollow chuckle. "My silence isn’t about my private worries but the news circulating in the dia. Considering your laid-back deanor, it appears you aren’t aware of it."
Ewan lifted his head for the second ti, intrigued. "News? What’s that? What’s going on?" As he asked, he grabbed his phone from the table, navigating to a dia page. His heart sank when he saw the headline.
With trembling hands, he played the attached video, his heart plumting as he witnessed footage of Kate screaming for help, while her brother sat unnervingly calm in the back seat.
Ewan didn’t even realize when his phone slipped from his grip as he rushed to get to his feet.
"Oh my god! Have you tried reaching Athena?!" Panic washed over him.
Sandro nodded, a look of distress carving deeper into his features. "I’ve tried, but her number isn’t going through."
Ewan backtracked, already on his way to the door, and snatched his phone from the floor. He dialed Athena’s number, but it went straight to voicemail. Three attempts later produced the sa frustrating result, fear curling in his stomach.
She needed him—she needed help!
Gripping the edge of the desk, he swiftly called Aiden, disregarding the last ssage the other man had sent. This situation was too precarious; Athena might require assistance from his security detail!
To his relief, the call went through. "Aiden, thank God! Where are you?"
There was a tense pause on the other end.
"Aiden, please say sothing! I know my last behavior has been nothing short of outrageous, but we’re talking about the children’s lives here—we can’t afford anything to happen to them! Where are you so I can send my security detail over?"
A longer pause followed, leaving Ewan on the precipice of despair. "Aiden!"
"Ewan, what are you talking about? What children? What security detail?" Aiden’s voice carried a note of confusion that only deepened Ewan’s frustration.
Ewan scowled, pulling the phone away from his ear only to glare at it in disbelief before putting it back. "Aiden, this is not the ti for theatrics! What location did the kidnapper send to you? Have you tracked them down?"
"Ewan, you’re confusing . I’m not in the state. I traveled to see my daughter."
Ewan breathed out weakly. "I see."
"What’s the matter?" Aiden demanded.
"The twins have been kidnapped. It’s all over the socials. I’ve been trying to reach Athena, but her line isn’t reachable."
A loud string of curses erupted from Aiden before the call abruptly ended.
"What did he say?" Sandro asked, eyes locked on Ewan as he dropped the phone tiredly.
"He isn’t aware of the kidnapping."
"He isn’t aware of the kidnapping? How is that possible?"
"He isn’t around. He traveled to see his daughter; I’m guessing to spend Christmas with her," Ewan replied, disbelief rushing through him.
Sandro cursed, pacing from one end of the office to the other. "So, what are we going to do now?"
Ewan’s mind raced. He didn’t know where to begin. He could bet his life that Athena wasn’t at the hospital or at ho, that she was out there desperately working to get the children back. But there was no clear location!
Then, an idea struck him with startling clarity. "If Aiden isn’t around, then there must be a new driver, right?"
Sandro nodded, hope flickering in his eyes.
"Get Suarez to check him out imdiately. Get a contact! Surely he must have an idea of what’s going on!"
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