Julius dropped onto the couch, a few paper bags still tucked under his arms. He let his head fall back against the cushion and stared at the ceiling.
"Damn it," he muttered. "I was so close to catching that cri boss."
He clicked his tongue, bitterness settling in his chest. His eyes drifted shut until he heard the front door unlock. He opened them and tilted his head.
Walking in was a woman with short black hair tied loosely at the back, a few strands falling freely along the sides of her face.
Alyssa. Julius’s wife.
She dropped onto the couch beside him without a word. And just like him, she slumped back in exhaustion.
"Eli." That was the first thing out of her mouth. "Where is he?"
Julius grunted. "At your parents’ house."
"Again?" A thread of exhaustion ran through her voice. "Did sothing happen?"
"Got a tip," he muttered. "Ca to nothing."
"I see."
"What about you?" he asked, eyes still closed. "You didn’t co ho until now. You missed the school’s foundation week."
Alyssa sighed, staring up at the ceiling. "I know. I feel terrible about it."
"Sothing happened at work?"
"Not exactly." She exhaled. "It’s just — they’ve started using babies and young children as carriers."
His brows drew together. He opened his eyes and turned to her. "What?"
"I know it’s not new, but cases of child abduction and trafficking have been rising sharply," she said, the words heavy with exhaustion. "Out of ten cases I’ve provided support on recently, seven involved children."
Alyssa sat up and faced him. "Can you look into it?"
"Ali, you know —"
"I know it’s outside your jurisdiction. I know your priority is Dominion, Jul." She exhaled. "But this is serious. This is the first ti I’ve had to handle this many cases at once, and nearly half of them are children."
Worry surfaced in her eyes. "We have a son," she said quietly. "I can’t stop thinking about Eli. These people don’t just take stray children — they actively target anyone alone."
Julius studied his wife for a long mont, then nodded. Alyssa almost never asked him for favors, especially where work was concerned. At ho, they had an unspoken rule: work stayed outside.
"Fine," he said. "I’ll look into it."
Alyssa smiled. "Thank you. Should we go pick up Eli?"
"God." Julius sank back into the cushions. "Later. Let sleep first. I haven’t had a single wink — spent the whole ti turning hospitals and clinics upside down trying to find the Black Dragon."
Alyssa yawned and let her eyes close. "Sa. Let’s get him later. I need to sleep."
It didn’t take long for both of them to drift off, their exhaustion finally catching up.
*****
anwhile, Elliot held his grandfather’s hand.
"Wait, Eli — Grandpa just needs to pay," said the short, stout old man, pulling out his wallet.
Elliot smiled, watching his grandfather carefully count out the coins for the toys and snacks he had bought him. While he waited, Elliot turned his head and blinked.
Not far from them stood a man in a black hoodie, curling his fingers in a slow beckoning gesture toward the boy.
"Grandpa," Elliot said, turning to him.
"Almost done, Eli," the old man murmured, his attention fixed on his coins.
Elliot looked back at the man in the hoodie, who was now holding out a candy bar. Elliot’s mouth curved into a small pout. He glanced at his grandfather once more, then slipped away toward the man.
"There we go!" Elliot’s grandfather announced to the cashier, drawing a small laugh from her.
"Thank you," she said, handing over the bag.
The old man took it happily and turned around. "Eli, here’s your snack —" He stopped.
No one was beside him.
"Eli?" He looked around the small shop. "Elliot?"
Panic rose as he checked each aisle, hoping to spot his grandson. The shop was small, but...
Elliot was gone.
*****
[Dominion New Neighborhood]
Every house in the neighborhood was alive with noise, music booming from each one. Word had spread that Lucian was not dying — and for everyone here, that alone was reason enough to celebrate. For the rest of the day, they did nothing but eat and make noise.
The chefs had prepared a feast.
The celebration only wound down when the sun finally set.
Primo, worn out from playing with his mother’s bodyguards, retreated to his room to finish so howork. As always, he carved out ti for himself and ti for his parents. But as he worked at his small desk, his pencil slowed and stopped.
He furrowed his brows and glanced toward the window.
What is that feeling?
A light shiver had run down his spine — the kind he only felt when sothing was about to go wrong. He frowned. Everything was fine now. There was nothing to worry about. And yet the feeling refused to leave, hovering at the back of his mind.
Primo set down his pencil and left his work behind. He made his way downstairs, finding Ashley and Lucian on the couch. Ashley had nodded off, her head resting on Lucian’s lap. Lucian stroked her hair absently, eyes on the television.
Primo quietly settled beside his father, his own gaze drifting to the screen.
[Breaking News: Child’s body discovered in sewage. Police believe this is the work of a syndicate.]
Father and son watched in silence as the reporter summarized the latest case in a growing wave of child abductions across the country. Authorities, the reporter said, were conducting a massive investigation as the numbers continued to rise.
"Primo," Lucian said, turning to his son. "Be careful of strangers."
Primo nodded.
The segnt shifted to an interview with the chief of police, accompanied by blurred photographs from the cri scene.
Lucian stilled. His eyes narrowed as he studied one of the images. There, tucked in the corner of the photo, was a marking he recognized imdiately.
Ghost.
His gaze dropped to Ashley’s sleeping face, his eyes darkening.
"This... is bad."
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