Chapter 144
The hours ticked by as the team worked tirelessly, trying to anticipate Ariana's next move. Despite their best efforts, they kept hitting dead ends. It was as if she had vanished into thin air. But Lily knew better. Ariana wasn’t the type to disappear without a trace — she was plotting something.
Then, just as they were beginning to feel the weight of exhaustion, Caleb’s phone rang. He answered it quickly, his expression tense. “Yes? What do you have?”
As he listened, his eyes widened in shock. “Are you sure?” he asked, glancing around at the team members gathered in the room. “Understood. We’ll be there.”
He hung up and turned to the group, his face pale. “That was one of our contacts at the police station. They just received a video message from Ariana.”
“A video message?” Alexander echoed, his brow furrowing. “What’s she playing at?”
“She’s challenging us,” Caleb said grimly. “The video was sent to multiple media outlets as well. She’s making this public.”
Lily felt a chill run down her spine. “What did she say?”
Caleb took a deep breath. “She said she’s taken someone close to you, Lily. She has… Viola.”
The room fell silent as Lily’s heart dropped. “No,” she whispered, her voice barely audible. “No, that’s not possible. Viola was supposed to be safe. We had security…”
“She must have planned this all along,” Michael said, his voice tense. “She knew we’d be focused on her escape, and she took advantage of it.”
Lily’s mind was spinning. She couldn’t believe it. Viola, her little girl, in Ariana’s hands. How had this happened? They had been so careful.
“We need to find out where she is,” Alexander said, his voice hard with determination. “We’ll track every move she’s made since the escape. There has to be a clue.”
“Wait,” Jacob interrupted, his voice cautious. “What if this is a trap? She wants us to go after her. We need to be smart about this.”
Lily clenched her fists, her emotions warring within her. Fear, anger, guilt — they all swirled together in a painful mix. But she couldn’t let them paralyze her. She had to think clearly, for Viola’s sake.
“We’ll play it smart,” she said, her voice steady. “But we’re not leaving her out there, not with Ariana.”
“Agreed,” Caleb said, his eyes filled with resolve. “Let’s go through the video. Maybe there’s something she missed, something we can use to track her.”
They gathered around the laptop as Caleb pulled up the video file. The screen flickered to life, showing Ariana’s face. She looked calm, almost serene, as she spoke.
“Hello, Lily,” she began, her voice smooth and confident. “By now, you’ve realized that I have your precious little girl. Don’t worry, she’s safe… for now. But I’m sure you understand the gravity of the situation.”
She stepped aside, revealing Viola sitting on a chair, her hands tied but otherwise unharmed. The sight of her daughter made Lily’s breath catch in her throat. She looked scared but brave, her eyes searching the room, probably looking for a way out.
“I’m tired of running,” Ariana continued. “This game has gone on long enough. So here’s what’s going to happen. You’re going to meet me, Lily. Just you and me. No backup, no tricks. I want to end this face to face. If you don’t show up… well, let’s just say Viola’s fate is in your hands.”
The screen went black, and for a moment, no one spoke.
“We have to go,” Lily said, her voice filled with urgency. “We don’t have time to analyze this. I need to be there.”
“Wait,” Alexander said, holding up a hand. “She’s setting a trap, Lily. We can’t just walk into it.”
“She has my daughter, Alexander!” Lily snapped, her voice breaking. “I can’t sit here and do nothing.”
“We’re not doing nothing,” Caleb said firmly. “We’ll go, but we’ll have a plan. We’ll find a way to get Viola back and stop Ariana for good.”
Lily took a deep breath, trying to calm the storm of emotions inside her. She knew they were right. Rushing in blindly would only get them all killed — and that wouldn’t help Viola.
“Okay,” she said finally. “But we need to move fast. We don’t know how much time we have.”
“Agreed,” Alexander said, his eyes locking with hers. “Let’s get to work.”
They spent the next few hours preparing. Michael and Jacob gathered intel on Ariana’s possible location, while Caleb coordinated with their tech team to trace the video’s origin. Alexander and Lily worked on devising a plan that would allow them to confront Ariana without putting Viola in further danger.
Finally, they had a lead. The video had been traced to an abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of the city. It was isolated, the perfect place for a final showdown.
“Are we sure this is it?” Alexander asked as they prepared to head out.
“It’s the best lead we’ve got,” Caleb replied. “We don’t have time to second-guess.”
Lily felt a surge of anxiety as they got into their vehicles. She couldn’t stop thinking about Viola, alone and scared, with Ariana. She had to save her. There was no other option.
When they arrived at the warehouse, they found it eerily quiet. The large, decrepit building loomed before them, its windows shattered and its walls covered in graffiti. It looked abandoned, but they knew better than to let their guard down.
“Stay sharp,” Caleb whispered as they approached the entrance. “This could still be a trap.”
Lily’s heart pounded as they made their way inside, moving silently through the dark corridors. They reached a large, open room in the center of the warehouse, and there, sitting in the middle of the floor, was Viola.
“Viola!” Lily cried, rushing forward, but Alexander grabbed her arm, pulling her back.
“Wait,” he said urgently. “Something’s not right.”
Just then, the doors behind them slammed shut, and the lights flickered on. Ariana appeared on a balcony above, a triumphant smile on her face.
“Welcome, Lily,” she called down. “I knew you’d come.”
Lily’s eyes darted to Viola, who was looking at her with wide, terrified eyes. “Let her go, Ariana!” she shouted.
Ariana laughed, shaking her head. “It’s not that simple, I’m afraid. You see, I’m not quite done yet.”
She pressed a button, and the floor beneath Viola began to lower, revealing a hidden chamber beneath the warehouse. The sound of machinery filled the room as the platform Viola was on descended into the darkness below.
“No!” Lily screamed, running forward, but the platform was already disappearing.
Ariana’s smile widened. “You see, Lily, I knew you wouldn’t come alone. So I made some adjustments. If you want to save her, you’ll have to play my game.”
Lily felt a wave of panic. She couldn’t lose Viola, not now, not after everything they had been through.
“What do you want?” she demanded, her voice shaking.
Ariana leaned over the railing, her eyes gleaming. “It’s simple, really. You find her before time runs out… or she dies.”
Lily’s heart clenched. This was a nightmare. But she couldn’t let fear paralyze her. She had to save Viola.
“We’ll find her,” she said, her voice filled with determination. “And then, Ariana, this ends.”
Ariana smiled, a cold, calculating smile. “I’m counting on it, Lily.”
And with that, she turned and disappeared into the shadows, leaving Lily and the team to face the terrifying challenge she had set for them.
But as the seconds ticked by, a thought crossed Lily’s mind — there had to be a way to outsmart Ariana. She just had to figure out what it was, and fast. Because Viola’s life depended on it.
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