The morning air was thick with a deceptive calm as Kianna and Bryle stepped into the Villanueva home. It had been a full day since their tense encounter at the cabin, and the guilt of their silence was beginning to weigh as heavily as their fear.
Inside, the house was a storm of anxiety. Suzette was pacing the foyer, her eyes red-rimmed, clutching a rosary so tightly her knuckles were white. Oliver—Alice's close friend—sat on the stairs, his presence a quiet, intense weight in the room, his eyes fixed on Kianna the moment she walked in.
"Kianna! Bryle!" Suzette cried out, her voice trembling with raw maternal panic. She rushed to them, grabbing Kianna by the shoulders. "Where is my daughter? Kianna, tell me, where is Alice? I'm going crazy thinking about whether she's okay! My God, my child!"
Kianna glanced at Bryle, a silent agreement passing between them. They still didn't understand Ruoxi's plan, but they knew that involving the police now might trigger a disaster.
"Tita, just stay calm," Kianna said, her voice forced and steady. "We found her. She's okay. She's... she's staying with a friend she trusts. She just needs space, Tita. She wants to be alone to think about the adoption papers. She said she's safe. Please, don't worry anymore."
Suzette let out a ragged breath, her knees buckling slightly. "Are you sure? Is that the truth? Kianna, don't lie to me. My daughter... I need to see her." She began to sob into her hands. "Alice, my child... come home..."
Oliver didn't speak. He stood up from the stairs, his gaze unwavering. He didn't need to ask questions; the tension in his shoulders and the way he tightened his jaw spoke volumes. He knew they were lying. Kianna nodded slowly at him—a silent signal that they would talk outside.
____
The three of them drove in a suffocating silence toward the outskirts of town. As they approached the narrow, muddy trail leading to the cabin, Kianna cut the engine and the lights, letting the car coast to a stop behind a thicket of overgrown trees.
"We walk from here," she commanded.
As they crept through the damp brush, the triangular silhouette of the cabin came into view. But something was wrong. Very wrong. Parked in the clearing was a sleek, black sedan—the same one Kianna had seen speeding away the day before—but now, there was a second van idling nearby.
"Who are those people?" Bryle hissed. Two men in tactical black gear stood by the door. Suddenly, the cabin door swung open.
Through the trees, they saw Ruoxi and Alice. Ruoxi was struggling, her hands zip-tied, a bruise forming on her cheek. Alice was being dragged by her arm, her face pale with terror, her screams muffled by a heavy hand over her mouth.
"Alice!" Bryle jolted forward.
"No!" Kianna lunged, hauling him back. "Bryle, stay down! If you go out there now, you'll just get shot, and then no one can save her!"
Through it all, Oliver remained perfectly still, his eyes locked on the van. The muscle in his jaw worked, but he made not a sound. They watched in agonizing silence as Ruoxi was shoved into the sedan and Alice was forced into the van. The vehicles roared to life, disappearing into the dark maw of the forest.
The Breach
Inside the cabin, moments earlier, the energy had been frantic. Ruoxi was shoving the "Eliminate" folder, cash, and a burner phone into a duffel bag.
"We have to move, Alice. Now," Ruoxi said. "The back trail is our only—"
CRASH.
The front door was kicked off its hinges. Ruoxi lunged for her weapon, but a heavy tactical boot slammed into her ribs, throwing her against the kitchen counter.
"Ruoxi!" Alice shrieked. One of the men seized Alice by the arm. She fought—scratching and kicking with wild strength—but a sharp blow to her side sent her to her knees.
"Let her go!" Ruoxi lunged, landing a blow to a man's throat, but a second man swung a rifle butt into her temple. The world tilted. Blood blurred her vision as her hands were wrenched behind her back.
"The order stands," a cold, gravelly voice commanded. "The Uncle wants the girl dead, but he wants to see the proof himself. Bring them to the base."
The Descent into Terror
They were dragged out into the biting morning air. Ruoxi was shoved into the sedan, her head thumping against the window. Ahead, she saw them dragging Alice toward the van.
"Ruoxi!" Alice's voice was a desperate plea before a hand clamped over her mouth.
"I'm here! Alice, I'm here!" Ruoxi screamed, kicking at the door until a fist collided with her jaw.
The vehicles tore away. Ruoxi closed her eyes, her mind racing. I failed her, the thought looped. He's going to kill her, and I'm the one who led him right to her.
They arrived at an abandoned shipping warehouse on the coast—The Base. As they dragged Alice toward a heavy steel door, she looked shattered.
"Please," Alice whispered, her eyes finding Ruoxi's. "Ruoxi..."
"Don't touch her!" Ruoxi screamed, struggling against the plastic ties that bit deep into her skin. "Kill me instead! Leave her alone!"
The heavy iron door slammed shut, separating them. The sound echoed with a cold, metallic finality. Ruoxi was thrown into a concrete cell. She lay there on the freezing floor, listening to the footsteps of the men preparing to end the life of the only person who made her feel human.