Pure instinct made Hector turn his head as their cars passed each other.
He caught only a flash of nose and lips beneath the wide black hat.
Then the car was gone..
Without thinking, he committed the license plate to memory.
Meanwhile, Summer was racing toward the complex.
She couldn’t help calling Zarek again for updates, even knowing he didn’t have superpowers and building security would need time. Her anxiety was overwhelming.
When Zarek answered, he cut straight to the point. “Nothing from security yet, but my man spotted a suspicious car leaving the garage. We’re on it now.”
“Suspicious car?” Summer’s voice tightened. “Charlotte told me someone was following her. Could it be the same
person?”
“No, that guy’s still sitting outside the gate. Issac’s guy, most likely.”
How the hell does he know all this?
Summer was surprised but had no time to dig deeper. “Right, okay. I’m heading to her place now. Maybe it’s just… maybe her phone died or something”
She said it, but her stomach was already in knots.
They hung up.
Summer flew into the apartment.
The dark, empty rooms made her heart sink like a stone.
Remembering what Zarek said about Issac’s tail, she wondered if that was just a distraction. Had that bastard decided to stop playing nice guy?
She punched in Issac’s number.
The second he picked up, she exploded. “What have you done with her? Where is she? When will you stop this insanity?!”
“She’s missing?”
Issac bolted upright from his couch.
1 Let Go My Uncle Escaping the Forbidden Past.
He was on the 20th floor right now.
He’d known she was coming back from Maine today. After leaving Summer’s place, he’d had someone keeping tabs on Charlotte ever since.
“Yes, she’s gone.” Summer spat. Don’t play dumb! If it wasn’t you it was your paycho mother or that homewreckire Evelyn. It has to be one of you.”
She paced the apartment like a enged animal.
Issac didn’t even bother explaining. He just hung up.
“You son of a bitch” Summer yelled at her phone.
His abrupt disconnect only convinced her he was behind this.
A moment later. Zarek sent an update that made everything more disturbing.
Building security had reviewed the garage footage but found no trace of Charlotte’s car entering. No other vehicles had come or gone either. Yet the main gate cameras clearly showed her car driving in.
And her car was physically parked in the garage right now.
This meant her car had vanished from surveillance after entering the complex.
The security system had been deliberately compromised.
The garage was typically quiet, especially at this hour. It would remain practically motionless for long periods–security might not notice a few hours of camera interference.
Summer called 911 without hesitation.
Soon, police officers and building security flooded the garage. The normally quiet space buzzed with urgent voices and flashlight beams.
Summer explained everything to the officers, including the suspicious vehicle Zarek had mentioned. Security personnel added what they knew.
Meanwhile, Zarek and Hector were pursuing the mystery car.
The security staff’s findings only made the vehicle more suspicious.
And Zarek trusted Hector’s gut feeling completely.
At this point, no one knew if Charlotte had been taken in that car or was still somewhere in the building. The camera blackout created too many possibilities.
Zarek left the complex search to the police while he chased the suspicious vehicle. Both teams would share any developments to find Charlotte as quickly as possible.
ania Paridden Pist.
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As for susperts–the Grantham and Wood families topped everyone’s list.
The whole internet had been watching their public feud explode across social media for days.
But suspicion wasn’t enough for an arrest–everything needed evidence.
The police searched the garage meticulously.
Building security contacted residents. The complex housed wealthy individuals with luxury cars filling the garage, so officers had to tread carefully.
They questioned everyone about the black sports car, asking if it belonged to any resident or guest. While jammers could temporarily knock out cameras, entry security was much tighter. Any hacking attempt would trigger immediate alerts.
Such an intrusion would put the entire complex on high alert, making it nearly impossible for kidnappers to operate. But if the car belonged to a resident or an authorized guest, it would provide the perfect cover.
Every resident denied owning the car.
None had guests visiting today.
Security fast–forwarded through entry logs but found no sign of the vehicle.
The car was like a ghost.
“Go back further,” Zarek instructed after Summer updated him.
Summer relayed this to security.
The team was already bewildered, willing to try anything. To everyone’s shock, they discovered the car had entered three days ago.
Late that night, a man in a black hat had exited the car after parking. He carried a package past security, went upstairs, came back down, got in his car–and never left.
The footage clearly showed him going to the 18th floor.
Alina Tyler, a resident there, gasped. “That’s the sushi chef who delivered my midnight snack!”
The police pounced. “Who is he? Do you have any contact info?”
Alina shook her head, looking confused. “No idea. I was home that night, and my friend ordered food for me. Usually, deliveries wait at the lobby desk, but my friend said this chef was super particular about maintaining the proper temperature of the food, so he had to deliver it personally. So I cleared him to come up.”
Everyone exchanged alarmed looks.
This woman’s trust was dangerously misplaced.
“Your friend’s name?”
“Darcy Grantham.”
The Grantham connection confirmed.
Police immediately headed to the Grantham estate
Summer fired off a text to Zarek: “It’s definitely that car! Entered three days ago and has been hiding in the garage waiting for her. It’s the Granthams–Darcy Grantham, Evelyn’s sister, arranged the whole thing”
Zarek’s expression darkened.
If the Woods were involved, that would be had enough. But the Granthams Charlotte could be in serious danger.
“Get on social media now,” he instructed. “As her attorney, demand the Granthams release her. Say you have evidence. Make it as public and noisy as possible. Get people angry.”
“On it,” Summer replied instantly.
The black sports car was still moving. No one knew if Charlotte was alive or dead. If she was alive and they were taking her somewhere isolated, creating this public firestorm might make them reconsider.
Summer understood his strategy–a desperate gamble, but their only play. “Done. Posting now.”
She hung up and jumped into action.
They’d already hired social media influencers and commenters over the past few days. Those connections now proved invaluable. Summer’s video spread like wildfire, users buzzing with excitement for the latest development in what had become the year’s most dramatic scandal.
gher post, Zarck used Dominex’s official account to weigh in with scathing criticism.
He added that if anything happened to Charlotte, Dominex would permanently blacklist Ansonic from all business
dealings.
Just then, the car ahead slowed.
“Sir!” Liam whispered urgently, his voice dropping to a tense hush. “That car–is that-?”
