Chapter 21
The scream that tore from Ethan’s throat was primal, hollowed out by the sheer terror of an empty patch of snow.
Lauren was gone. Noah was gone.
The roar of the fire consuming his house became background noise as Ethan sprinted toward the road. Tire tracks cuts deep, jagged lines through the fresh snow, veering wildly onto the main street. He looked back at his truck—the tires were slashed, hissing flat into the freezing air.
He lunged toward Patricia, grabbing her by the shoulders of her stained coat, shaking her violently. “Where are they?! Who took them, Mom?! Answer me!”
Patricia didn't blink. She let out a soft, rattling laugh, her eyes reflecting the orange flames. “I told you, Ethan. A mother always maintains her authority. You wanted a life without me? Enjoy it.”
“Ethan, stop!” Melissa screamed, rushing over and pulling him back. “She’s not going to talk! Look at her, she’s completely gone! We need to look at the tracker!”
Ethan’s hands shook so hard he nearly dropped his phone. He stared at the text message containing the photo of Noah’s classroom. The unknown number wasn't replying, but Ethan realized something. The tracking app linked to the blinking red light on Noah’s backup bag had to be hosted somewhere.
He checked the metadata of the photo Melissa had given him weeks ago from Patricia’s binder. There was an IP address linked to a cloud storage account.
“Melissa, your car,” Ethan demanded, his voice dropping into a deadly, focused calm. “Give me the keys.”
“I’m coming with you,” she said, her voice trembling but resolute.
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As the sirens of the Cedar Rapids Fire Department finally echoed in the distance, Ethan threw himself into Melissa’s compact car. He didn't look back at the burning house, nor at his mother, who sat cross-legged in the snow, watching her legacy burn.
He had a signal now. And the blinking dot on his screen was moving fast toward the interstate.
