"Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul, and sings the tune without the words, and never stops at all." Emily Dickinson

Saint

Two days. Forty-eight hours. An eternity. Veronica had been gone for two days. Every second that ticked by felt like a hammer blow to my skull, each one driving home the agonizing reality that I had no idea where she was or if she was even safe.

The police were looking for Liam now. It had taken them too long, thanks to his carefully crafted deception. He’d been spinning a web of lies, deflecting attention, making him the prime suspect. And they’d fallen for it. They should have been looking at Liam from the start.

It was too neat, too convenient. Liam had been subtly, almost imperceptibly, steering suspicion away from himself for months, playing on past events, creating a diversion. He'd been weaving a narrative, a smokescreen, and everyone, including the police, had bought it. They were looking in the wrong direction, while Liam… Liam was free to enact his twisted plan.

I’d spent the last two days retracing every step Veronica had taken, every place she’d been, every person she’d talked to. I’d even gone back to Hayley’s apartment, searching for anything the police might have missed, anything that could give me a clue. But there was nothing. Just the lingering scent of her perfume, a ghost of her presence that haunted me with its absence.

Marcus had been a rock, tirelessly digging into Liam’s background, trying to find a connection, a motive, anything that could explain why he would take Veronica. He’d uncovered some disturbing information – a history of obsessive behavior, a volatile temper, a disturbing fascination with Veronica that went back years. It was enough to make my blood run cold. And then there was the other thing, the piece of the puzzle that made everything click into place. Liam had a degree in computer science. It explained everything. The security footage at Hayley's building, the way it had conveniently malfunctioned, the digital breadcrumbs – it was all Liam. He'd manipulated the narrative, hacked the system, and framed while simultaneously abducting the woman he obsessed over.

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“He’s obsessed with her, Saint,” Marcus had said, his voice grim. “It’s like… like he’s been building this fantasy in his head, and now he’s acting on it.”

“What does he want from her?” I’d asked, my voice raw with desperation.

“I don’t know,” Marcus had admitted. “But it’s not good. This… this isn’t just kidnapping. It’s something else. Something darker.”

I knew he was right. This wasn’t just some random act of violence. This was personal. This was targeted. This was about Veronica. And the thought of her being in Liam’s clutches, at his mercy, filled me with a terror so profound it threatened to consume me.

I hadn’t slept in two days. My eyes were bloodshot, my body running on fumes. But I couldn’t stop. I wouldn’t stop. I had to find her. I had to bring her back.

I went back to Marcus’s place, needing to see the information he had on Liam. I needed to *do* something. Anything. Just sitting around waiting was driving me insane.

Marcus was hunched over his laptop, his face illuminated by the glow of the screen. He looked up as I walked in, his expression weary but determined.

“Anything?” I asked, my voice hoarse.

He shook his head. “Nothing new. The police are searching for Liam now, but they haven’t found him. He’s completely off the grid.”

I slammed my fist on the table, frustration boiling over. “We have to do something,” I said, my voice rising. “We can’t just sit here and wait.”

“I know,” Marcus said. “I know. I’m working on it. I’m trying to find a connection, a lead, anything that can point us in the right direction.”

He gestured to the laptop screen. “This is everything I’ve found on Liam so far. His school records, his social media, his family history… everything.”

I grabbed a chair and sat down beside him, my eyes scanning the screen. Liam Hawthorne. His face stared back at me from the screen, a bland, unremarkable face that hid a darkness I couldn’t have imagined. But now, I saw it. The subtle glint of madness in his eyes, the carefully constructed facade that masked a predator. And then there it was, another piece of the puzzle, staring me in the face. Liam Hawthorne. Half-brother to Julian. Different mothers, same father. A very wealthy father. That explained how he'd vanished so completely. Money, resources, a network of connections – he could be anywhere, have any kind of help he needed to disappear.

I started to read, my mind racing, searching for a clue, a hint, anything that could tell me where he’d taken her, what he was planning to do. I had to find her. I had to. Because if I didn’t… The thought was too terrifying to contemplate. I wouldn’t let it happen. I would find her, no matter what it took. I would bring her home. I just had to find him first.