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The audio file on Marina’s phone was timestamped three minutes ago. Ignacio’s thumb hovered over the screen, trembling so violently he nearly dropped the device into the crib. / Chapter 5 / 20

Chapter 5 - The Trap at the House

Ignacio drove back home with a fierce, protective terror gripping his soul. He threw open the front door of his house, shouting out for his mother and mother-in-law.

Silence answered him.

The living room was completely trashed. Family photos were smashed on the hardwood floor, cushions were ripped apart, and the front door hung off its hinges.

"Mom!" Ignacio screamed, sprinting down the hallway.

He burst into the nursery. The crib was empty.

A piece of paper was pinned to the mattress with a bloody scalpel. Ignacio yanked it off. Scrawled in bold, jagged handwriting were the words: Bring the flash drive to the old shipping yards at midnight, or you’ll never see your daughter or your mother again.

Ignacio’s vision blurred with rage. They had taken his mother, too. He clenched the USB drive in his palm so hard the sharp edges cut into his skin, drawing a bead of dark blood.

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Isabella’s artificial tears gleamed under the soft golden chandeliers of the private VIP suite, her hands trembling with a performance worthy of a grand stage. She gestured wildly toward Khloe, who lay crumpled on the cold marble, her white silk dress torn and stained with drops of spilled champagne. Marcus stood frozen in the doorway,

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He walked over to the closet, reached up to the top shelf, and pulled down an old leather gun case he hadn't opened in five years. Inside rested his late grandfather’s hunting rifle and a box of heavy-duty shells.

"Hold on, April," Ignacio whispered, loading the chamber with a heavy, metallic click. "Daddy’s coming."

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