Chapter 5: The Search Begins
General Harris had faced enemies across the world.
But nothing frightened him more than a missing daughter.
He mobilized his resources immediately.
Not as a general.
As a father.
The military traced the phone signal.
The location moved constantly.
Whoever had sent the messages knew how to avoid being followed.
Daniel sat across from him.
“I should have told you years ago.””
Harris looked at him.
“Yes.””
Daniel accepted the anger.
“I thought keeping Amelia hidden would keep her alive.””
“And now?””
Daniel looked toward Ruby.
“Now I think hiding only gave him more time.””
Ruby entered quietly.
“Is my mom coming home?””
Neither man answered.
That silence told her everything.
General Harris knelt beside her.
“We’re going to find her.””
Ruby searched his face.
“You promise?””
He nodded.
“I promise.””
For the first time, she reached out and held his hand.
The small gesture nearly destroyed him.
Because he had spent twelve years believing he had lost his daughter.
He never imagined he had lost a granddaughter too.
Hours later, the team discovered something.
A security camera near the bus station showed Amelia.
She wasn’t alone.
She was carrying a bag.
Running.
Behind her was a man.
The image was blurry.
But General Harris recognized the face.
His expression changed.
“No.””
Daniel looked at the screen.
“Who is it?””
Harris whispered the name.
A name from the past.
A name connected to the secret that destroyed everything.
The person who had been pulling the strings.
The person who knew Amelia’s location.
The person who had made Ruby afraid to trust anyone.
The person standing in the shadows of the video.
Was someone General Harris had trusted more than anyone.
His own former commander.
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And the next message that appeared on the screen made his blood run cold:
“Bring Ruby to me… or Amelia disappears forever.””
