It hadn't even been ten minutes since Jade left, but when he pushed open the restroom door again, his heart stopped—Ryley was gone.
"Mr. Ryley? Mr. Ryley!" His voice echoed against the tiles, panic lacing every syllable as he tore through each cubicle one by one, only to find them all empty.
Desperation clawed at his chest as he bolted through the corridors, scouring every floor of the building, but the blond was nowhere in sight.
At that same time, Oliver had just pulled the car over when his phone buzzed. He answered swiftly.
"Yes?"
"Mr. Ryley is missing!" Jade's frantic voice burst through the line. "Are you done picking up that blind shaman? Get back to Hyacinthia's headquarters immediately!"
"What do you mean, missing?" Oliver snapped, a sharp click of his tongue betraying his agitation.
He was about to turn the car around, abandoning Ryley's order to fetch the blind shaman, when his eyes caught on a group of suspicious figures slipping into the shelter building ahead.
