The alley was silent.
Cain stood motionless, eyes locked on the empty air where Violet had vanished, his chest rising and falling in uneven bursts. The echo of his own snarl still trembled in his throat, but the world had already gone still, as though holding its breath with him. Dust drifted through the air where she had stood moments ago—nothing more than proof that she was gone.
His fingers twitched. For a long heartbeat he said nothing, only staring at the emptiness before him, disbelief hollowing him out from the inside. Then, with a harsh exhale, he reached into his coat and snatched his phone out with trembling hands.
The glass nearly cracked under the pressure of his thumb as he typed:
"Find them. Increase search across the city. Use every man. No one rests until they are found."
He hit send. The message went straight to Henry. The only man he trusted to obey without question.
