Raven POV
Since I got the text from the stalker, my life went downhill.
I rushed the venue and looked everywhere for Alex, but he wasn't anywhere. I barged back inside and dragged Mia to the side. "We have a situation," I said, panic bubbling in my voice.
"Can it wait till after the party?" she asked.
I shook my head. "No — it can't. It's about Alex."
Once she heard his name she looked confused. I told her I'd explain later, but we had to shut down the party. She complied, and after fifteen minutes everyone had evacuated.
Matt, the officer assigned to me, was by my side. I explained everything and showed him the text. He called the department; backup was on the way. Mia kept asking what had happened, but I told her I'd explain. Then she asked, "Where is Alex?"
"He went away for a bit," I lied.
She gave me a questioning look. He wouldn't leave without informing me — not on the day he proposed. How could he leave? "You don't understand," I said.
She raised her voice. "Just explain to me then. What happened?" she repeated.
"Jeez, just follow me — I will tell you while we move," I snapped, and started explaining as we walked.
I entered the control room and demanded the CCTV footage for thirty minutes before Alex went missing. Of course they refused — company policy, they said. So I did my best to shut them up. I kicked their groins, pushed them out of the room, and locked the door. Mia and I were inside; she was a sobbing mess. I felt terrible for ruining her happy day. That's why I promised to bring him back.
I checked the CCTV footage. I noticed someone following Alex as he walked to the restroom. The person wore a mask and never looked at the camera. When Alex entered the restroom, the person followed. The next shot showed the person's back as he dragged what I suspected was Alex's slumped body into a Porsche — the back view I saw eerily reminded me of Dante, the annoying biker who almost ruined my job opportunity. I shook my head; it couldn't be him. Still, I knew one thing: this person that kidnapped Alex might be my stalker.
I copied the footage to a flash drive and stood up. Mia was still crying; I tried to soothe her, but it only made her cry harder. Matt called and told us to come downstairs so we could go to the station together.
When I opened the door, the guys I had thrown out were already with security. They said I had to go to the station and that I'd hear from their lawyer. I rolled my eyes as security escorted us to the police car where Matt was waiting. He showed his ID, talked to them, and told them he would take it from here. The police who had been swarming the building had already left.
In the car Matt briefed Mia and me. They had checked every part of the hotel and neighboring areas — no sign of Alex. I told him about the CCTV and pointed out our main lead: the suspect's car.
The police station was stressful. They collected my statement and Mia's, then Matt drove Mia to her parents' house. One thing was sure: she probably hated me and might never want to see me again. Understandable — my stalker had kidnapped her fiancé on her birthday, the day he proposed. What a disaster.
Matt drove me home and offered to stay if I didn't feel safe. Of course I declined. I didn't want to be a burden, even though he was assigned to my security. He promised to keep watch from afar; I nodded and thanked him.
I couldn't process anything when I locked myself in my apartment. I had already changed all the locks and upgraded the security system, so the place should be safe for now. I took a cold shower to clear my head, put on an oversized hoodie, tied my hair in a ponytail, turned off the lights, and slipped into my sanctuary. I picked a lollipop from my snack bar and sat in front of my computers. Instead of panic or rage, a cold silence engulfed me. I looked at the screens, typed my password, and braced myself — tonight was going to be a long night.
The stalker messed with my favorite person. I was going to make him pay. HE CAN'T ESCAPE WHEN HE HAS SOMETHING THAT BELONGS TO RAVEN VOSS.
I pulled up the CCTV footage of the streets the Porsche had driven down. Bravo — he knew what he was doing. He made sure to pass alleyways and roads without cameras; at one point the car went off-grid.
On another screen I logged into the dark web under my alias, Vee. I entered the world group I created — a private network of mafias, hackers, cleanup teams, security crews, and whoever else you needed. They sold weapons and all sorts of business deal happened on this group ; there were only three rules: 1) No human trafficking. 2) No drug deals. 3) Whatever happens in the group stays in the group. It's global and exclusive. Anyone who wants in has to pass screening. Anyone who breaks the rules is sentenced to DEATH. There are about a hundred people in the group, and in the underworld it a big deal to be part of the group.
I dropped a single message: Tracking team needed. Within two minutes twenty people replied. I already knew how skilled each one was. I picked the best — Shantel — and slid into his DMs. He didn't want money. He only asked that I help him when he needed it. I agreed.
I gave him a picture of who I was looking for and explained how Alex had been kidnapped. I didn't add personal information — only the clues I had. His part was to find Alex and bring him to an abandoned warehouse on the outskirts; my part was to search through any means using my skills.
A day earlier, something in my gut made me place a tracker in Alex's suit and one in his shoe — just in case. I connected to the tracker and shared the location with Shantel and his team, but I was sure the stalker knew where Alex came from. There was a high chance the kidnapper had removed Alex's clothes and shoes, so the trackers might be useless. Still, it was worth checking.
I hadn't slept since Alex was taken. I called Mia a few times, but she didn't pick up. Matt kept me updated on the police search. I requested to work from home for a few weeks. I opened the files Vortex assigned and waited for Shantel's feedback.
I refused to beg or grovel at the stalker. I didn't message him. I just knew if he hurt a single hair on Alex's head, I would reduce him to nothing.
It was almost 2 p.m. and I hadn't eaten since yesterday. I lazily left my office and went downstairs for a bowl of cereal. When I came back upstairs, Shantel had already dropped an update. I opened it: a picture of Alex's phone, suit jacket, shoes, and the Porsche. He wrote under the picture, This is what was found at the location.
I told him to keep the clothes and phone and that he could have the Porsche if he wanted. He jumped at the offer and accepted the car, promising to keep Alex's belongings safe until Alex was found.
I sat back in my chair, clasped my hands together, and rolled the chair around, thinking of the next move. Then it clicked.
I jumped up from my chair and shouted, "Yes — finally! I need to activate ICE 1.0."