Third person's POV
The afternoon air felt strangely warm after the cold sterility of the prison.
He retrieved his belongings, signed the final paperwork, and walked across the parking lot toward his car.
The moment he slid behind the wheel, the silence returned.
It settled around him like an unwelcome passenger.
He rested both hands on the steering wheel without starting the engine, his eyes fixed on nothing in particular.
He still had no idea where Jade was.
No idea who had taken him.
No idea why the kidnapper had suddenly postponed the exchange.
Every lead he had chased had disappeared almost as quickly as it appeared, leaving him exactly where he had started.
Waiting.
It was the waiting that hurt the most.
Doing nothing felt like betrayal.
He reached for his phone almost instinctively and stared at the unfamiliar number again.
His thumb hovered over the call button.
He knew it was pointless.
He pressed it anyway.
The call rang.
Once.
Twice.
Five times.
