C363 Missing

Back in the city, Sarah rushed through the front door of the Wood Residence, everyone in the living room stood up. Her face was pale. Her hair was messy. Tears streamed down her cheeks. She was breathing so heavily that she could barely speak. "Dad! Mom!" She looked around frantically. "Did you find her?" No one answered immediately. Sarah's voice cracked. "She saved me." Fresh tears rolled down her face. "She came willingly to save me."

She looked at Tracy desperately. "Mom... tell me they found Alicia." Tracy's eyes immediately filled with tears again. "My child..." She hurried forward and wrapped Sarah in a tight embrace. "You're safe." Sarah buried her face in her mother's shoulder and cried even harder. Kelvin stood nearby, quietly wiping away tears that had formed in his eyes. The fear he had experienced over the last few hours was finally beginning to ease. At least his daughter had returned home safely. Samantha quickly joined the hug. "Sis..." Her voice trembled. "You're safe."

She pulled back slightly and looked at Sarah. "Tell us what happened." Ben also stepped forward. His face was filled with guilt. "Sister..." "I'm sorry." "It's all my fault." Sarah looked from one face to another. Then frustration suddenly appeared in her eyes. "Why is everyone ignoring my question?" Her voice rose. "Tell me!" "Is Alicia safe?" The room immediately fell silent. Nobody answered. Nobody knew the answer. That silence frightened Sarah more than anything. Just then, the sound of engines echoed outside. Everyone froze. Several cars entered the driveway.

A moment later the front door opened again. Mark rushed inside without even knocking. His face was pale. His eyes were red. The moment he saw Sarah, he marched directly toward her. "Sarah!" "Where is Alicia?" Behind him came Quinton. Then Chris. Then me. The atmosphere instantly became heavy. The moment Ben saw us, something inside him tightened. A terrible feeling appeared in his chest. Without saying a word, he quietly excused himself. Nobody noticed. He slowly walked toward the stairs. His heart was pounding.

When he reached the middle of the staircase, he paused and listened. Below him, Sarah looked at me desperately. "Mike." "You went to the warehouse." Her voice shook. "Did you find her?" I looked down. For a moment I couldn't answer. Then I slowly shook my head. "No." Sarah's face turned white. I forced myself to continue. "When we got there..." "We found Jack." The room became silent. "He was dead." Everyone froze. "Dead?" Tracy whispered. I nodded. "He had been shot." "One bullet." "Straight through the head."

Ben suddenly stopped on the stairs. His eyes widened. Before he could stop himself, the words escaped. "What?!" "Jack is dead?" The entire room turned toward him. Ben immediately realized his mistake. His face changed. Without saying another word, he rushed upstairs and disappeared into his room. Downstairs, nobody paid much attention. Everyone was still focused on Alicia. Kelvin looked shocked. "Jack is dead?" Mark nodded slowly. Yes we found him dead." Samantha's hands began trembling. "If Jack is dead..." "Then where is Alicia?"

Chris answered quietly. "We don't know." "We found blood trails." Sarah gasped. Chris continued. "The blood led out of the warehouse." "Then it stopped near the road." Everyone froze. I clenched my fists. "It means somebody took her." The room became silent once more. Nobody knew what to say. Nobody knew where to search. Nobody even knew if Alicia was alive. Then suddenly... "Hhhaaah!" Sarah doubled over. Everyone jumped. She grabbed her stomach. Pain spread across her face. Chris immediately rushed to her. "Wife?"

Sarah looked up. Fear filled her eyes. "My water..." Another contraction hit. "Ahhhh!" "My water broke!" The entire room exploded into chaos. Chris didn't hesitate. Without thinking, he scooped Sarah into his arms. "Hospital." He turned and ran. Sarah wrapped her arms around his neck while trying to breathe through the pain. Chris practically sprinted out of the house. Moments later his car roared to life and disappeared down the road. Everyone stood frozen. Nobody knew what to focus on anymore.

Tracy quickly grabbed Kelvin's car keys. "I'm going with them." Without waiting for a response, she hurried out. Soon only Kelvin, Samantha, Mark, Quinton, and I remained in the living room. The silence became awkward. Heavy. Painful. After a while, Mark finally spoke. "I don't think whoever took Alicia intended to harm her." Everyone looked at him. Samantha frowned. "What do you mean?" Mark sat down slowly. "I examined Jack's body." "The shot was clean." "Professional." He looked around. "It came from a sniper." Kelvin frowned. "A sniper?"

Mark nodded. "Long distance." "One shot." "One kill." Samantha looked confused. "Then who saved her?" "How would they know she was there?" Nobody answered immediately. Then Mark and I exchanged looks. The same thought had entered both our minds. I finally spoke. "Could it be..." "The Gupta Family?" The room immediately went quiet. Kelvin froze. "The Gupta Family?" His eyes widened. "Miller's family?" Mark looked stunned. "You know them?" Kelvin shook his head. "Not really." I said. "Well maybe it is really them. "Alicia and I visited them once." "But I don't know where they live."

Kelvin slowly sat back down. His expression became thoughtful. "I only know the name." Everyone looked at him. Kelvin continued. "They've invested in Wood IT." "But we've never met the actual family." "Only representatives." "We don't even know where they're based." Mark immediately turned toward me. "You've been there." I sighed. "Yes." "But I really don't remember the directions." Mark leaned forward. "Then take us." I looked at him confused. "Father..." "I really don't know where it is." Everyone stared at me.

I rubbed my forehead. "We drove through forests." "Mountains." "Dirty roads." "We changed direction so many times I lost track." Mark remained silent for several seconds. Then he said firmly, "Try." I sighed again. "I'll try." As we prepared to leave, nobody noticed Kelvin sitting motionless on the sofa. His thoughts were racing. "Gupta Family..." He repeated the name quietly. "What connection do they have with Alicia?" The more he thought about it, the more confused he was. Could they have saved her?

Across the room Samantha slowly wiped away her tears. Then another thought suddenly struck her. A horrifying thought. She looked at me. "What about her pregnancy?" The moment those words left her mouth, I froze at the door. The room immediately fell silent again. Nobody had mentioned the baby. Nobody had dared think about it. Yet now the question hung in the air. If Alicia was injured... What would happen to the child? My chest tightened. For a moment I couldn't breathe. Mark immediately stepped forward. "Mike." His voice was firm. "Let's go." "Don't think about the worst."

I nodded weakly. But my mind was already there. Thinking about Alicia. Thinking about our son. Thinking about whether they were both still alive. Without another word, I walked outside and got into my car. Mark and Quinton followed in the second vehicle. Soon both cars pulled away from the Wood Residence. Behind us, Samantha remained standing in the doorway. Watching the taillights disappear into the darkness. Praying that somewhere out there, Alicia was still alive.