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The Enemy 

Chapter 23: A Deadly Game 

Kai sat beside Noah, his eyes glued to the monitors as lines of code and surveillance footage flickered across the screens. The machines hummed softly, their sound doing little to mask the tension hanging in the air.

"Old man," Noah muttered, his fingers flying over the keyboard. "Stop breathing down my neck. I told you, I'll crack this."

Kai shot him a glare, though there was no real heat behind it. "Less talking, more results," he grumbled, his voice strained with impatience.

Noah smirked but didn’t look away from the screen. "I’m tracing the van. Their route, their stops—everything. But these guys know how to cover their tracks. I’ll need a little more time."

"Time we don’t have," Kai muttered, running a hand through his hair. His leg bounced with nervous energy, his mind filled with Lily’s face and the haunting thought of where she might be.

Noah paused briefly, glancing at Kai. "I get it," he said quietly. "We’re gonna get her back. I promise."

Kai clenched his fists, his jaw tightening as he nodded. He wanted to believe Noah, but the clock was ticking, and every second felt like a lifetime.

Suddenly, Kai’s phone rang, its shrill tone cutting through the heavy silence. He froze, his heart pounding as he saw the unknown number flashing on the screen.

Noah glanced over, his brow furrowing. "Is it them?"

Kai didn’t answer. He pressed the answer button, his voice low and tense. "Who is this?"

A calm, mocking voice replied, "You still don’t get it, do you? You’re playing with fire, Kai."

Kai’s grip on the phone tightened, his knuckles whitening. "Where is my daughter?" he demanded, his voice rising. "If you’ve hurt her, I swear—"

The caller chuckled darkly, cutting him off. "This is just the start. You think you can mess with us without consequences? That video you uploaded... it caused problems for people much higher than you. Now, you’ll pay for your arrogance."

"Tell me where she is!" Kai roared, his voice echoing in the room.

The voice remained calm, almost amused. "You’re too late. You’ve already lost control. But if you’re so desperate to play hero..." The tone shifted, growing colder. "You left your wife alone, didn’t you? Go save her—if you can."

The line went dead.

Kai stared at his phone, the dial tone ringing in his ears. His breath came in short gasps as he tried to redial the number, his hands trembling. But every attempt was met with the same automated response: The number you have dialed is not available.

Frustration and fear clawed at him as he switched to Sarah’s number. It rang once before going to voicemail. His stomach dropped. He called again, but this time, the line was busy.

"Noah," Kai said, his voice shaky but urgent. He thrust his phone at Noah. "This is the number they called from. Can you trace it? Find anything at all?"

Noah’s brows furrowed as he took the phone, his fingers immediately working on the trace. "I’ll try, but if they’re professionals, it might be a dead end."

Kai paced the room like a caged animal, running his hands through his hair. His mind raced with worst-case scenarios, the caller’s chilling words echoing in his head: Go save her—if you can.

Minutes felt like hours as Noah worked. "They’re bouncing the signal off multiple towers. This isn’t going to be easy," he muttered.

Kai stopped pacing, his eyes boring into Noah. "I need to go," he said abruptly.

Noah glanced up, alarmed. "Kai, wait. Let me at least get a lead—"

"There’s no time!" Kai snapped, his voice cracking under the weight of his fear. "Sarah’s not answering. I need to check on her."

Noah hesitated, then nodded reluctantly. "Fine. Go. But keep your phone on. I’ll call you the second I find something."

Kai didn’t waste another second. He grabbed his jacket and stormed out of the base, his mind a whirlwind of fear and fury.

The night air hit him like a slap as he stepped outside, but it did nothing to clear his thoughts. He climbed into his car, gripping the steering wheel tightly as he sped off into the darkness.

His heart raced as the city blurred around him, his thoughts consumed by Sarah, Lily, and the chilling voice of the caller. He couldn’t lose them. He wouldn’t.

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