Sweet Hatred-Chapter 483: The Hunt

KAEL

The command center had become my entire world.

Seventy-two square feet of tactical displays, satellite feeds, and digital maps that might as well have been searching for a ghost. My eyes burned from staring at screens. My jaw ached from clenching. Coffee had stopped working hours ago, I was running on pure adrenaline and rage now.

Aria had been gone for too long, and we were no closer to finding her than we’d been when I’d left the hospital with Ewan’s folder.

"Sir." Hayes appeared at my elbow, tablet in hand. "Surveillance team just cleared the warehouse on Fifth. No sign of activity. Building’s been abandoned for months."

Another dead end.

I nodded, not trusting myself to speak. That made three locations we’d cleared in the past twelve hours. Three properties connected to Los Fantasmas through shell companies and financial traces that led nowhere.

They were good at hiding.

Too good.

Ash approached from the other side, her expression carefully neutral. "Sylas is still going through Andrew’s financial records. He thinks he might have found another shell company, "

"How many shell companies does one criminal organization need?" The words came out harsher than I’d intended.

She didn’t flinch. "As many as it takes to stay invisible."

I turned back to the map on the wall, marked with red pins for cleared locations and yellow for possibles. The city sprawled before me like a maze with Aria hidden somewhere inside it.

Where are you?

My phone buzzed. A text from Detective Raines: Bringing in Sabrina Roman for questioning. ETA 20 minutes.

About fucking time.

"Sabrina’s coming in," I announced to the room.

Several heads turned. Hayes’s expression darkened. "Think she knows where Andrew is?"

"She’s his mother." My hands clenched into fists. "She probably knows something."

Twenty-three minutes later, I stood behind one-way glass, watching Sabrina Roman sit in an interrogation room like she was waiting for a spa appointment.

She looked immaculate. Designer dress. Perfectly styled hair. Manicured nails drumming an impatient rhythm on the metal table.

Like her son hadn’t kidnapped someone.

Like a woman wasn’t dead because of Andrew’s actions.

Like my entire world wasn’t collapsing.

Detective Raines entered the room, followed by FBI Agent Morrison. They took seats across from her, manila folders between them.

"Mrs. Roman," Raines began. "Thank you for coming in."

"Did I have a choice?" Sabrina’s voice dripped with disdain. "Your men showed up at my home and insisted I come ’voluntarily.’"

"We’re investigating the kidnapping of Aria Thorne," Morrison said, his tone professional but firm. "We have reason to believe your son, Andrew Roman, is involved."

"That’s ridiculous." Sabrina’s laugh was brittle. "Andrew would never, "

"We have evidence placing him at the scene where Sarah Brown was murdered." Raines opened one of the folders, sliding a surveillance photo across the table. "This is Andrew’s vehicle leaving the building approximately thirty minutes before we found the body."

Sabrina barely glanced at it. "That proves nothing."

"Where is your son, Mrs. Roman?"

"I don’t know."

"When was the last time you spoke with him?"

"Days ago. Maybe a week." She waved her hand dismissively. "We’re not particularly close."

Liar.

I’d seen the phone records. Andrew had called her sixteen times in the past month. The last call had been two days before Aria was taken by Andrew.

"Mrs. Roman," Morrison leaned forward. "We know Andrew has been working with a criminal organization called Los Fantasmas. We know he’s been meeting with their leadership. We know, "

"I don’t know anything about that." Her voice rose slightly, the first crack in her composure. "My son is a businessman. Whatever he does in his private affairs is his own concern."

I couldn’t take it anymore.

I moved before Ash could stop me, pushing through the door into the interrogation room. 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

"Mr. Roman, " Raines stood, alarm flashing across his face. "You can’t be in here."

I ignored him, my hands slamming down on the table hard enough to make Sabrina jump.

"WHERE IS HE?"

Sabrina’s eyes widened, but she recovered quickly. "Kael. How inappropriate... "

"Your son," I said, each word precise and sharp as a blade, "kidnapped my pregnant fiancée. He’s working with international criminals. He had someone murdered in cold blood."

I leaned closer, until I could see my reflection in her eyes.

"And you’re going to tell me where he is."

"I don’t..."

"Don’t." My voice dropped to something dangerous. "Don’t lie to me. Not now. Not about this."

Her throat worked as she swallowed. For the first time, I saw genuine fear flicker across her face.

"I swear, Kael. I don’t know where Andrew is."

"You’re his mother."

"And he stopped trusting me the moment Ewan changed that will." Her voice cracked slightly. "He blamed me for not seeing it coming. For not protecting his interests. He cut me off."

I studied her face, searching for deception.

Found only fear. And maybe, maybe, a hint of truth.

"Mr. Roman." Agent Morrison’s hand landed on my shoulder. "I need you to step outside."

I straightened slowly, my jaw so tight it ached.

"If I find out you’re lying," I said to Sabrina, "I will make sure you go down with him. Accessory to kidnapping. Conspiracy. Murder. I will bury you so deep in federal charges you’ll never see daylight again."

Her face went pale.

I turned and walked out, the door closing behind me with a hollow click.

Ash was waiting in the hallway, her arms crossed. "Feel better?"

"No."

"Didn’t think so." She fell into step beside me as we headed back to the command center. "But for what it’s worth, I think she’s telling the truth. Andrew’s too smart to keep his mother in the loop once things got this serious."

"Then we’re back to nothing." The words tasted like ash.

"Not nothing. Sylas found something."

Back in the command center, Sylas had commandeered an entire corner, three monitors displaying financial records that made my head hurt just looking at them.

"Talk to me," I said.

He didn’t look up, his fingers flying across the keyboard. "Andrew’s been sloppy. Probably because he’s desperate. He’s been moving money through shell companies, we knew that. But he’s also been purchasing supplies. Food. Medical equipment. Generators."

"For what?"

"For keeping someone captive somewhere that’s off the grid." Sylas pulled up a spreadsheet. "These purchases all went to the same delivery address. A defunct restaurant in the industrial district."

My pulse quickened. "And?"

"The property records show the restaurant closed three years ago. But the building has an underground level, originally used for storage and a wine cellar." He pulled up building schematics. "Perfect for holding someone."

I stared at the layout on the screen. Reinforced walls. Limited access points. Soundproofing.

"That’s it," I breathed. "That’s where she is."

"Maybe." Sylas finally looked at me, his expression cautious. "We need to confirm before we move. If we raid the wrong location and they realize we’re closing in, "

"They’ll kill her." The words stuck in my throat.

Hayes joined us, already pulling up tactical maps. "We can run surveillance. Get eyes on the building. Confirm activity before we make a move."

"How long will that take?"

"Twelve hours. Maybe less if we get lucky."

Twelve hours.

Twelve more hours of not knowing if Aria was alive. If she was hurt. If our baby,

I couldn’t finish that thought.

"Do it," I said. "But if you see anything, any sign she’s there, we move immediately."

"Understood."