Lullaby 240

Elissa had always been gifted. For most people, learning was a journey from zero to a hundred; for her, it was more like starting at ninety and racing straight to a hundred and fifty.

She stayed in the lab until evening, so busy she barely remembered to eat lunch. It was only as she was wrapping up her work that she realized she was absolutely starving.

Tanya Foster was out, and Elissa wasn’t in the mood to grab dinner alone. She decided she’d just go home and whip up a beef pie.

She snatched her phone, grabbed her bag, and headed down to the underground parking garage.

The Murphy Group had spared no expense building their tower. Unlike most garages, this one was bathed in LED lights so bright it could have been midday, and the place was meticulously maintained every month. Surveillance cameras watched every corner. It felt safe–safer than anywhere else, really.

Elissa had never been the type to scare easily.

But tonight, as she stepped out of the elevator, she found the garage shrouded in darkness, the only light a faint, ghostly glow.

It was well past the evening rush, and the silence in the nearly empty garage made her skin crawl.

Still, the red light blinking on the security camera overhead was reassuring enough. Murphy Group’s security was nothing if not professional,

“Ms. Drummond, is it?”

She’d barely reached her car when two large men emerged from a nearby black van. One of them spoke, his voice low and calm. “Someone paid us to end your life.”

Before she could react, everything went black.tfumptio

12:07

When Elissa awoke, her head was pounding and her vision slow to clear. She was in the backseat of a moving car, hands and feet bound.

A man sat beside her, talking quietly on the phone. Noticing she’d come to, he didn’t even glance her way–just kept speaking into the receiver.

“Mr. Atwater, if you want her alive, you’ll come alone. If you call the police, trust me–Ms. Drummond won’t live to see tomorrow.”

Frank Atwater was on his feet the instant he heard the threat, his movements cold and purposeful as he strode from his office. “Who are you? She’s my wife. If you so much as touch a hair on her head, I’ll make sure you regret it.”

Bernard, following close behind, knew Frank wasn’t making idle threats. Everyone saw the CEO as a gentleman–charming, composed–but few had ever witnessed his temper. That was only because it rarely surfaced. The kidnapper just chuckled, unfazed. “Mr. Atwater, men like us make our living dancing on a knife’s edge. We’re not afraid of threats.”

“I’ve sent the address to your phone. Make sure you come alone.”

He hung up before Frank could reply.

Frank’s fury was palpable as he glanced at the location sent to him. Elissa was already outside Vistapeak City, in an abandoned industrial zone.

Narrowing his eyes, Frank turned to Bernard. “Have our people secure the entrances to that site. And don’t spook them.”

Bernard hesitated. “Sir, are you really going alone?”

Frank was capable, but this was a setup–going solo was dangerous.

As the elevator doors slid open, Frank stepped inside, voice cold. “You really think they’re after me?”

It was obvious the real target was Elissa.

Bernard looked unconvinced. “I’m just worried-”

12:08

Frank cut him off, his eyes icy. “If you’ve got time to worry, use it to find out where Marcia’s been these past few days.”

As the elevator reached the garage level and the doors opened, Frank barely stepped out before Marcia came running toward him, tears streaming down her face.

“Frank! Frank, you have to help Hickey!”

“Hickey?” Frank’s brow furrowed. “What happened?”

“He’s been kidnapped!”