Page 72 of Rescuing Sophia

I vow—someday, somehow—I’ll make this right.

The rain continues to fall as we drive, blurring the landscape into a watercolor of grays and greens. The sun tries to break through the clouds, a weak attempt at dawn, but for me, this is the end of everything.

The end of Sophia.

The end of happiness.

The end of love.

But deep down, there’s still a flicker of grit and determination. I’ve been beaten, broken, and forced to betray those I love, but I’ll do whatever it takes to endure and outlast the torment that awaits me. Beneath it all, I’m a survivor.

But more importantly, I’m also a mother.

TWENTY-FOUR

Blake

The bellover the door of The Guardian Grind chimes as I push it open. The rich aroma of coffee envelops me. The warm, inviting atmosphere wraps around me, a world away from the tense, charged air back at HQ.

“Blake. What a nice surprise.” Jenna’s cheerful voice carries over the hum of conversation and the hiss of the espresso machine.

The counter is cool under my palms as I lean against it. “Hey, Jenna. Just needed a quick caffeine fix.”

“The usual?” Her hands are already moving toward the espresso machine; the familiar clinks and whirs a soothing soundtrack.

“Please.” The word comes out more like a sigh than a response.

As Jenna works, I scan the café, a habit born of years of training. It’s busy, but not unusually so for this time of day. Regular customers hunch over laptops, and a group of techies animatedly discuss something in the corner.

But no Sophia.

“Here you go,” Jenna says, sliding a steaming cup across the counter. “You look like you could use it. Rough day?”

A non-committal grunt escapes me, and my shoulders roll in an attempt to release some tension.

“Where’s Sophia?”

“What do you mean?” Her question catches me off guard.

“Is she working in the back?”

“Blake…” Jenna’s movements slow, confusion evident in her expression. “She called out sick the last couple of days. I assumed you knew.”

“She’s been at work every day this week.” My heart races, blood rushing in my ears.

The whir of the milk steamer fills the sudden silence between us. Jenna’s eyes widen, her mouth opening and closing without sound.

“Blake, what’s going on?”

The cup trembles in my hand, coffee sloshing dangerously close to the rim.

“I don’t know.” My voice sounds distant, even to my own ears. “But I’m going to find out.”

My hand moves to my pocket, fingers closing around the familiar shape of my badge. The badge I found tucked under the bed as if it had been there all along.

Jenna’s words echo in my mind.

Sophia calling out sick when she was supposedly at work. The missing badge reappearing as if by magic. The security breaches escalating over the past week.

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