He snatched his coat and stormed out of the apartment. He needed answers now. And the first place he would check, the only place Madison might return to was her old workspace in Midtown. But as he reached the elevator, his phone buzzed. A text from an unknown number. Stop looking for her. No name, no signature, just three words. His breath stalled.
Someone was helping Madison. And now they were threatening him. He stared at the message, rage simmering under his skin. Whoever sent it had made a mistake. They thought fear would stop him. They had no idea who he was. Logan’s footsteps echoed through the marble lobby of the Midtown design firm where Madison used to work.
He expected to see her curled over her MacBook, sketching floor plans the way she always did, headphones in, lost in her own world. Instead, the receptionist looked up with startled eyes when he approached. “Is Madison here?” he asked, breath clipped, impatient seeping through every word. The receptionist shifted uncomfortably. “Mr. read. She resigned 3 days ago.
Logan’s jaw clenched so hard his teeth achd. That’s impossible, she would have told me. The young woman hesitated, then added. She said she needed distance and that she was relocating for health reasons. Health reasons. The phrase sliced through him. Madison was 5 months pregnant and she left the city alone.
He felt a flash of panic but buried it quickly under anger. Where did she go? I’m sorry, sir,” she didn’t say. He knew the receptionist wasn’t lying. Madison kept her world very small. She avoided drama, avoided gossip, the kind of woman who slipped in quietly and did her work without demanding attention.
And now she was gone, completely off-rid. Logan turned away abruptly, pushing through the glass doors onto the busy Manhattan sidewalk. The noise of the city honking taxis, sirens, the constant churn of crowds felt louder than usual, pressing in on him like an accusation. She resigned before she left him. She was planning her escape.
He replayed every detail from the apartment. The missing clothes, the missing vitamins, the missing sonogram. Everything pointed to one truth. Madison didn’t run impulsively. She prepared. Someone helped her prepare. His thoughts snapped to the unknown text message he received earlier. Stop looking for her. A warning, a threat, a promise.
He scanned the crowd instinctively, ridiculous as it was, New York had millions of people, but paranoia clung to him. Every face looked suspicious. Every passing glance felt intentional. Then, as he stepped toward the curb, his phone buzzed again. Another unknown message. You only made things worse for her. Walk away.
He froze. The words made his skin crawl. Someone was watching him. He glanced up at the surrounding buildings. Glass towers reflecting the morning sun. Any of those windows could hide eyes trained on him. A camera. A witness. A threat. His pulse thundered. He typed back furiously. Who are you? Three dots appeared. Then vanished. Appeared again.
Vanished. No answer. But the silence said everything. This wasn’t random. This wasn’t someone meddling. Someone powerful enough, connected enough, was shielding Madison, and Logan realized something chilling. He wasn’t the hunter anymore. He was the prey. By the afternoon, every step Logan took felt heavier.
