Leo froze. He had completely forgotten. "Z... I’m so sorry. It completely slipped my mind."

Zayden’s jaw tightened, but he didn’t lash out. He just nodded once, cold and disappointed. "Get it processed when we’re back," he said softly.

Leo nodded. They headed back toward the black SUV. The wind howled through the empty street as Zayden took one last glance back at the booth.

"Whoever she reached out to..." he whispered, "...I’ll find them too."

As they drove back to the underground base, Zayden’s hand still throbbed with pain, his heart racing, and his obsession only growing stronger with each passing moment.

Leo’s hidden base was completely quiet when they walked in. Zayden didn’t say a word, didn’t even take a breath, as he moved down the metallic hallway. His guys were eyeing him nervously; no one was brave enough to say anything.

Leo stayed right behind him. "Z, sit down. I need to wrap up your hand."

"I’m not feeling anything," Zayden grumbled, but he plopped down anyway.

Leo cleaned up the blood and wrapped the gauze around Zayden’s knuckles, noticing how his jaw tightened with each pull. Once he finished, Leo finally spoke up. "You’re not mad because she left; you’re mad because she ran away from you. You had her back, and still, she took off."

Zayden stayed quiet. His silence said more than any words could.

Leo let out a frustrated breath. "We’ll find her, I promise."

Zayden’s gaze turned fierce and unwavering. "Once I find her, there’s no way I’m letting her go again."

*******

Meanwhile, just outside the salon, which Zeynep had been moments before. There were men now searching for her, and moments later, a shady figure walked into the salon. He wore a cap pulled low and a mask that hid his face, but there was something really gross and creepy about him.

As he made his way into the brightly lit salon, the lively chatter of girls faded into an uneasy silence. One of the girls noticed him, and a shiver ran down her spine at the sight of his dirty grin and shifty eyes. The vibe in the room changed, and people instinctively started to back away, not wanting to get too close.

The guy approached the manager, a sharp woman who wasn’t easily intimidated. "Did a girl come here this morning?" he asked, trying to sound tough.

The manager looked him up and down, unimpressed. "This is a girls’ salon. Lots of girls come here. I have no idea who you’re talking about." Her irritation was clear as she continued, "And anyway, we’re not sharing details about our customers."

His anger bubbled inside, but he forced a smile. He wasn’t used to being talked back to like that, and he knew he couldn’t show his true self or make a scene in public.

The manager stood her ground. "If you’re finished, I’d ask you to leave. Otherwise, I’ll have to call the guards."

He felt the embarrassment of being dismissed wash over him as he turned to leave, fury boiling in his chest. His crew was waiting outside, and one of them said quietly, "Boss, we didn’t find her."

He shot them a furious look, clenching his fists in silence. Outwardly, he held it together, but inside, he was seething. With gritted teeth, he snapped, "Get the car now!" The air around him was charged, and he was ready to unleash his anger the moment they got back on the road.

*******

Reyes’s two guys spotted her right away. They nodded at her, opened the SUV door, and she climbed inside without saying a word.

"Put your seatbelt on," one of them said.

She clicked it into place. The car took off, and every streetlight felt like it was watching her. Every siren she heard in the distance made her jump. She pressed her hand against the cold glass, the chill helping her calm down her racing heart.

"Don’t sweat it," the driver said. "The boss said to get you to the airport, no matter what happens to us."

She gulped. "Can you not say it like that?"

The driver let out a soft laugh, trying to ease the mood. "Relax. We’ve done this a bunch of times. You’re safe with us."

Safe. She wished she could actually believe that.

After about twenty minutes, they finally pulled up to the airport. It was bustling, way too crowded. As she walked toward the entrance, she spotted police officers with their phones out, scanning faces, checking something. Her chest tightened.

"This is bad," she whispered.

"Keep your mask on," one of her guys said softly. "Just walk like everything’s normal."

They reached the checkpoint, and a police officer held up his hand.

"Miss, take off your cap. Mask down."

Her heart just about stopped. Slowly... she lifted her cap off. Then, with shaky hands, she pulled down her mask.

The officer narrowed his eyes at her, really checking out her face. Another officer wandered over and whispered, "Is that the girl we’re looking for?"

For a split second, she thought her legs might buckle under her. The first officer glanced back at his phone, matched her face to the picture, tilted his head, and finally said...

"Nope," he decided.

"Not her. Wrong jawline. Just keep moving."

A huge wave of relief hit her, so intense that she almost stumbled. She quickly put her mask and cap back on, whispering a quiet thank you, and walked through the checkpoint, her hands shaking.

About half an hour later, she was sitting in the airport lounge, her escorts hanging back and keeping an eye on her.

One of them pulled out their phone and shot a message to Reyes, sending a thumbs-up emoji along with ’She’s in.’

The phone Reyes had given her buzzed in her pocket.

R: Safe?

Zeynep whispered, "I think so," and typed back:

Z: I think so. But I’m scared.

Reyes replied right away:

R: Good. Fear keeps you alive. Now get on that plane.