(Casey's POV)
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My heart pounded like a war drum inside my chest—each beat harder, heavier, as if it were trying to shake the truth loose from the depths of my mind. The thought clung to me like a shadow I couldn't outrun, coiled in the corners of my consciousness.
Kira.
Her name alone made bile rise in my throat. I couldn't shake it—couldn't dismiss the nagging, nauseating suspicion that Maven had her. The bastard was always ten steps ahead, pulling strings I didn't even realize were attached to me. And now… it felt like he was pulling hers. It was as if he had her with him, and there was nothing I could do about it.
I stood frozen in the middle of my office, phone gripped in my trembling hand. My thumb scrolled down my contacts list with manic urgency, the screen blurring as I scoured it for a name I knew had to be there.
Janet.
