Ariel laid flat on her bed, eyes darting towards the ceiling, she had never felt so helpless in her life.

Just then, she heard the low rumble of the engine from downstairs.

She pressed her forehead against the cold glass of her room window, watching Johnny’s sleek black car glide silently down the street.

Her breath hitched, he was gone, but still no update on Max. Every second he was gone was a second she wasn’t closer to Max. Her own son. Her flesh and blood. The thought stabbed deeper than any wound.

She backed away from the window, her heart hammering in her chest like a wild drum. It...