The California sun mocked Damian as he stepped out of his third meeting that week with yet another dead-end private investigator. Five months of searching, and Elara’s trail had gone cold after LAX.

The medical transport company’s records indicated that Rose Hart had been discharged to a private residence, but the address led to an empty vacation rental in Malibu. He loosened his tie, feeling the familiar weight of exhaustion settling over him.

The manila folder in his hand contained photos of a dozen different women who matched Elara’s description, none of them her. His investigators had checked every high-end medical facility within a hundred miles of Los Angeles, every...