ording to the security footage, Ms. Cameron and Ms. Murphy... they were


    most likely taken out with the garbage truck."


    Foreman''s face drained of color, little by little.


    He''d been too confident.


    He''d thought the hospital was firmly under his control, that it was safe. But Leonard-Leonard had managed toe up with such a despicable, underhanded trick!


    Forcing himself to stay calm, Foreman asked, "Have you sent people to look for them?"


    His assistant replied softly, "We already have a team on their trail."


    But the situation... didn''t look promising.


    If the other side could pull off something like this-spiriting people away right under their noses-they were bound to be excellent at covering their tracks.


    Foreman struggled to his feet. "Bring the car around. I''ming with you."


    The assistant nced at Foreman''s pale face and spoke gently. "Mr. Richards, you need to rest and recover. If your wound gets worse and you pass out, it''ll only make it harder for us to rescue Ms. Cameron."


    He hesitated, then added, "Should we contact Mr. O''Brien? If Benson finds out Ms. Cameron is missing, he''ll definitely send backup."


    Foreman reflexively refused. "No. Absolutely not. They can''t know about this."


    He had his own reasons-ones he couldn''t share for keeping Ste at the hospital. And now, because he''d failed to keep her safe, she''d disappeared. Sandford was his territory. If he had to beg Haynes for help, how pathetic and useless would that make him look?


    Foreman closed his eyes and drew a long, steadying breath.


    "Send everyone out to search. Star''s only been missing for a short time-they can''t have gotten far. And make sure everyone understands: this stays absolutely confidential. Not a word leaves this team."


    "Yes, sir. I''ll take care of it right away."


    As he watched his assistant hurry off, Foreman felt a stab of regret for the first time. He shouldn''t have risked so much shouldn''t have gotten himself this badly hurt-just to win Ste''s trust. Now, he was too weak to go looking for her himself.


    Aetheria, the Gardner estate.


    Joshua Gardner had been holed up in Novaris for months, keeping a low profile. Most of the family thought their patriarch had met another untimely end. Power struggles broke out, with rivals scrambling to seize the family throne.


    Joshua''s timely return had barely managed to put out the fires of conflict.


    But in thinking he was dead, his enemies had revealed all their hidden cards, causing him no small amount of trouble. If he hadn''t vanished for those months, if they hadn''t gotten so desperate for power, they might have stayed in the shadows-and he might have been caught off guardter on.


    In a way, it was a blessing in disguise. Now that he was back, no one would dare


    make a move—at least, not while he was alive.


    Joshua leaned back in his chair, eyes closed, mentally calcting when he''d return.


    There was still a bit of loose ends to


    tie up here. He wanted to pick out some gifts for Star, Abby, Keen


    Maron Connolly, and the others before leaving...


    He could be back as early as next week.


    Soft violin music filled the room.


    It was one of Ste''s pieces.


    Lately, he''d been relying on her violin recordings to help him sleep. It


    actually worked-ever since


    spending time with Ste, his


    insomnia had eased. Sleep didn''t


    Sitting in his chair, Joshua drifted off.


    He didn''t know how long he''d been out when he jolted awake.


    The music had stopped at some point, reced by a strange, static hiss from the speakers.


    The room was silent and cavernous, the emptiness pressing in with a chill.


    A strange heaviness weighed on his chest.


    He''d had a nightmare.


    Since adulthood, he couldn''t remember thest time he''d had one. Even demons, people liked to joke, kept their distance from Joshua Gardner.


    But this time, he''d dreamed of something happening to Ste.