My fingers were frozen against the cool marble of the bathroom sink, but inside my chest burned with an ache so fierce I could barely breathe. I caught my reflection in the mirror – eyes wild with fear, jaw clenched tight enough to c***k teeth. Somewhere out there, Emma was gone, taken, and the bond that had only just begun to bloom between us stretched like a gossamer thread ready to snap. I couldn't feel her emotions anymore, just the faintest whisper that she still existed in this world. It wasn't enough. Not nearly enough.
The bathroom in my hotel suite had become an impromptu command center, the white tiles and gilded fixtures an absurd backdrop for the nightmare unfolding. Forensic experts in blue gloves moved methodically through the space, collecting samples, photographing surface
