The Rose He Killed novel Chapter 201

Chapter 180: The Panic-2

I watched my son on the screen, memòrising every pixel of the background behind him-the wall texture, the light source, the faint sound that might have been traffic or might have been machinery-and I let the rage replace the terror, because rage was something I could use.

“Find that room,” I told Lena, who had appeared in the doorway. “Find that room tonight.”

Lena nodded and stepped into the corridor, already on her phone.

Reyes looked at us. “I need you to understand the next few hours. We’re analyzing footage, networks, and phone traces simultaneously. You won’t get updates every ten minutes. Stay reachable, stay calm, and stay out of the field.”

“Define the field,” I said.

“Anywhere that isn’t this building,” she replied, her gaze firm. “I know your instinct is to move, but the most useful thing you can do is let my team work.”

I wanted to argue but looked at Caleb. He gave a slight shake of his head: not yet.

“Fine,” I said.

Reyes left, and the room went quiet as Caleb sat beside me.

“He remembered,” I said finally, my throat tightening. “What I told him about being brave. I didn’t think he

would.”

Caleb’s hand found mine. “Of course he did. He’s been listening to you his whole life.” He paused. “He’s doing everything right. He showed us the room, told us he wasn’t hurt, and stayed calm.” His grip tightened. “He is his mother’s son, and he is coming home.”

The thought of Tom on a concrete floor made me livid. I hope he doesn’t catch a cold.

Please don’t traumatize him, I thought. If they did, all hell would break loose. My hands shook, and I pressed them hard against my lap to steady them.

“Maya has been calling,” Caleb said quietly. “I told her what happened.”

I nodded, unable to speak. I couldn’t bring myself to tell her; I wasn’t in the right frame of mind to say the words out loud.

“Even Diana is livid,” he continued. “She broke down crying.”

The thought of her tears nearly sent me over the edge again, the heat rising in my throat.

The thought of her tears nearly sent me over the edge again, the heat rising in my throat.

Caleb must have noticed the shift in me. He turned, cupping my cheeks in his hands to force me to look at him.

“Bella, please,” he said, his voice straining. “I need you to be strong. I am one step away from falling apart myself.”

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<Chapter 180 the Panic-2

Claim

“Why would anyone take my baby?” I asked, the words catching. “He isn’t at fault here. If anyone had an Issue with us, they should have come for us, not a child.”

Caleb pulled me closer trying to console me, though his own hands were tense.

“Caleb, honestly, I’m scared, whispered. “But I’m trying. I’m trying to stay composed for Tom’s sake.”

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