Chapter 1

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            12 months, 12 fucking months since Isobel Castille disappeared, kidnapped after an argument with her team. She and Jubal had gone there with the team. Isobel had given directives contained elements at their disposal as well as by the configuration of the places, disputed by certain agents of which Jubal had had words which he regretted now. They had left, leaving her alone on the spot, distraught, hurt. She had taken a few minutes to digest what had just happened before following in their footsteps when a hand was placed over her mouth preventing her from screaming as she was pulled back, then knocked out. Since then she had been used, sold, drugged, beaten, sold again. Isobel saw no way out, having hoped during the first days, the first week of her captivity that her team would find her anyway, they were the best, she had faith in them, but as the weeks went by, Isobel understood that they were not looking. That she was alone in the world.

Maggie was the only one who worried that Isobel wouldn't come back to the office. She never missed work, even when it was going badly. Her concern increased the next day when Isobel didn't show up for work. The brunette had informed Jubal, who had simply replied that Isobel most certainly did not want to face up to her mistakes, and was hiding out at home, praying that it would lessen their anger toward her. But Maggie remained doubtful, it was not the kind of Isobel, for proof, she had not hesitated to stand up to Reynolds in order to save the life of Elise. A week had gone by without Isobel returning, panicking Maggie inside. The others didn't care as much, thinking that SAC was weak, preferring Dana. Maggie loved Dana, but Isobel was also very good at what she did and didn't deserve the same treatment. The agent had gone to Jess Lacroix's team floor. He was a close friend of Isobel's. He was furious to hear about the situation, and that no one was more concerned about her than that. Jess had gone to the JOC with Sheryll and Kristin. He yelled at the JOC team, even more harshly at Jubal, before sending his two agents to the last place Isobel had been seen. The girls had confirmed the abduction, and Jess had taken charge of notifying the higher-ups. The protocol was launched afterwards, Jess and his team helped at first, but more investigations came in and they had to withdraw, Jess promising that he would not let them go, watching them. Swearing to Jubal that if they found her dead, he would hold Jubal personally responsible and avenge her because she didn't deserve this treatment. But of course, the JOC was behind schedule, and the kidnappers had plenty of time to make Isobel disappear. At first everyone was looking, investigating, then routine took over, as well as other investigations... Leaving very few agents to continue investigating in their spare time. Elise continued to search as best she could for any computer trace on Isobel, her bank accounts, a surveillance camera that would have filmed her... Jubal, fearing that Jess would fall on him, was also investigating from home, finding in the coffee a comfort and an ally to avoid falling from fatigue. He had found an accomplice of the kidnapper, and what the latter had revealed did not please Jubal at all. The man had confessed that after having taken their foot with Isobel, his friend had sold it to others. It went on like that for 11 months, tracks that led nowhere, Jess coming to remind Jubal. Isobel had simply disappeared from the face of the earth. Maggie had come to the conclusion that the various kidnappers had to move her at some point and to do so, they would either put her in a trunk, or a van, and when they didn't, they would put a bag over her face, or a hood to hide her face. Maggie had been going around to stores selling BDSM equipment, hoping to track down whoever had bought the hood, with no certainty that they were using the item to hide Isobel's face. Isobel... Maggie didn't even dare to imagine what state of mind Isobel must be in. She must have been terrified, thinking that they had definitely abandoned her to her fate. Of course, the trail to those stores turned out to be a dead end, but at least Maggie had tried. She resented Oa, Tiffany and Scola for not investigating, for not helping. Tiffany had helped at first, but when she was backed into a corner, the agent had given up.

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