Shadowed desires- Adrian thorn

Chapter 16: The Hunt Begins

Adrian Thorn paced the length of his penthouse like a beast caged in glass, his thoughts churning with fury and desperation. The events of the past few hours had thrown him into a darkness even he had never experienced. Eva had been taken. Kidnapped right under his nose. And by Victor, of all people—a man he had thought to be little more than a nuisance in his world of power and control.

He paused, glancing out at the city skyline. The city he owned. The city he could burn to ashes if it meant getting Eva back. His heart pounded with a mixture of rage and something else—a feeling he wasn't used to. Fear. Not for himself, but for her. Eva.

He'd never meant to care for her this way. She was supposed to be just another pawn, another obstacle in his path. But now, as he felt her absence like a gaping wound, he knew the truth. She was his, and no one was going to take her away.

"Boss," Stone's voice broke through his thoughts, pulling him back to the present. "We've got some leads. But it's not good."

"Speak," Adrian growled, his voice low and dangerous.

"Victor's gone to ground," Stone explained. "But we've managed to track some of his men. They're hiding out in a warehouse near the docks. Could be holding Eva there or at least know where she is."

Adrian nodded, his eyes narrowing. "Get the men ready. We leave now."

Warehouse Near the Docks:

The night was cold and silent, the kind of silence that comes just before a storm. Adrian moved through the shadows with lethal grace, his eyes scanning the surroundings. His men were close behind, each one a skilled killer in his own right, but none more dangerous than Adrian himself.

He reached the side of the warehouse, signaling to Stone and the others to flank the building. They moved into position with the precision of a well-oiled machine. Adrian didn't wait. He kicked in the door, gun drawn, and stormed inside.

The first two men didn't even see him coming. His silenced pistol barked twice, and they dropped to the ground, blood pooling beneath them. The element of surprise was gone, but Adrian didn't care. He wanted them to know he was coming.

A third man lunged at him from the side, knife in hand, but Adrian was faster. He grabbed the man's wrist, twisting it until the bone snapped with a sickening crunch. The man screamed, but Adrian silenced him with a bullet to the head.

The room erupted into chaos. Men shouted, guns fired, and the stench of blood filled the air. Adrian moved like a predator, his every step calculated, his every action deadly. He shot two more men who tried to take cover behind a stack of crates, then turned to see Stone grappling with another thug.

Adrian was on him in a heartbeat. He grabbed the man by the back of his head and slammed his face into the nearest wall, the impact cracking bone. Blood splattered across Adrian's suit, but he didn't flinch. "Where is she?" he demanded, his voice a snarl.

The man, dazed and bloody, managed to choke out a few words. "I-I don't know... I swear..."

Adrian's patience snapped. He drove his knee into the man's gut, forcing a gasp from his lips. "Wrong answer." He slammed the man's head against the wall again, harder this time. "Where is she?"

"Victor took her... to his sister's place," the man wheezed. "I don't know where... please..."

Adrian let him drop, turning away in disgust. "Stone, find out where his sister lives," he ordered. "I want every detail."

Stone nodded, already pulling out his phone. "On it, boss."

Adrian turned back to the man on the ground, his gaze ice cold. "You're done," he said simply, and with a swift motion, ended the man's life.