Beneath The Surface

Chapter 36: Desperate Measures

--- Ace's POV ---

I stood at the kitchen counter, gripping the glass of whiskey as if it could anchor me in the storm of my thoughts. Weeks had passed without a single lead on Raven's whereabouts. The anger inside me was a volatile force, threatening to erupt at any moment. I couldn't shake the frustration of not having been there when Marco kicked her out. If I had been there, maybe I could have stopped him, maybe I could have reasoned with him. But Marco's damn temper had put us in this mess.

If he had just controlled his emotions, if he had just kept his fury at her father in check, Raven would still be here. We could be sitting around this very counter, having dinner together. Instead, she was out there, and every passing second without a clue of her location made my blood boil more.

The anger surged, pushing me past my breaking point. I hurled the half empty glass across the room, watching as it shattered against the wall. "Damn it!" I roared, the curse echoing in the silence. The shards of glass scattered across the floor, reflecting the fractured state of my mind.

I took a deep breath, trying to reign in my fury. The rage I felt towards Marco was consuming me. How could he let his hatred for Alexander Knight blind him to what was right in front of him? Raven didn't deserve this. None of us did.

With clenched fists, I turned away from the counter, pacing the kitchen. We needed to find her, and soon. But right now, all I had was my anger and the haunting fear of what might be happening to her. We had to bring her back, no matter the cost.

I took another deep breath, trying to push down the surge of emotions. I needed a plan, a way to find Raven. Anger alone wouldn't bring her back. I turned on my heel and made my way to Marco's office.

The hallway seemed longer than usual, each step echoing the tension I felt. When I reached Marco's door, I didn't bother knocking. I pushed it open and found him behind his desk, a familiar sight these past few days. His face was a mix of guilt and frustration, mirroring my own.

"We need to talk," I said, my voice hard but controlled.

Marco looked up, his eyes meeting mine with a shadow of regret. "Ace, I .."

I cut him off. "We don't have time for apologies, Marco. We need a plan. We need to find Raven."

He nodded, leaning back in his chair, clearly worn down by the past few days. "I've been thinking about it nonstop. I’ve had everyone searching, but nothing’s come up."

"Think harder," I snapped, pacing the room. "There has to be something we're missing. Some lead, some clue."

Marco's eyes flickered with determination. "I've been running through every possible connection, every lead. We should revisit the contacts we've ignored, double check everything. There might be something we missed."

I stopped pacing and looked at him, a new resolve forming. "We'll call in every favor, shake down every informant. We’ll turn the city upside down if we have to."

Marco nodded, picking up his phone. "I'll get everyone on it right away."

As he started making calls, I pulled out my own phone, reaching out to a few trusted contacts. We were running out of time, but I wasn't going to let despair take over. Not yet.

The silence between calls was tense. I glanced at Marco. "We find her, Marco. No matter what."

He looked up, meeting my gaze. "We will. And when we do, I'll make sure she's safe."

For now, all we could do was work and hope that somewhere in this web of connections, we'd find the thread that would lead us back to Raven.

Marco set down the phone from his last call, frustration etched on his face. Then, almost as if a light bulb went off in his head, he picked it up again and started dialing.

I watched him with curiosity, wondering who else he could be reaching out to. When he finally spoke, I recognized the name immediately.

“Sergei,” Marco said, his voice low but urgent. Sergei Petrov was a trusted ally, one of our family's most reliable men. He’d moved to Russia years ago to marry a local girl and had been running operations for us from there ever since. If anyone could help us now, it was him.

There was a pause, then Marco continued. “We’re in a tight spot, and I need your help. I need to know if any of the rivals in Russia have been talking about a girl. She’s about 5'1", dark, almost black hair, green eyes. She’s... she’s important to us. Have you heard anything?”

I strained to hear Sergei’s response, but all I caught were a few muffled words. Marco’s expression remained tense, his eyes flicking to mine as he listened.

“Yes, her name is Raven,” Marco said, confirming the description. “Anything you’ve heard, any lead, no matter how small. We’re desperate here.”

Another pause, longer this time. I could see the frustration building in Marco, the weight of his earlier decisions pressing down on him. Finally, he nodded, his grip on the phone tightening.

“Thank you, Sergei. Keep me updated. We’re running out of time.” Marco hung up, exhaling heavily.

“What did he say?” I asked, stepping closer.

“He’s going to check with his contacts, see if anyone knows anything. It’s a long shot, but it’s better than nothing.”

I nodded, feeling a glimmer of hope. Sergei had come through for us before; he might just do it again. “We’ll keep pushing on our end too. We can’t leave any stone unturned.”

Marco sighed and leaned against the counter, looking defeated. “I just hope we find her in time. If anything happens to her because of my mistake…”

“We’ll find her,” I said firmly. “But you need to put the past of Alexander Knight behind us until we hear her side. This isn’t just about us anymore. It’s about Raven.”

Marco’s jaw tightened at the mention of Knight, but he nodded. “You’re right. We need to focus on finding her.”

As we continued making calls and checking every lead, I couldn’t shake the image of Raven from my mind. Her laughter, her fierce spirit, the way she made everything seem brighter. We had to find her. Failure wasn’t an option.

We worked in silence, the weight of our mission pressing down on us. This was more than just a rescue operation, it was a race against time. And we couldn’t afford to lose.