Under His Protection

Chapter 77: Vanishing Point

Patrick's phone rang, shattering the quiet of the early morning. He glanced at the screen-it was Ross. The urgency in Ross's tone was immediate, and Patrick's heart skipped a beat. Ross didn't call this early unless something was wrong.

"Patrick," Ross said, his voice strained, the words tumbling out in quick succession. "They're gone."

Patrick froze, his blood turning cold. "Gone? What the hell do you mean, 'gone'?"

"I came by the villa this morning," Ross continued, the panic in his voice escalating. "I checked everything-Travis's room, Taylor's room, the living room. Everything's gone. It's like they disappeared. No note, no message, nothing. Their things are all gone-everything but their clothes, phones, and the cars. No trace of them at all."

Patrick's mind raced, unable to process what Ross was telling him. "They just left? No explanation?"

"Nothing. I checked the security footage, called their phones-they're off. There's no sign of them. It's like they planned it, but there's no way they would leave like this without telling someone."

Patrick could feel his pulse quickening, a wave of confusion and dread washing over him. Taylor had been fragile, and Travis had been doing better, but now they were just gone? "You're sure about this? No one's heard from them?"

"I'm telling you, Patrick, no one's seen them. I've been looking for hours. It doesn't make sense."

Patrick's stomach tightened as he scanned the room, pacing now, trying to ground himself in the overwhelming situation. "Okay, I'm coming over," he said, his voice steady despite the panic gnawing at him. "I'll be there in eight hours. Just hold tight."

"Please hurry," Ross urged before hanging up.

Patrick stood still for a moment, absorbing the weight of what Ross had said. They were gone. Gone without a word, without a clue. His thoughts swirled with confusion, fear, and the sharp sting of unanswered questions. He didn't know what to think, but one thing was certain-he needed to get to Italy.

The flight from Kansas City to Italy felt like it lasted a lifetime. Patrick couldn't escape the gnawing worry in his chest, the sense of dread that something was terribly wrong. Why hadn't they left a message? Why hadn't they told anyone where they were going? And where were they now?

When Patrick arrived, Ross was waiting outside the villa, his face drawn with exhaustion and concern. His eyes darted back toward the villa as if expecting Travis or Taylor to suddenly reappear.

Ross didn't waste any time. "I don't get it, Patrick. I've checked every inch of this place. I've been through their rooms, the living room, everything. There's no sign of where they went. I'm telling you, it's like they just vanished."

Patrick nodded, his mind spinning. "I don't understand either. Why wouldn't they tell someone? Especially after everything that's happened?"

"I don't know. But it doesn't feel right. Something's off." Ross's voice trembled slightly, betraying the uncertainty he felt.

Together, they went through the villa. The house was silent. Empty. Unnervingly still. Patrick moved through the rooms, checking every corner, looking for anything-a note, a clue, something. But there was nothing. Not a single lead.

The silence was deafening.

Patrick paused in the middle of the living room. Everything was exactly where it should be. There were no signs of a struggle. No broken windows, no damaged doors. It was as though they had simply decided to leave everything behind and vanish. No warning. No explanation.

"I don't know where they are," Patrick said quietly. His voice sounded hollow in the empty space. "But this doesn't feel right."

"I don't think they would leave like this, not without telling someone," Ross replied, running his hand through his hair in frustration. "They had to have planned this. But why? Why not leave a message? Why not tell us?"

Patrick felt the knot in his chest tighten. "This doesn't make sense. Not after everything. They're both... fragile. They need us. They can't just disappear."

But there was nothing. No phone calls. No texts. No clues. It was like they had simply erased themselves from the world.

Back at the villa, hours later, as Patrick and Ross continued their search in vain, there was no sign of Taylor or Travis.

No one had seen them. No one had heard from them.

Meanwhile, in a secluded part of Italy, in a place that no one knew about, there was no sign of Taylor or Travis either.

The villa was as quiet as it had always been, the silence broken only by the soft whisper of the wind.

But it was not the silence of absence. It was the silence of something unspoken.

Where were they? Why did they leave?

No one knew.

THE END