Chapter 194

The press conference droned on like a broken record, each empty promise from the airline representative a fresh stab of agony. Dashiell sat amidst the chaos, eyes red-rimmed. He watched an elderly woman across the room collapse in a heap, her sobs echoing through the cavernous hall. A low growl escaped his throat, a sound so raw and primal it startled even himself. He wanted to scream, to join the chaos, to tear this whole damn building down if it meant getting a single answer about Elodie. How could this be happening? One minute she was on a plane, the next…nothing. Vanished. Gone. The questions hammered a relentless tattoo against his skull: Accident? Sabotage? Hijacking? Who was behind this? Every scenario was worse than the last, each possibility tightening the vice around his chest, stealing his breath. He slammed his fist against the armrest again, the sharp pain a welcome distraction from the suffocating despair. He couldn’t take it anymore. Not another empty platitude, not anot