44: We Hunt

He raised both hands in a gesture of surrender, blinking to confirm his understanding.

I let go of him abruptly, stepping back as confusion and frustration flooded my mind. The situation made no sense at all. If Madeline had been alive all these years, where the hell had she been? And what was her involvement in this damning scheme?

"What's our next move?" Grinder asked, his voice filled with uncertainty.

"First, we need to find out who owns that phone number. If my suspicions are correct, Sasha has been alive all this time," I replied, my tone resolute.

Grinder raised an eyebrow. "You think she's behind all of this?"

I surveyed the room, taking in the chaos and destruction. Something didn't add up. "We have to consider the possibility."

"Then what, boss?"

"We hunt."

Madeline had vanished, and we had deployed our resources to monitor airports, train stations, and bus terminals. Anyone attempting to take her out of the state or the country would be intercepted. But capturing Mad