His greatest fear wasn’t the human traffickers—it was Katelyn herself. He knew her tendency to act alone. If something went wrong while she worked in the shadows, he might not even learn of her situation until it was too late to help.
Vincent refused to let such a scenario unfold. That was why he needed to establish these boundaries now, before Katelyn’s protective instincts drove her to recklessness.
Katelyn understood Vincent’s concern and nodded solemnly. “I know. Send me the address of the factory you found. I want to check the surrounding surveillance footage.”
Despite Vincent’s claims, she refused to believe that the human traffickers had vanished without leaving a single trace.
“Okay,” Vincent replied, not arguing with her request.
Armed with the address, Katelyn strode purposefully toward her study. Though anxiety clawed at her insides, the initial surge of panic had subsided, allowing her rational mind to regain control. She recognized that rushing out to search blindly for Alfy would accomplish nothing.
Vincent’s team was better equipped for the ground search, while her technical skills could be put to better use examining surveillance footage—potentially the fastest way to locate Alfy. Despite this logical approach, Katelyn’s brows remained knitted in a tight furrow, her heart weighed down by dread.
Clearing her mind with a deep, steadying breath, she began methodically accessing all surveillance systems near the factory.
Her fingers flew across the keyboard with practiced precision, and within moments, more than twenty different camera views populated her computer screen, all playing simultaneously.
The door swung open as Ashlyn stepped in from outside. Noticing Katelyn’s tightly furrowed brows, she asked directly, “Katelyn, is there anything I can help you with?”
Without hesitation, Katelyn pointed at the computer monitor sitting on the adjacent desk. “Help me bring that monitor over here and connect it to my computer.”
She needed to link all the surveillance footage together, but her current monitor was too small to accommodate the multiple feeds, which would significantly slow down her progress.
Though Ashlyn wasn’t sure what Katelyn was working on, she asked no questions. She simply lifted the monitor and brought it over, helping Katelyn connect it to her computer.
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Almost immediately after it powered on, Katelyn split the screen with practiced efficiency. With the two monitors now running simultaneously, she could scan through the footage much more quickly.
Ashlyn leaned over Katelyn’s shoulder, her eyes scanning the surveillance images flickering across both screens. “Are you trying to find Alfy’s trail? Let me help.”
Katelyn welcomed the assistance, shifting to make room for her.
Although Ashlyn couldn’t match Katelyn’s viewing speed, her additional pair of eyes substantially accelerated their progress. Even with the extra help, it still took Katelyn a full two hours to meticulously review all the surveillance footage from the surrounding area.
At last, something caught her eye. One surveillance camera had captured a distant image—several people walked through the frame, seemingly ordinary at first glance, but Katelyn zeroed in on the food delivery boxes they carried. The containers looked like takeout from somewhere in the city.
Something felt off. In an abandoned factory district like this, no one would normally be carrying fresh takeout. Factory workers would typically eat their meals directly in the city or bring food back in a single container rather than each carrying individual delivery boxes. The scene definitely struck her as peculiar.
.
.
.