Chapter 82  Amanda Chase yelled as he jolted awake from his dream.  The sky was just beginning to fighsten, and when Chase glanond my way, his eyes lit up with joy as he lunged towards me. “Amanda) you’re finally back”  Of course, he dove right into thin air, crashing hand onto the floor. The impact was enough to jolt any lingering sleepiness night out of hin  He rubbed his head, confusion written all over his face. Even though I was standing right there, looking down at him, his eyes reflected only the swirling curtains, not me. For a second, I thought he could sen me, which really spooked me.  Chase chuckled at himself. “Amanda’s still abroad. No way she could be standing here”  He checked the time; hold only managed two hours of steep all night. With a pounding headache, he rubbed his temples and dialed Mark’s number, hoping Mark had some updates.  The call went unanswered for a bit, deepening Chase’s frown. Just before he was about to hang up, the call  “Mark, what’s happening now?”  finally  went through  “Mr. Reyes, we’ve hit a major snog. We didn’t even reach the park before we ran into local factions clashing, and now… Boom!” A deafening explosion erupted from the other end of the call, leaving nothing but silence in its wake.  “Mark! Are you still there?”  With no response after what felt like forover, Chase’s mind was a tangled mess. He immediately ordered a deeper investigation The findings weren’t pretty–choos had broken out abroad, Shadowmoor was never unified and was carved up by different warlord factions. With its strategic location and easy access to the sea, it had become a criminal hotspot globally  There wasn’t a day of peace; anything profitable was borderline illegal. It was dubbed the “City of Sin,” and ruthless bosses traded human lives like commodities. Life was the cheapest currency here.  Chase had thought that enough cash would make it easy to bring people back, but issues cropped up right from the get–go.  He paced anxiously in his room until Gregory brought some news.  “Mr. Reyes, Mark had terrible timing. He arrived just as the factions clashed. The area is sealed off, and we can’t reach him right now Plus, the conflict’s only getting worse. If we don’t act fast things might spiral out of control.”  “I get it” Chase replied, hanging up. Inside, he was torn, caught between his power and influence and the memories we shared.  So, what was he going to do?  Chase decided to visit the Kennedy family home.  When he arrived, they were in the middle of dinner. I watched my parents handle the dinnerware with my ashes, unaware of its contents, and it was unsettling.  “Chase is here? Butler, set another place at the table for him.”  My parents seemed much better compared to Chase’s worn–out look. It was the weekend, and both my brothers were there, too, treating Chase wormly.  “Hey, Chase, you seem down. Haven’t found my Amanda yet?”  “We’ve spoiled her since day one. Just hang in there a bit more. There’s really nothing to worry about. She’s a grown woman, she can’t just vanish. Odds are she’s hiding somewhere, sulking. She’s like a kid, trying to cause a stir to get attention. Ignore her, and stell calm down.”  Snap! Chase slapped the fork he just picked up onto the table.