Total pages in book: 26
Estimated words: 23918 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 120(@200wpm)___ 96(@250wpm)___ 80(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 23918 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 120(@200wpm)___ 96(@250wpm)___ 80(@300wpm)
Turning back, I see Emma’s mom has tears running down her face. “He came and took her, didn’t he?” she whispers, and I barely hear it. Her husband goes to her, taking her in his arms.
“Who took her?” I ask. “Who?” My voice goes higher than it should, Nion grabbing my arm.
“Ryan.” Her father’s voice is tight. “He came to get her. He said he would, but we just thought he was full of it.” He shakes his head while he continues to hold his wife, who is now sobbing quietly.
“I want everything on this guy, and I mean everything. I want to know when he took his last fucking meal.” I turn to Nion, who is already on the phone talking to God knows who.
“We have footage,” Skylar calls, running up to us with her phone to her ear. “Come with me.” We all hurry, following her into the house. “You’re not going to like this.” She turns down the hallway leading us to the room where we keep the video surveillance of the grounds. Walking in, I see the two security guards that usually watch the gate.
“Who the fuck is watching the gate?”
“It’s locked down,” one of them stutters out, staring at me with wide eyes.
“Show him,” Skylar orders, motioning to the screen, and I feel everyone come into the room behind me.
The guard presses one button, and we all stare at the monitor and watch as Emma jumps out of the window, landing on her feet, and a man jumping out of the window right after her. Emma tries to run, but she doesn’t get far, because the guy yanks her arm hard and her face contorts in pain.
My hands clench at my sides while I watch him walk to the side of the house, putting his hand over Emma’s mouth. Then there is a different angle, and this time he has a gun to Emma’s stomach while her hand tries to protect our child as he drags her toward a white car. He opens the front door, and right before he pushes her in, he hits her over the head with the gun and she falls like a ragdoll.
Her mom’s wails are shrieking at this point, but I don’t take my eyes off the screen, where we see the white car drive out of the gate that closes right behind him.
I close my eyes. “Call in reinforcements. Call in every single fucking favor I have. I want her back. I want her back yesterday.” Behind my lids, all I see is her smile.
I’m pacing back and forth in the living room. I want to be out helping, but the police said all I would do is cause a media circus, and it sucks knowing they are right. People are coming in and out. Emma’s mom has finally stopped crying and is now resting, thanks to a sleeping pill we slipped into her coffee. I don’t know how much time has passed; all I know is I hear whispers that the longer it goes, the harder it will be to find her, and I can’t believe that. I can’t and won’t let that happen.
The cops came to get a copy of the tape and found out the car was stolen and the plates were fake, bringing us back to square one.
“You need to stop pacing and save your energy,” Skylar says from her place on the couch. She has called in every single person we’ve ever had business with. I’m about to snap back at her when Nion comes running into the room.
“The car has been spotted.”
“Where?” I ask, following him down the hall toward the garage.
“I’m putting it in the GPS now.”
“Did they tell you if Emma is okay?”
“No, but—”
“But what? Tell me!” I roar.
“She’s not in there, but there was blood found in the back,” he says quietly. “A lot of blood.”
“He better fucking pray the police find him before I do, because I’m going to kill him with my bare hands.”
“Don’t even fucking think about it.”
Releasing the door handle, I swallow and close my eyes, only to open them back up immediately when the car swerves to the right then back to the left.
“Please slow down,” I urge as Ryan tries to keep the car under control while he ties a piece of his torn shirt over the wound on his arm. A wound he got when I came across a pair of garden shears after he forced me out the window. I didn’t get him in the chest where I was aiming, but I did get him.
Touching the skin under my eye, I wince. I know without looking that there is a bruise on my cheek from where he backhanded me after he caught me by my hair when I tried to get away from him. “Stupid, stupid woman, you belong to me.” His head turns my way and our eyes lock. “You belong to me!” he snarls, and I see the monster inside of him lurking near the surface. If I’m not careful, I may not make it out of this alive. I might not ever get to pick out a wedding dress or say I do to Liam, or see him with our child.