Chapter 44
1046words
'Do you know me?' I asked as I got closer to him.
'Emma, you need to go, now. Get out of here!' He fired two shots into the air.
I covered my ears, turned on my heels again and ran. I ran. I ran and I never looked back.
I couldn't help but feel something within me, something strange and common, like a magnet was drawing me in but shielded off because of the situation they had put me through. I ran and thanked God for saving my life and my baby's, and for Cee who didn't pull the trigger.
But why? What stopped him? Judging from the looks of those guys and the drugs they were dealing, I was certain they had killed people before without any remorse. So why did he stop from shooting me?
I kept running straight ahead. I was exhausted and afraid of running into more drug dealers, or a dangerous animal, or something more terrible, but I didn't stop. I kept going and going and going. How big was this damn swamp and where exactly was I heading? Was I even in New York still?
After hours of running, and jumping over muddy puddles, dodging tree branches that scraped my face, crawling up slopes on my hands and knees, prickles and twigs stabbing all over my body, I finally heard the sound of moving vehicles. I came to a road and there was a huge sign: Oyster Bay, Nassau. I exhaled and collapsed to the ground from exhaustion.
The morning sun was already approaching in the sky, chasing away the stormy clouds. I looked up as a vehicle stopped and a woman came over to me.
'Oh my God. Are you alright? Can you hear me?' she asked and took her cellphone and spoke into it frantically.
I closed my eyes and blacked out.
Ethan's POV
I arrived home in the early hours the next morning. The plane ride took eight long hours because of a terrible weather pattern and a lot of turbulence. As I drove up to the mansion, every one of my household employees were lined up in front of the main entrance.
I got out of the car with rage and anger. 'Where's Emma?' I yelled, daring anyone to answer my question without knowledge.
Their eyes only glanced at me.
I was furious. I needed answers and all they could provide was eye contact. My eyes landed on Halley. 'Halley, where's Emma?' I asked again, controlling my anger.
'Sir, all I know is that she was in the room and then Sharon and your mom came after her.'
'Where were you when they left with her?'
'They didn't leave with her. They had someone take her somewhere.'
'Where were you?!'
She began to cry. 'I was locked in the chambers.'
I pushed past everyone and headed inside and upstairs to my bedroom. Things had been scattered around and the bed was unmade. I looked around carefully, hoping that I'd find something to lead me to her. I found pieces of broken glass on the floor next to the bed, and one of the sheets was missing.
Sam, my friend in the police force, came over to investigate and get statements. Apparently, my mom and Sharon knew I was out of town and waited for the perfect opportunity to sabotage my life. They had Halley locked up in the chambers and took away her phone. My two security officers were ambushed and held at gun point by three other men. Mom and Sharon came upstairs to Emma and dragged her out of the room after, first, breaking her phone. That explained the pieces of glass I found. Then, they had someone drive away with her while they got into my mom's car, and fled the country three hours later. Rumor was they were somewhere in Italy; it would be difficult to find them since Sharon knew the country so well, but we would find them, it was only a matter of time.
I needed to find Emma but we wouldn't be able to do that without putting out a missing person's report and alert everyone nationwide, for their assistance with finding her. All I could of think about was her, but when Halley told me she was pregnant, I grew angrier and began to worry about her and the baby. Where were they? Are they alright?
'Sam, find that driver before I find him. I'm about to tear someone apart!'
'Ethan, please. You need to calm down. We'll handle this, and we'll find her.'
'I can't calm down. She's pregnant with my baby and I have no idea where she is. Is she even alive?'
'Remain positive.'
I broke down. I broke down like a baby. Emma was my weakness and my mom and Sharon found it. They hit me where it hurt the most.
But ,why, mother?
What had Emma ever done to her? All I wanted was to marry her and live my life with her, my life!
Sam patted my back and handed me a tissue. I gathered myself and rallied my men. I needed everyone on their toes to find Emma when Sam discovered a led. I was waiting impatiently by the phone, waiting for Emma to find a phone and call me. All I needed was one phone call and I would move mountains to find my fiancee.
For Christ sake, she was pregnant! How could my mother be so evil?
I paced the pavement back and forth as every pair of eyes locked on me. I usually had more than two security guards at the grounds when I was out of the country, but most of the men had families and kids. School was out so they went home to their families. I would never deprived anyone from their family; we're all human beings and we all have personal lives. But when they were informed that Emma was missing, they assembled at the mansion like soldiers, waiting for my command. All ten of them.
