101
Zeke’s POV
We arrived at the warehouse just as the sky was darkening. We had to be very discreet, to not get caught by the men involved. Anything that would lead to a shootout without first securing my kids was what I was trying to avoid.
Arriving at the doorway leading into the warehouse, I felt a strange chill in the air. The place was eerily quiet, and as I stepped inside, my heart sank. The warehouse had been cleared out completely.
There was no sign of Ellen or anyone else. I walked further in, the emptiness echoing my footsteps.
“Damn it,” I muttered under my breath, pulling out my phone. I dialed my father’s number, needing his guidance.
“What’s the situation?” he answered, his voice stern and filled with authority.
“The warehouse is empty,” I reported, frustration seeping into my tone. “It looks like they just moved out. The place is freshly cleaned.”
There was a pause before he responded. “They couldn’t have left town. We can use this to our advantage. Look for any clues they might have left behind, anything that could lead us to their next location.”
“Okay Sir,” I replied and was about to end the call, but he stopped me.
“Zeke,” he called.
“Yes Sir,” I responded.
“Make sure you find them,” he instructed.
“I have no other option, Sir,” I replied and he ended the call.
I could not bear to lose my kids, to disappoint Kamille, to fail my kids, to fail everyone. I had already made so many mistakes that I would never forgive myself if I couldn’t get my kids home safely.
“What now brother?” Zane said coming up behind me.
“We search for any leading clues. Anything that would point to where the kids are,” I instructed him and he nodded and called the security to order.
They began searching the warehouse. I scanned the area, my eyes searching for any hint of where they could have gone. But the place was spotless, almost as if they had never been there.
I cursed under my breath again, feeling the weight of the situation pressing down on me. The thought of finding a lead that could connect us to the lawyer crossed my mind. Maybe he knew more about their plans.
“Find anything that would lead us to the lawyer,” I instructed Zane. He nodded.
Just as he left, my phone beeped with a message. I opened it.
Kamille has slipped out of the house.
My head spun around, trying to grasp the words staining my phone together. I knew she would want to act on her own, but running off in the middle of the night?
I decided to head back to her apartment first and find out how she may have escaped and possible places she may have had in mind.Text content © NôvelDrama.Org.
As I made my way back to the car, I couldn’t shake off the feeling of dread. I drove back to Kamille’s apartment. But when I arrived, the place felt different. I walked in, my gut confirming to me that something was definitely wrong.
“Kamille?” I called out, my voice echoing through the quiet halls.
Belle and Amanda came rushing towards me, worry etched on their faces. “She’s not here,” Belle said, her voice trembling.
“What do you mean she’s not here?” I demanded, panic rising in my chest.
“We checked the CCTV footage,” Amanda explained. “She boarded a taxi and drove away in the middle of the night.”
I felt my heart stop for a moment. “Can I see the footage?”
Amanda presented the footage to me and I noticed that she had gotten another text message, but I could not see what was written in it.
My mind raced, connecting the dots. Whatever was in that second letter is what drove her out of the house, deciding to take matters into her own hands. I immediately dialed the number of the security team I had placed over the driver.
“Where is she?” I barked as soon as the call connected.
“Sir, the driver from before picked her up. She changed cars a bit later and was last seen heading towards 1457 Lexington Avenue, Lusborg,” the voice on the other end reported.
Fuck it! They’re taking her to that room where she saw the lawyer’s dead proxy.
I clenched my fist, anger and worry battling inside me. “Keep following her. Don’t let her out of your sight.”
I ended the call and turned to Belle and Amanda. “I need to go after. If anything happens, call me immediately.”
“Be careful, Zeke,” Amanda said softly. “She’s been through so much already.”
“I will,” I promised, determination fueling my every step.
I got back into my car and sped towards Lexington Avenue. As I drove, my mind replayed the events of the past few days. Ellen’s treachery, the kidnapping, Kamille’s pain. I had to find her. I had to make this right.
Why would Ellen want Kamille to come to a specific place? What game was she playing?
The puzzle pieces didn’t quite fit together, and that only made me more anxious. Ellen’s manipulation had always been a step ahead, and this time, I couldn’t afford to be caught off guard.
My phone buzzed on the passenger seat, breaking my concentration. A message from Fletcher appeared on the screen. He mentioned something about the drug baron, but I couldn’t afford to divert my attention right now.
I muttered to myself, “I’ll look at it later,” and continued driving, my focus solely on Kamille and the impending confrontation.
When I finally arrived at the address, I saw a car parked outside the same building from the lawyer’s office. I wasn’t afraid of what might happen to me, but of what might happen to Kamille.
I immediately sent a message to Zane and approached the entrance.
The hotel looked deserted, but I knew better than to trust appearances. They might have bought it out.
I pushed the door open, the hinges creaking in protest. Inside, the air was musty and stale. I moved cautiously, my senses on high alert. I called out her name, my voice echoing through the empty space.
“Kamille? Are you here?”
There was no response. I searched room after room, each one as empty as the last. Just when I was about to lose hope, I heard a faint sound coming from the last room and truthfully, as I neared the room, armed men appeared from their hiding places.
“Easy boys,” I said, raising my hands in the air.