Chapter 3 - The Empty House
The plastic phone slipped from my sweaty fingers and clattered loudly against the metal bed rail.
Richard caught the receiver instantly, pressing it to his own ear, but Kathleen had already disconnected the line.
"She has my baby," I sobbed, the emotional dam finally breaking as hot tears streamed down my bruised face.
Chloe immediately snatched the phone and plugged a small black device into its base to trace the digital footprint of the call.
"I need to get up," I gritted my teeth, clawing frantically at the heavy medical tape holding my IV line in place.
"Amy, please stop, you have two broken legs and fractured ribs," Richard urged gently, trying to hold my hands still.
"I don't care if I have to crawl on my bloody hands and knees, I am not letting that monster keep my daughter!" I screamed into the sterile air.
The young nurse rushed back in with a syringe of sedatives, looking terrified by my violent outburst.
Richard held up a firm hand to stop her before the needle could even touch my skin.
"She needs a clear head, not drugs," Richard commanded with a tone that brooked no argument.
Chloe looked up from her tablet, a fierce light burning in her dark, calculating eyes.
"The call was routed through a proxy server, but I managed to ping a cell tower near Kathleen's suburban home," Chloe announced.
"Take my private helicopter, get a tactical team, and breach that house immediately," Richard ordered without a single second of hesitation.
I watched in stunned silence as a billionaire mobilized a small army just to save my little girl.
The next forty-five minutes felt like drowning in quicksand as I waited helplessly in that hospital bed.
Richard sat by my side the entire time, answering frantic emails on his phone while keeping a watchful eye on my vitals.
Finally, Chloe's voice crackled over the secure radio resting on Richard's lap.
"We have breached the perimeter and cleared all the rooms on the ground floor," Chloe reported amidst the terrifying sound of breaking glass.
My heart pounded furiously against my broken ribs as I prayed to hear Emily's sweet, innocent voice over the comms.
"Target is secure, but you need to see this, Mr. Vance," Chloe's voice returned, sounding strangely tense and unsettled.
"Is my daughter safe?" I begged, leaning as close to the radio as my broken body would allow.
"Amy, Emily isn't here," Chloe said softly.
"We found Kathleen tied to a dining room chair, violently beaten, and holding a handwritten note."
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A cold sweat broke out across my forehead as the absolute horror of the situation deepened.
"The note says Henry took Emily, and if Vance's security team follows him, he will drive his car off the Hawthorne Bridge."
