Chapter 5 - The Missing Boy
I dropped my cell phone on the concrete like it was burning my skin.
Daniel had completely outsmarted me and cut off all my resources.
My bank accounts were undoubtedly frozen and my face was on every news channel.
Elena whispered that we needed to get out of the city before sunrise.
She said she knew a safe house owned by a former friend in the mountains.
I nodded, but a sickening realization suddenly hit me like a freight train.
I grabbed Elena by the shoulders and told her we could not leave yet.
My seven-year-old son, Leo, was still at home with that psychotic monster.
I could not abandon my little boy to a man who sells children to syndicates.
Elena warned me that going back to my house was a guaranteed suicide mission.
I told her that a mother never leaves her child behind.
We stole an old pickup truck that had the keys left in the ignition.
Elena drove the truck while I held my newborn son tightly against my chest.
We parked the truck in the dense woods directly behind my upscale neighborhood.
I told Elena to stay in the vehicle and keep the doors locked no matter what.
I crept through my own backyard and hid behind the large oak tree.
The house was completely dark, but a black security van was parked in the driveway.
I managed to pry open the basement window and slide quietly into the darkness.
I tiptoed up the wooden stairs and checked Leo’s bedroom on the second floor.
The bed was empty and his favorite stuffed animal was missing.
I ran to the master bedroom and found it completely deserted as well.
My heart shattered as I realized I was entirely too late.
The house phone on the bedside table suddenly began to ring loudly.
I slowly picked up the receiver and held it to my trembling ear.
May you like
Daniel’s cold, arrogant voice echoed through the speaker.
He told me he knew I would be foolish enough to come back for Leo.
