Chapter 4 - The Empty Crib
I answered the phone instantly, my heart hammering fiercely against my ribs.
"Mrs. Jenkins, are you and Leo okay?!" I practically screamed into the receiver.
Instead of the sweet, elderly voice of my neighbor, a dark, menacing chuckle echoed through the speaker.
"Your old babysitter is currently taking a very deep nap on the kitchen floor," a gruff, unfamiliar voice taunted.
All the oxygen completely vanished from my lungs as a wave of pure terror washed over me.
"If you touch my son, I will kill you!" I roared, my maternal instincts completely overriding any logical fear.
"Bring Ethan Blackwood to the abandoned shipyards on Pier 4 in exactly one hour," the voice demanded coldly.
"If you bring the cops, or if you are even one minute late, the little boy takes a permanent swim in the river."
The line went completely dead, leaving me staring in absolute, paralyzing horror at the blank screen.
Ethan grabbed my shoulders gently, forcing me to look directly into his fierce green eyes.
"Who was on the phone, Mariah?" he asked, his tone demanding absolute truth.
"They have Leo," I choked out, hot tears streaming uncontrollably down my face.
"They want you to meet them at Pier 4 in an hour, or they are going to kill our baby."
Ethan's face morphed into a mask of pure, unadulterated, demonic rage.
He didn't say another word; he simply grabbed my hand and dragged me out of the shattered classroom.
We sprinted through the chaotic school corridors, stepping over the fallen bodies of Romano soldiers.
Ethan's remaining bodyguards quickly formed a tight, protective diamond formation around us as we exited the rear of the building.
A sleek, heavily armored black SUV was waiting for us with its engine roaring loudly in the alleyway.
Ethan shoved me safely into the backseat and climbed in right beside me.
"Drive to Pier 4 right now, and run over anyone who tries to stop us," Ethan ordered his driver fiercely.
The massive vehicle tore out of the alleyway, weaving aggressively through the dense city traffic.
Ethan pulled a heavy tactical vest from a compartment and began strapping extra magazines to his chest.
"I am so sorry I never told you about him in person," I sobbed, burying my face in my trembling hands.
Ethan stopped loading his weapons and pulled me firmly into his strong, protective embrace.
"I am the one who failed to protect you, Mariah, but I swear on my life I will bring our son home," he vowed softly.
The SUV screeched violently to a halt at the edge of the desolate, foggy shipyards.
Ethan kicked his door open and stepped out into the freezing mist with his assault rifle raised.
As we walked toward the massive, rusting warehouses, a bright spotlight suddenly blinded us completely from above.
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"Drop your weapons, Ethan, or the boy goes over the edge right now!" the gruff voice boomed from a loudspeaker.
We looked up to see a terrifyingly tall man dangling a small, crying bundle precisely over a massive vat of boiling industrial acid.
