"Baby, you don't have to do this, let's go home," she was saying as Ellie stepped further into the room. "You've been through a lot…"
"Mom," Shay shrugged her intruding hand off her shoulder. "I want to help. I…I-Sophie would want me to help."
"Any information you give us is important and we appreciate that you're doing this, Shay. I know how hard it is for you, so I want to thank you."
"My daughter has told you all she has, Ellie. She doesn't have anything else to say to you. We're sorry about your children, but…"
Ellie turned her gaze to her and stepped forward. "My kids are missing, missing, Martha. Kidnapped. Gone. Do you have any idea what the means? Can you, for one second put yourself in my shoes and understand what I'm going through right now? We are all parents here, and so I can relate to your wanting to keep your daughter safe, but if she's my only chance to find my children, I need her to tell me what she knows. Please don't take this away from me."
She was on the border of tears, the telling pricks behind her eyelids dared her to blink and release them, but Ellie refused. She clenched her hands at her sides and kept her gaze on the face of that woman until she relented, face softening. "We'll do anything we can to help you."
Ellie nodded. "Thank you." then promptly turned her attention to the eleven-year-old standing inches away. "What can you tell us?"
"Like I said before, Sophie and I were playing catch right outside, when we heard Dylan scream for Bella run. We dropped the ball and ran to where we heard his voice. Sophie's a lot faster than me, so she got there first. But everything happened so fast and the next thing I know I see the van hit her." The evidence of her words painted red the unforgiving asphalted road, Ellie had seen it herself and each time she recalled it to memory, her stomach turned.
"And then what happened?" She'd heard it several times already, but Ellie pushed to hear it again, futilely hoping that they'd missed something...anything.
"They took her and dragged her into the van."
"Who are they? Did you see what they looked like?" Ellie anxiously asked.
Shay shook her head and worried her bottom lip, her inability to provide anything helpful made her feel useless and stupid. "I didn't get a chance to see their faces. All I remember is that the one who grabbed Sophie had dirty blond hair, kinda wavy."
"That's fine, you're doing fine. Do you remember anything else?"
As though that question caught a fuse and sparked something in her brain, Shay's light blue eyes widened and she nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah! Yeah I remember the first part of the license plate! Its 57V." she turned her excited gaze first to officer black and then to Ellie. "That helps right? Can't you track down the car that way?"
It was more hope than they'd had in the two hours. "That's a very big help, sweetie, thank you."
"We'll get right on it." On his way out, officer Black cocked his head to his shoulder and radioed the dispatcher on the other line.
"We'll be leaving now, Ellie. It's getting late and tomorrow is a school day." Ellie knew Martha wasn't being purposely callous, she was just tactless.
"I understand and I appreciate your support. Thank you for allowing Shay to stay awhile."
"We'll keep you and your children in our prayers."
"You're much too kind, thank you. Shay, you've been so helpful tonight, I don't know how I can ever repay you, but I promise to bake you the best oatmeal cookies when this is all done."
Shay flushed. "You're welcome, Ms. Holbrook. And…and I hope you find Sophie, Bella and Dylan."
"Thank you, I hope we do too." Staid Mr. Morris herded his family out of the Holbrook residence, probably never to return. Of course, that was fine by Ellie, so long as Shay and Sophie remained friends, her parents could cheerfully go to hell.
"We will find them, Ellie. You just have to keep faith." Both Ronnie and Maddie came to her side to comfort her. Ellie wanted so much to take solace in their words but she couldn't. Acknowledging that her children were gone, realizing that they wouldn't be spending tonight or God forbid even the next night in their warm beds, was a glaring fact she wasn't nearly ready to face yet. Ellie couldn't stop. She couldn't stand still and think. She couldn't do anything but focus all her energy of finding them. Her children had to be found.
"Did you hear anything from Gabe or Devlin yet?" As they spoke, Devlin and Gabe were driving around the neighborhood doing all they could to find the missing children and at Ronnie's disappointing head shake it seemed they weren't having any sort of luck.
"Can you call them and ask them to come home?"
"Speaking of calling people, have you called Nicholas yet, Ellie? I mean, I don't want to be the voice of reason here, but I think he should be here too."
Nicholas. She'd wittingly avoided thinking of him. To think of Nicholas was to think of the conversation that would inevitably take place between them. For so long now Ellie had had only herself to rely on when it came to her kids. Yes, Gabe had helped her immensely over the years, but the responsibility of her children had always fallen on Ellie. Now it seemed she had to share that responsibility with another person, but not really another person, because Devlin had been just another person who despite loving them with his entire being wasn't Bella and Dylan's biological father. That title fell to Nicholas.
So Ellie had to tell her ex-lover that their children had been kidnapped. She silently wondered how one managed such a feat without succumbing to grief and guilt?
"Call him later."
"No," she said quietly to Ronnie. "Maddie is right. I should've called him when it all happened. He needs to know what's going on and I should be the one to tell him." She warily sighed, "I'll be in my bedroom, let me know if they find out anything."
Ronnie nodded pulling Ellie into her arms, "The very minute. Stay strong, Ellie, and it'll all be over before you know it. You just have to be strong."
God! Ellie inwardly wailed, the tears were surfacing again and like before, she blinked them away, refusing to let them fall.
Apprehension pooling at the pit of her stomach, Ellie closed her bedroom door and leaned against it. She took a moment and closed her eyes, but promptly opened them at the sudden flash of her kids behind the orangey lids. She inhaled through her nostrils and released a shuddering sigh.
It had to be done.
She headed towards her bed, took a seat and picked up the cordless phone. Ellie held the phone to her chest for a moment, trying to muster the strength to dial Nicholas’s number. This was supposed to be his direct line, the number given after the Dylan baseball incident. The endless rings tortured Ellie. She wanted it to continue to ring and ring and prolong her agony, but another part of her wanted Nicholas to pick up the phone and put an end to it. Ellie wanted Nicholas to…
"Hello, Bells."
Ellie's heart smashed against her sternum and began to accelerate at the sound Nicholas's voice. Gravelly and yet so tender, it was more comfort to her than all the reassuring words she'd heard over the last few hours, and before she even realized what was happening, before she could even think to stop it, her eyes flooded and her chest constricted and she pressed her hand to her mouth to contain her oncoming sob.
"Hello…Bella?" He sounded concerned. Ellie could picture his facial expression without even trying. There'd probably be that little pucker between his brows. She could imagine him sitting in his wingback chair, laid back, strong dexterous fingers restlessly tapping on some smooth surface, waiting for a response, a response that would never come.
"Isabella…"
Ellie closed her eyes, the tears streamed down her cheeks, wet, and warm they trickled like rivulets and she let them.
"Nicholas…Nicky, it’s me." She murmured.
"Ellie?" Ellie swallowed, licked her lips and nodded as though he could see her.
"Yeah, it's Me." she croaked. "Nicky…?"
"What's wrong?"
“The…the kids…" she hiccupped, unable to speak, the pain was too much.
; "Ellie, please, you're scaring me, what's going on? What about the kids?"
"They're gone..." Saying it made it too real.
"What do you mean they're gone? Where exactly have they gone?"
"I don't know! They were kidnapped and it's all my fault! God! Nicky, they're gone…"
"Ellie, Elle listen to me, okay. You need to calm down. I need you to calm down, you listening to me?"
"Yes."
"Good. Just give me a few hours and I'll be there."
"Nicky…"
"A few hours, Ellie, no more. Wait for me. I'm going to hang up now, I have a few phone calls to make, but I promise you everything will be okay. I promise you that." His assurance was like a balm to Ellie's agonized soul and in those words, she found solace. She heard the click on the other line and soon after she settled the phone back in its cradle.
Ellie reclined back on her bed, with knees raised to her chest. She sighed and allowed herself the tears. The weight of the world set between her shoulders, she felt as if she would collapse from the cumbersome burden. She sniffed and dug the pads of her fingers into her closed eyes, a mild punishment for her negligence. She felt like such a failure and now Nicholas was aware of it.
Their conversation hadn't gone exactly as she'd expected. For one, she hadn't meant to breakdown and cry as she had. There'd been a lot less screaming too, she'd anticipated yelling, a reprimand of sorts for having been so careless. Ellie had wanted Nicholas to yell at her, for someone, anyone to just castigate her for her actions at least then the pain would've made the guilt less profound, the sorrow less painful.
"Ellie?" the unexpected hand on her shoulder startled her and she jumped. Seeing Devlin's face illuminated by the yellow glow of the lamp sitting on the bedside table, Ellie forced herself to relax. She swiped her hands beneath her eyes and looked up.
"Hi Dev.”
Wordlessly Devlin pulled her to his sturdy chest. Strong arms enveloped her body and held her close. Ellie felt Devlin's kiss on her head and she closed her eyes, buried her face in Devlin's shirt and inhaled his scent. It felt good to have something familiar and sturdy to hold onto.
"We'll find them, Ellie. The police are doing everything they can. The entire city is on alert, we'll find them."
Ellie pulled away and nodded. "Your right, we will find them." She stood and would've stepped away had Devlin's hand not shot out to grab her wrist.
Ellie glanced at him, "What?"
"Don't pull away."
Ellie closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "I'm not."
"You can't just bottle everything up, Ellie. Talk to me, I'm here for you."
"God, Dev!" Ellie wrenched her hand away. "I don't have time for this right now." At Devlin's wounded look, Ellie lowered her voice and tried to rein in her agitation. "I…I just can't. I need to find my kids. I don't want to talk, I don't want to cry. I just want to find them."
Devlin stood, "Can you at least let me comfort you?"
Ellie stepped into his open arms, feeling like the worst sort of person, she hugged Devlin back." I'm sorry," she whispered. "This is killing me."
"Just remember that I'm always here for you. You can always count on me, Ellie." Ellie fought the urge not to ponder at the fate of their relationship. She couldn't think of anything else except for finding her children.
"I love you."
"I love you too." She parroted, then pulled away and wanly smiled. "Are you hungry? I'm going to make us something to eat." She walked away then without waiting for a response, but knowing that he would, Devlin followed Ellie like the loyal, caring and loving watchdog that he was.
~*~*~*~
She slipped from unconsciousness in various degrees. First becoming aware of the hammering headache assaulting her skull and the painful aches pulling at every inch of her body. Sophie opened her eyes slowly and greeted darkness. For a brief moment, she believed she'd gone blind and she began to panic but quickly calmed as she sighted the slice of light from beneath the closed door. The events of what led her here came flooding back, each image as vivid and clear as the last, all the way up to the moment the van hit her.
Bella and Dylan. Her mind whispered. She had to find them!
In her haste to sit up from her prone position on the hard mattress she'd been resting on, pain sluiced through her body and rendered her weak. Sophie chomped on her bottom lip to stifle the groan she wanted to release. Her entire body felt as if she'd been dipped into an inferno and the scorching flames mercilessly licked every fiber of her being. With the stubborn Holbrook pride her mother always told her she'd inherited, Sophie decided that she had to try. Only when she found her brother and sister safe, would she allow herself the luxury of wallowing in her pain, but right now, Bella and Dylan needed her.
Resolutely, with more nerve and gumption then women twice her size, Sophie gritted her teeth against the biting pain and sat up from the bed. Cold sweat further adding to her annoyance and agony, beaded against her flesh, but the young girl persevered. Breathing through her nostrils, she drew her legs across the mattress and unto the cold floor. Breath came faster and faster, her heart accelerated, her vision blurred and the distinct feeling of nausea clawed a path up her throat.
Too obstinate to give up when she'd accomplished this much. Sophie dove her fingers in the thin sheets on the bed and attempted to stand. The very minute the entirety of her weight settled on her legs, Sophie opened her mouth and wailed. The pain too much, Sophie collapsed. The tears came then, of both pain and anger, they streamed down her cheeks and fell unto her fisted hands.
The door opened with a bang and soon after flooded the dark room with light. Ellie immediately closed her eyes, the light too bright to support.
"Stupid kid, thought you were supposed to be smart," the one to blame for her plight approached and had Sophie the strength she would've lunged for that throat and squeezed. "Thought you'd get far crawling across the room?" Sophie remained silent and continued to stare, her eyes adjusting to the florescent light.
He off stood a little ways off from where she currently sat resembling a bat from hell. From head to toe, the clothes he wore consisted primarily of black or an off color of the former. Black T-shirt, black jeans and beat up sneakers that were more grayish brown then the original white. He was skinny Sophie could tell, but he also had enough bulk on his wiry frame to carry off his intimidating look. His hair running in perfect unison with his clothes fell in dark waves on his shoulders; the light haloed the greasiness of each strand.
As though to give Sophie a better angle at his features he crouched down and lifted dark brows, a derisive smirk lifting the corners of his ruby stained lips. "Like lookin in a mirror, eh kid?" His mocking smirk widened at Sophie's puzzled look. "Guess your Mom's been a little tight-lipped about me, huh? Wouldn't want to fuck with her precious daughter's mind, Mhmm?" Sophie remained silent.
"Not gonna talk?" Obsidian eyes, a perfect reflection of his own stared back at Tony, seemingly oblivious to the words he spoke. "You really don't know, do you?"
"Where are my brother and sister?"
Tony stared at his daughter with knitted brow, "Safe…for now."
"Who the hell are you and what the hell do you want?" unable to deal with her judging midnight eyes, Tony stood and began to pace the expanse of the room, which wasn't much. More of a cell than anything else, the room contained shabby furniture, if it could even be called that.
The bed and mattress where probably the only thing that constituted as furniture and even then, they were nothing more than a failed attempt. The mattress had been a find on a hooker and junkie infested street the first few weeks he'd moved in. The sheets he'd stolen from the corner Laundromat were at least clean and the bed frame had been left by the previous inhabitants of his roach infested apartment.
There was a milk crate to the far left, below the boarded window, which safeguarded whatever clothes he'd amassed over the last few months and just beside it was a slate grey safe that held whatever was
left of his worldly possessions. Aside from the mural of photos, he'd taken of Ellie and her family, the room and its off-white walls were disturbingly vacant.
"Who I am doesn't really matter. What I want…well, it isn't a matter of what rather than who I want and if I know the arrogant bastard, he'll be smart enough to find us soon." He didn't appear to be worried, in fact, looking at his grinning mug, Sophie feared that he was almost anticipating it. A criminal looking forward to being found was never a good thing. "That's enough chit chat. You shouldn't even be out of bed, come on, let's get you in bed," he approached Sophie, but those spitting dark pools put a halt to his strides.
"Stay the hell away from me."
The venom in that voice took Tony aback as did the unexpected flash of Ellie's face contemptuously glaring back of him. Blinking twice in the attempt to gather his bearings, Tony opened his eyes and inwardly breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the girl and not Ellie's face.
"Can't do that, kid." He reached out his hands and made to grab her, but his hands were smacked away. On instinct, Tony would've lashed out and smashed his fist against that face, but with patience he'd also learnt restraint and so he balled his fist and bared his teeth. "Get in the fucking bed."
"Screw you."
Pressing his face close enough that he saw the dilated pupils of Sophie's eyes, Tony wrapped his fingers around his daughter's neck and tilted her head back until it touched the bed. "Don't fuck with me kid," he gritted through clenched teeth, "otherwise your little half siblings won't live to see tomorrow." He added just the slightest bit of pressure. "Hear me?"
Redemption (The Bet) Page 24