Chapter 437
[ 543 words ]
Chapter 437:
“She was supposed to take Ruby to a family event this morning,” Frank explained, his voice trembling with fear. “But when I tried calling them, both of their phones were switched off. I went to their place, and nobody was there. The neighbors said they saw them leave in a black car early this morning. Lianne, I can’t find any trace of where that car went. Tracy would never turn off her phone for no reason!”
A crushing sense of panic swept over me, so intense it felt impossible to breathe.
Tracy and Ruby meant everything to me. Especially Ruby. She was my entire world.
“I’m on my way!” I shouted. Without thinking, I shoved the car door open and jumped out.
“Lianne! Where are you going?”
B𝘦 pаr𝘁 𝘰f 𝗼𝘶r 𝖼о𝗺m𝗎𝗻і𝗍y о𝗇 𝘨a𝗅𝗇𝘰𝘷𝘦𝗅𝗌.с𝘰𝗆
Noticing something was wrong, Ethan immediately followed after me. His long strides closed the distance in seconds. He caught my arm and pulled me to a stop.
His sharp eyes locked onto my pale face. “What happened?” he asked.
“Let go of me!” I fought against his grip, tears spilling uncontrollably down my cheeks. “Tracy is missing! I have to find her!”
Ethan frowned. “Who is Tracy?”
“She’s my best friend!” I cried. “She… she disappeared along with my family!” I shook my head before he could offer any help. “Don’t come after me! Please stay out of this!”
I couldn’t drag him into this.
With all my strength, I pulled free and sprinted away.
The roaring wind rushed past my ears, and my heart pounded in my chest.
I was overwhelmed with fear. All I could do was pray. Pray that Ruby was safe. Pray that she hadn’t fallen into the hands of someone cruel.
I rushed out of the underground parking garage, my thoughts in complete chaos. Acting purely on instinct, I waved down a taxi waiting near the curb.
“Brinewick! Hurry!” My voice came out almost as a scream. I gripped the seatbelt so tightly that my fingernails dug into my skin, yet I couldn’t feel the pain.
Tracy’s sudden disappearance meant something was wrong. She’d never shut off her phone while Ruby was with her.
An unbearable sense of dread ran through me.
Then, as the taxi sped onto an overpass, my phone vibrated.
A text message from an unknown number appeared on the screen. “If you want your daughter to live, do exactly as instructed. If you contact the police or ask anyone for help, I’ll send you one of her fingers.”
The blood drained from my face. Every part of me turned cold, as though I had been thrown into a frozen lake.
“Ruby…” Her name came out of my lips in a broken whisper as tears streamed down my cheeks.
The next second, the taxi slammed to a halt at an isolated intersection.
The driver slowly turned around. A black mask covered most of his face. Only his eyes were visible, and they looked cold and sinister.
He murmured, “Ms. Riley, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”
My body froze instantly. I reached for the door handle without thinking. But before I could move any further, the driver spoke again. “If I were you, I wouldn’t do anything reckless. Your daughter Ruby is crying for you right now.”
My hand paused.
In that instant, I understood everything. Their true target had never been Tracy or Ruby. They wanted me.
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