As we drove, every second felt like an eternity. My heart pounded as I glanced around, trying to remember every detail of the route we took. The buildings grew sparser, and soon the city’s familiar landscape was replaced by vacant lots and abandoned warehouses. My captors said nothing, and I could feel their silent threats hanging heavy in the air.
Finally, the car pulled up to an old, looming building. It looked like it hadn’t been touched in years, with cracked windows and walls stained by the elements. The men hauled me out of the car, and I fought the urge to scream, knowing it would fall on deaf ears out here.
They led me through a metal door, its rusty hinges groaning as it swung open, revealing a dimly lit staircase that spiraled upward. My stomach twisted as we climbed higher and higher, the echo of our footsteps bouncing off the walls. I clutched my son close, his small arms wrapped around my neck as he whimpered softly, sensing my fear.
We reached a floor near the top, where a large, empty room awaited. The men left me standing in the center of the cold, dusty space and exited, leaving only silence in their wake. I barely had a moment to catch my breath before a familiar figure emerged from the shadows: Adrianne.
She stepped forward, her gaze cold and unfeeling. “Emma,” she drawled, a twisted smile tugging at her lips. “How brave of you to come all this way to protect your little family. But you should have known I’d find you eventually.”
I straightened, steeling myself despite the fear clawing at my insides. “Adrianne, whatever you think you’re doing, it won’t work. Harrison will come for us.”
She laughed, a harsh, chilling sound. “Oh, Harrison? That weakling?” She scoffed. “By the time he finds you, it will be too late. And you? You’ll be nothing but a memory.”
My son whimpered, clinging tightly to me as Adrianne took a slow step forward, her eyes fixed on him with a gleam of malice. “Hand him over, Emma,” she said, stretching out her hand. “He doesn’t belong with you. He belongs with me, where he’ll be safe. I can give him everything you can’t.”
I shook my head, backing away. “I won’t let you take him. He’s my son.”
Adrianne’s smile faded, her expression darkening. “You think you can defy me?” She moved closer, her voice a low, venomous whisper. “You’re nothing, Emma. And I will take what’s mine, whether you like it or not.”
Without warning, she lunged forward, snatching my son from my arms. I screamed, reaching out, but her grip was iron-like, and she shoved me back, her eyes flashing with triumph.
“Goodbye, Emma,” she hissed, her voice dripping with contempt.
Before I could regain my balance, she gave me a hard push, sending me stumbling backward toward the staircase. The world seemed to tilt as I lost my footing, and then I was falling down the steps, my body tumbling helplessly as each impact sent pain jolting through me. The cold, unyielding metal of the stairs bruised and cut me, and by the time I reached the bottom, my vision was blurred, and my whole body ached.
Through the fog of pain, I saw Adrianne standing at the top, holding my son in her arms. She gave me one last, hateful look before disappearing from sight, leaving me broken and alone in the depths of the abandoned building.
*************
Back at the apartment, Harrison and Rachel were frantic. After calling in every favor and reaching out to old contacts, they’d tracked Adrianne’s location to the outskirts of the city. Harrison’s face was set in grim determination, the weakness from his injury overridden by sheer willpower as they raced toward the address they’d uncovered.
The building loomed ahead as they approached, an ominous structure silhouetted against the darkening sky. They slipped inside, moving quietly up the stairs, their ears straining for any hint of where I might be.
At the top of a stairwell, they finally spotted me, lying bruised and battered on the cold, concrete floor. Harrison’s heart clenched as he ran to my side, dropping to his knees as he gently gathered me into his arms.
“Emma,” he whispered, his voice breaking as he took in my injuries. “I’m so sorry… I should’ve been here sooner.”
I managed a weak smile, relief flooding through me at the sight of him. “She… she took him, Harrison. She took our son.”
Rage burned in his eyes, but he forced himself to stay calm, brushing a gentle hand over my cheek. “I swear, we’ll get him back. She won’t win this.”
Rachel knelt beside us, her face a mixture of worry and determination. “We’ll find them, Emma. Adrianne won’t get away with this.”
As Harrison helped me to my feet, a fierce resolve settled over us all. Adrianne had made her move, and now it was time to make ours. The fight wasn’t over yet if anything, it was just beginning.