CHAPTER 80
LILY’S POV
One of the parents called the police. After they arrived, they asked a few questions and decided it was best to shut down the park temporarily until the case was resolved. However, they stated they wouldn’t take action immediately to find my kids till after forty-eight hours which drove me on the brink of madness.
“You can’t be doing this,” I said desperately, chasing after the policeman who had just questioned me and said that. He was walking back to his patrol car, ready to leave already. “You and your colleagues have to act now and find my kids. I need to be with them. The more time we waste, the more danger they could be in.”
“Ma’am, I understand you’re worried, but our policy requires waiting 48 hours before classifying someone as missing. Most cases like this resolve themselves quickly before we could even intervene.” He said in a detached tone, taking the matter unseriously as he opened his car door, about to enter.
But I stopped him. Desperation and the need to be heard and taken seriously drove me to push the door, slamming it shut before he could get in. “They’re kids! They’re only nine! They wouldn’t just wander off like this and they’re probably scared wherever they are now.”
He stared at me like I’d lost my mind, his lips pressed into a tight, furious line. “Ma’am those are the rules and as an officer of the law, I have no choice but to follow them. You’ll have to recheck with the park security, and maybe retrace your steps. They’re kids. They might have wandered off with a friend to their place or something.”
As far as I know, none of their friends from school or our neighbourhood came to the park so there was no way they could have run off with them. Someone took them or might have lured them out with something. I just know it.
Despair and anger mixed in my voice. “None of their friends came to this park. Someone took my kids. In emergencies like this, every second counts, and you’re asking me to wait? What if something terrible happens to them?”
“You’re wasting my time, ma’am. We can’t treat this as a priority until the time frame passes,” he said, still firm in his decision. “We’ll keep in touch. If after 48 hours your kids don’t return, give us a call and we’ll swing into action. Till then, there is nothing we can do. Now, if you could please step away from the car and not bother me again, or I might be forced to arrest you for obstructing an officer in the line of duty.”
I stared at him with my mouth hanging open in shock as he entered his vehicle, and drove off without a second thought. The sound of the stupid siren pierced the atmosphere before fading as he sped away. What type of system is this? I never knew the police could be this way. I felt alone like I didn’t matter. Like I have been treated unfairly.
This was a serious case of kidnapping. Without their help, it’ll be difficult for me to find my kids. But they might as well go to hell. Forty-eight hours felt like an eternity being apart from my kids. It was time I couldn’t afford to waste. Every second counts. The longer I wait the more their lives could be in danger. My kids were my number one priority in life, my everything, the reason I keep pushing. If I can’t depend on the police to find them then I’ll have to grab the bull by the horns and do things my way. Whoever took them from me will pay with their blood. This was the height of it. They could mess with me all they wanted, but touching even a single hair on my children’s heads was crossing the line.
“I’ll go recheck with the park security,” Jane smiled faintly and rubbed my shoulders soothingly
I gave her a slight nod and watched with sadness in my eyes as she headed toward the park security office. She had been a tremendous help, comforting and supporting me through this nightmare. Even though I didn’t see the point of her rechecking with park security as we had done that countless times without success, I let her go, knowing she was doing everything she could to help.
I surveyed the surroundings. Dusk was fast approaching. Most parents had already left with their kids, and the police had put up a caution tape across the perimeter before leaving to keep people from entering the park, signalling that it was off-limits for now.
A short distance away from the park, right where his SUV was parked, I saw Noah with Scarface and Hawkeyes. His expression was stern, his annoyance evident as he scolded them harshly.
“I don’t understand how you two could have let this happen. If you can’t protect Lily and her kids, then why am I paying you all that huge amount of money? I think it’s time I fired you two because you have proven to be incompetent and useless!”
I heard Noah’s enraged voice as I approached.
“Please don’t fire them,” I pleaded, grabbing his attention. “It’s my fault this happened. They have been doing an excellent job looking after my kids and me. I was the one that sent them away on breaks, thinking my friend and I had everything under control.”
Noah let out a low sigh. He avoided their gaze and flung his hand, dismissing them. They bowed slightly before leaving.
“What did the police say?” He asked.
“They’re a bunch of idiots,” I replied, my expression hardening into a scowl as I looked away, releasing a sharp breath through my flared nostrils. “They’re useless. They said they can’t do anything until the forty-eight-hour window passes.”
“Fuck…” He muttered under his breath and sighed loudly in frustration, pinching the bridge of his nose. “What do we do now? Forty-eight hours is too long. We can’t wait till then. Do you think Robert might have done this?” He asked, keeping his gaze on me.
After opening up to him about my past, telling him the real reason I fled New York to LA with my kids, I expected him to ask that. At first, I was doubtful about telling him. But after everything we’ve been through and how he trusted me with his secrets, I felt so safe and secure around him that I trusted him even with my life.
I let out a heavy, shaky breath, a bitter frown settling on my face as my thoughts spiralled into chaos. I didn’t know what to say or think anymore. “Honestly Noah, I’m tired. I don’t know what to think anymore.” I voiced.
He came closer and placed a comforting hand on my shoulder. His tall broad figure towered over me like a fortress and the warmth from his palm transferred to the bare skin of my shoulder, exposed by the thin strap of my off-the-shoulder top.
“You can’t be tired, Lily,” he said. “Your kids need you now more than anything. Rest assured I won’t rest until we’ve found whoever did this and made him pay.”
His words rekindled my lost hope and lifted my spirits. I lifted my gaze to him and gave a firm nod.
“If Robert is behind this, that means I’ll have to travel back to New York to confront him. But I have to be a hundred per cent sure. I can’t make any rash decisions now because going back to New York is the last thing I want to do.”
“That’s true,” He bit into his lip as if in deep thought.
“But one thing is for sure,” I continued. “Whoever was behind the previous attacks no doubt is behind this one too. And he chose to hit me where it hurts the most by getting to my kids. That also means they’re spying on me, watching every move we make. If we can find out who it is then finding my kids won’t be a difficult task.”
That was when that taxi driver who tried to drive me off the bridge crossed my mind.
“What about the taxi driver?” I asked. “Is he awake now? Has he been interrogated? What did he say?”
“He’s conscious now but he hasn’t said anything.”
“Give me your car keys.” I brought out my hand.
“Why?” His brows scrunched up in slight confusion.
“I guess it’s time I paid that bastard a visit,” I said with a clenched jaw.