I hear them call my work, making sure I was there for my shift.
Making sure I’m not a suspect.
It all blurs together—the voices, the questions, the endless waiting.
All I can do is sit here, hoping for news. Just waiting for someone to tell me they’ve found my family.
When the police finally leave, only Officer Mendoza hangs back.
“Are you okay to be alone?” he asks. “Do you have someone you can call?”
“I’ll be okay,” I manage. “Just…please, let me know if you hear anything.”
He squeezes my shoulder. “We’ll find them.”
Then he’s gone, and the apartment is too quiet, too empty. I can’t stand it.
I pull out my phone and text Liam.
Emma:Emergency
I’m so used to my messages disappearing into the void that I don’t expect anything this time either.
However, this time it says ‘delivered.’ Then ‘read.’
My heart trips over itself.
Suddenly, his name pops up on my phone, calling me.“Emma,” he says. “What’s going on?”
I want to scream and yell.Where have you been? Why answer now? Why unblock me now? What the hell is going on?But all that comes out is a broken sob.
“Someone took my baby, Liam. Someone took Talia. They’re gone.”
He’s quiet for a beat. Then he says something that makes no sense.
“I still have twenty-four hours.”
A lump rises in my throat.
“Liam, what does that mean?”
He goes silent. I can hear him breathing, but he doesn’t say anything.
“Liam!” My voice cracks as I scream into the phone. “What does that mean?”
He finally speaks, voice strained. “Two weeks ago, I got an envelope. It had pictures of you and my mom. There was a threatening note. They want a huge amount of money in fourteen days.”
I squeeze my eyes shut, my teeth gritted so hard I think they might break off in my mouth. “Or what?”
“Or they said they’d kill one of you. You, or my mom.”
I force myself to breathe slowly and steadily. “But why would they take Talia and my son? They’re not me.”
“I don’t know,” he says quietly. “Emma, I had a plan. I’ve been trying to fix this. But things are moving too slowly. I still had twenty-four hours. I was supposed to meet them tomorrow and end this.”
I scream.
I can’t stop.
