Chapter 40 Cross road
Elara felt sick because hearing it confirmed what she'd known but made it real in a way documentation couldn't.
"There are six hours of recordings like this," Jessica said. "All admissible in court with proper authentication."
"What does Mandivus want in return?" Kai asked.
"Testimony from Ms. Whitmore that he provided protective services in the borderlands," Jessica said. "That their arrangement was mutually beneficial rather than coercive."
"That's a lie," Elara said. "He threatened to let me die if I didn't agree to his terms."
"He's willing to be flexible on the exact wording," Jessica said. "The point is to establish that he wasn't solely predatory in his actions."
"So he wants me to help rehabilitate his image while he's in prison," Elara said.
"He wants to ensure he gets out eventually," Jessica corrected. "And he's offering valuable evidence in exchange."
"I need to think about it," Elara said.
"You have twenty-four hours," Jessica said and left her card. "After that the offer expires and my client pursues other options."
She left and Elara sat in silence trying to process what she'd just heard.
"You're not seriously considering this," Kai said.
"I'm considering whether putting your father away forever is worth giving Mandivus a shorter sentence," Elara said.
"He tried to take our son," Kai said. "He killed Sarah and Marcus, he doesn't deserve any leniency."
"I know," Elara said. "But if those recordings can guarantee Darius never gets out, isn't that worth something?"
"Not if it means letting another monster walk free eventually," Kai said.
Before Elara could respond, Margaret rushed in looking panicked. "Adrian's missing from the playgroup, we can't find him anywhere."
Elara's heart stopped. "What do you mean missing?"
"He was playing with blocks one minute and gone the next," Margaret said. "We've searched the entire community center."
Elara ran for the door with Kai right behind her, and they drove to the community center where pack members were searching every room.
"Adrian!" Elara shouted. "Adrian baby where are you?"
No response and panic clawed at her throat as they searched closets and bathrooms and storage rooms with no sign of him.
"Check the security footage," Kai ordered and a guard pulled it up on a tablet.
They watched as Adrian played with other children, then got up and walked toward a back exit where an older woman took his hand and led him outside.
"Who is that?" Elara demanded.
"I don't know," the guard said. "She's not registered as pack."
"Find her," Kai said. "Now."
Guards spread out searching the territory while Elara felt like she was drowning because someone had taken her son right from under their noses.
Her phone buzzed with a text from an unknown number containing a photo of Adrian sleeping peacefully on a couch with a message: "He's safe with me. For now. Check your email."
Elara's hands shook as she opened her email to find a message from an account labeled "A Friend."
The email read: "Adrian is unharmed and being cared for. This is a demonstration of how vulnerable you are despite Alpha protection. If you want him back, meet me at the following address alone. You have two hours. Tell anyone and the boy disappears permanently."
An address in neutral territory followed, a location Elara didn't recognize.
"What is it?" Kai asked, seeing her face.
"Nothing," Elara lied and deleted the email. "I need some air."
She walked outside and stood in the parking lot trying to decide what to do—go alone and risk a trap, or tell Kai and risk whoever had Adrian following through on their threat.
Her phone rang from the same unknown number.
"Did you get my email?" a woman's voice asked.
"Who are you?" Elara demanded.
"Someone who wants to help you," the woman said. "But first we need to talk, alone, no Alpha, no guards."
"Why should I trust you?" Elara asked.
"Because I'm the only one who knows what really happened two years ago," the woman said. "The full truth about your rejection, about Kai's plan, about everything."
"What do you mean?" Elara asked.
"Meet me and find out," the woman said. "Two hours, come alone, or Adrian stays with me."
The call ended and Elara stood there torn between maternal instinct and survival instinct, knowing that either choice could be fatal.