Chapter 199
Chapter 199
Michael's POV
Rain poured from the sky, blanketing Riverstone in a dismal gray haze. My fingers drummed against the steering wheel as I watched the wipers struggle against the downpour. Rush hour traffic had ground to a complete standstill—a sea of red brake lights stretching into the foggy distance.
"Fuck!" I slammed my hand against the dashboard. The recording from Emily's phone kept replaying in my mind, her voice so small, so broken.
"They won't kill her," I muttered, more to convince myself than anything. "They need her alive for whatever sick game they're playing. But they'll break her mind if we don't get there soon."
Daisy turned from the passenger seat, her eyes surprisingly calm. "Michael, the traffic's the same for everyone. If we can't move, neither can they." She placed a reassuring hand on my arm. "We'll find her."
I nodded, trying to believe it. My phone rang, and I answered immediately.
"Daniel, I need you to check the traffic cameras near the mansion. Track every vehicle coming and going."
"Already on it," Daniel's voice crackled through the speaker. "We're monitoring all major intersections."
"What about Nolan Wheeler? Where is he?"
"He seems to have left early. His location shows him driving down Riverside Boulevard toward the suburbs."
I felt a wave of unease that had nothing to do with the freezing rain. "Get the nearest precinct to track him down. Now."
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Megan's POV
"You're both so late," Emma complained to us.
"We had to lose the police tail," Simon answered impatiently, rushing toward Emily.
I stared at Emily on the floor, assessing her condition. Her hands and feet were tightly bound, and she seemed to be slowly regaining consciousness. Her eyelids fluttered as she tried to open them.
"Does she really have dissociative identity disorder?" Emma asked me.
"Yes, there's another personality inside her body," I answered.
"No wonder she seemed... different earlier. Like she'd become someone else," Emma said.
Simon knelt beside Emily, staring at her with an almost obsessive intensity. "Emily? Is that really you? Have you come back?"
Emily managed to open her eyes just enough to glimpse him before closing them again.
"I think it's really her," Simon said excitedly, turning to me. "Our Amy is back!"
Emma whispered to me, "He prefers her other personality?"
I nodded.
"If Simon discovers the truth, won't that ruin your plan?" Emma asked.
I frowned. Simon's emotional state was too volatile, which could interfere with my plans. I had intended to make Emily the scapegoat, but Simon clearly had an unusual attachment to her.
Emma glanced around nervously, anxiety appearing on her face.
"What are you looking for?" I asked.
"The recorder with the material that pushed Emily to breakdown." I watched as she searched everywhere but found nothing. "It's gone."
Emma ran to Emily and asked, "Emily, where's the recorder?"
She was met with silence.
"Damn it, you idiot," I said angrily.
If she weren't so easily manipulated and Emily's former friend with some value for exploitation, I would never work with someone so stupid.
"I-I'm sorry," Emma lowered her head.
"We need to move locations now!"
"What about your plan?" Emma asked.
"It won't affect the subsequent plan. When the police track this place and find Emily's fingerprints, they can still frame her."
"Now that she's back, you still want to do this?" Simon clearly showed resistance.
"We'll discuss this once we're somewhere safe."
I felt uneasy, sensing that something was slipping out of my control.
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Michael's POV
When we reached the Powell estate, I didn't wait for backup. I kicked in the front door, gun drawn, heart pounding against my ribs. The interior was silent, every piece of furniture draped in white dust covers. No one had lived here for months.
"Search the first floor!" I shouted to Daisy and the junior officers, already taking the stairs two at a time.
Thomas followed close behind me. "Captain, wait! Don't go alone!"
I checked room after room, finding nothing but empty spaces and dust—until I reached the attic. Unlike the other rooms, this one was clean. No dust. Recently used.
My instincts told me this was where they'd kept Emily.
I noticed some food crumbs on the floor.
"She was here," I told Daisy when she joined me upstairs. "They had her locked in this room."
"How did they know we were coming?" she asked, bewildered. "This information was only known within our team."
Before I could answer, my phone rang. Charles's voice came through.
"Lewis's car was attacked, and Powell is missing. Stone, I need you and Aaron's team to start searching now."
My mind raced, connecting the dots. Nolan's departure. Lewis's disappearance. The empty house.
"I think I know how to find him. I'll have Daniel work with Aaron's team to locate Lewis. Right now I just want to find Emily." I hung up after saying this. Emily was still in danger, and I couldn't stop.