Chapter 114: Extra 5
The burly man with a face that seemed constantly angry hung up his cell phone. He watched Jamie closely, grinning from ear to ear as he slammed the door of the truck with fake plates. The building Jamie had entered looked deplorable. The area was one of the most dangerous in the city, where vagrants and thieves lived. The man, named Leonard, let out a long sigh. Now, he had to wait for the police to arrive. After almost half an hour, two patrol cars arrived at the scene, blocking the truck. Leonard smiled, eager to see the scene his boss, Elaine, had foreseen. And it happened, minutes later. One of the armed men came out escorting Jamie, and the other two from the second patrol searched the truck, finding what would incriminate him.
"That's not mine!" Jamie shouted, trying to break free, but the officer applied force to control him. "That's not mine! It's not my truck! Those things aren't mine!" The men who had found the items in the back of the truck took photos and video. Jamie's mother came out moments later, also handcuffed by another officer. She screamed that she didn’t know what her son was going to do. One of the officers found an envelope in the glove compartment; when he opened it, it was a ransom note. The man shook his head and handed it to his colleague, while the others put Jamie and his mother into the patrol car. Jamie screamed and screamed that he was innocent, while his mother cursed him constantly.
Max had fallen asleep on the couch inside the VIP room where Emma was resting. She slept peacefully after a light dinner. His cell phone vibrated. He stirred and tried to wake up, clumsily searching for his phone. He looked at the screen and saw an unknown number calling. He didn’t hesitate to answer:
“Yes?” His voice was sleepy.
“Mr. Maximilian Müller?” Max straightened up.
“Yes, this is he. Who’s calling?” He cleared his throat.
“This is Lieutenant Espinoza. I’m calling about a matter of utmost importance.” Max fully woke up, thinking something might have happened to his father or sister.
“Yes, I’m listening. What’s the matter?” He said quietly, getting up and heading outside the room to avoid waking Emma.
“We received a report a couple of hours ago about a possible kidnapping against Miss Emma Elizabeth Spencer.” Max was speechless for a moment, processing what he had just heard, while closing the door behind him.
“What? What did you just say? K-Kidnapping? What are you talking about?” Max was confused.
“We received an anonymous call informing us that Miss Emma Elizabeth Spencer was going to be kidnapped. The truck has been confiscated at the residence of the person who intended to harm her.”
Max ran a hand through his hair distractedly, feeling a tightness in his chest. His anger began to grow uncontrollably. He closed his eyes tightly.
“That’s… How is that even possible? My fiancée…” He stopped mid-sentence, shaking his head repeatedly. “Who is the person who was going to attempt such an atrocity?”
“The man is…” The sound of papers rustling could be heard on the other end of the line. “Jamie Stevenson…” Max interrupted him.
“That son of a bitch!” Max exclaimed, losing his temper. “Did you catch him?”
“Yes, sir. They found the truck in front of his residence. Inside, they found a ransom note in an envelope, rope, chloroform, among other things. The man has been following her for a couple of months.”
“How do you know that?” Max wanted to know.
“We were anonymously given material with videos from cameras showing the dates when your fiancée was seen, the building where she lives, the times she has left it, as well as around the city. He is there, waiting in the shadows.” Max’s blood boiled, the fear that something could happen to her and the baby created a kind of internal terror.
“Where is he?” The lieutenant gave him the information. After ending the call, Max immediately called his private lawyer, explaining the situation. After that call, he tried to control himself. He had so much anger inside that he feared for the first time in his life losing control and doing something he might regret. “First Irina, now Jamie,” he thought. He went into the men’s room, washed his face, and after a few minutes, came out. His hands were still trembling. He entered the room and seeing Emma with a protective hand on her belly, he began to calm down little by little until his heart stopped beating furiously. He sat beside her, and the thought that something could happen to them intensified. After a while, the door opened and Eda appeared. She had an alert expression, wearing a sporty outfit and a messy ponytail, as if she had just gotten up, and she had.
“I’m here,” she announced, leaving her bag on the couch where Max had been sleeping earlier. “What happened?” He motioned for her to step outside to talk. Once outside, Max filled her in. Eda was stunned, shocked, and then scared.
“How can there be people who want to harm others? Doesn’t karma exist?”
“I need you to calm down, stay with her while I go…”
“Let the lawyer handle everything, Max.”
“I want to make it clear that…” Eda interrupted him again, standing in front of him and placing her palms on Max’s shoulders.
“Priorities. Emma and Emily are the only priority right now. The lawyer is aware of everything and said he would take care of it. If necessary, he would call you, right?” He nodded. “Then you need to calm down, be with Emma and your daughter. And only with them…”