Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and all joy to you my friends. I still want to give you your two chapters. One more week of two chapters after this and then we go back down to one chapter a week. I’ll be honest, I still have no idea if I want this book to be part one of a series, or if I just want to make it one long chapter book. To be determined. Well, let’s dive into chapter 22, Found.
Found
Avery sat on the couch, staring out the window. Her parents were in the kitchen speaking to the FBI agents about Adam’s case. The more she overheard them talk about the people after her new friend, the more she feared for his safety. This Elijah guy, the one who was apparently Adam’s real father, sounded scary. The feds didn’t know anything about Adam’s mother, so Avery hoped that she was okay. Perhaps the people hiding Adam were reuniting him with his real mom. She could only hope.
“Avery?” Looking up she saw her mom standing nearby with one of the FBI agents. She had been so lost in thought that she had not heard them approach her. “Sweetie, can you think of anything that will help the authorities find Adam?” She shook her head.
“No, I can’t. I honestly do not think that Adam knew about this Elijah guy, or anything else. His parents were very secretive and kept a lot from him. We tried to figure it out on our own, but all we found were more questions. Then he left.” The fed cleared his throat and sat down beside Avery.
“Sometimes we know things that we don’t think are important. I want you to think really hard. Perhaps it’s a face that you saw in more than one place, or an article you read. You know something; we just need to figure out how to help you remember it.”
*
Elijah entered the kitchen and the madam of the house handed him a cup of coffee. She was an older woman, in her forties. She had dark curly hair, brown eyes, wore too much makeup and was thin from drug abuse. If Elijah didn’t know her personally, he would have checked his coffee for drugs. However, his sister knew better than to mess with him. The burn scar on her left arm was a constant reminder of what happened when someone tried to cross him.
“Any news on my son?” She shook her head, lighting a cigarette as she answered him.
“Nothing. The guys left shortly after talking to you and have not returned or even called. Eli, why do you care so much about finding this kid? He wasn’t raised by you, and has nothing to do with this life. Just let the kid rot I say.” Her vision temporarily blacked out as her head slammed against the wall, Elijah pinning her by her throat.
“First, you never call me Eli. It’s Elijah. Secondly, Adam is my son and I’ll be damned if anyone thinks they can get away with stealing from me. Nancy Ness learned that lesson and so will Daniel. Now, you will tell me if anyone contacts you with news that my son has been found. Or have we forgotten what happens when you cross me?” She managed to shake her head, gasping for air as his hand tightened around her throat.
“I-I’ll contact you. Promise.” He released her and she sagged to the floor, gasping in air. Elijah put down his coffee and left the house, his driver quickly running ahead to open the door for him. He knew better than to make Elijah wait.
*
Mick slipped quietly out of the house. They had spread sleeping bags near the fireplace and slept on the floor. The beds had looked far too dusty and possibly bug infested. Together, the four had managed to clean the living room enough to make it liveable and then ate some sandwiches that Mrs. Burma had packed them. After a restless sleep, Mick had woken up early and wanted to take a walk around to make sure that the area was secure.
“Old habits?” He turned to see Valerie jogging towards him. He shrugged as she fell into step with him.
“I guess. We will have to figure out a long term plan though. Adam shouldn’t have to live a life on the run now that he knows the truth. He will need stability and a place to figure out who he is and what he wants to do. I can tell the life of an agent won’t be for him.” The two walked in silence for a while, each contemplating what Mick had just said. For so long the mission had been to find and rescue Adam, but now that they had, what was next?
“Adam seems like a tough kid. I think that we should let him decide what he wants in life.” Mick glanced over at Valerie and he could see the guilt in her eyes. She was supposed to be with Sarah the day that Sarah died. However, the two sisters had been arguing a lot and Valerie had chosen a mission over watching out for her sister. He knew that she blamed herself just as much as the Ness’ for Sarah’s death. Mick suddenly stopped, his arm going out to stop Valerie.
“Did you hear that?” He spoke quietly, knowing that his voice would carry easily near the creek they were at. Silently the two moved through the woods, taking care to avoid anything that would give away their position. Reaching a ridge, the two ducked behind some trees. At the bottom of the ridge were five of Elijah’s men. They had been found!
Found and Captured?
Oh man. They were trying so hard as well. Luckily for you all, the next chapter is a click away, instead of a week away. I hope you enjoyed “found”, and now let’s head over to the next chapter.
