Chapter 23

Ron Pov.
I arrived in New York around 1pm the next day. I'm tired. My body aches from driving nineteen hours without stopping. I haven't eaten since... I don't even remember the last time I ate. I can't think about food as long as Amanda is in constant danger.
I stop the car in front of the house where Amanda used to live and knock on the door. I wait a few moments then check if the door is closed or not.
It will not open…
Where the hell do I look for him now?
I go back to the car and look around. Amanda grew up in a beautiful place. They all have those houses with carefully manicured lawns and it's like all the houses are photocopied to look like each other.
Nice place to live... Look at the differences between me and her. I sold her and her mother the house of horrors.
I see a man staring at me and decide to go ask him if he knows where Mr. Clark is. They are neighbors, after all... He sure knows where he is.
After I get the information I need, plus some that didn't interest me at all—like what Tyson had for breakfast or what time he left the house—I head for my destination.
The place I end up is actually a small business. Clark&Clark Security.
Very imaginative…
I enter the building and at the reception I find a very bored person with her hair in a tight bun and chewing gum.
-Hello…
-What number do you have? The woman interrupts me and I look at her for a long time until she decides to look up from the computer. The number, sir.
-I have no idea what you are talking about. I don't have a number, but I do have a name. I'm here to talk to Tyson Clark.
-Everyone wants to talk to him, but it's impossible without an appointment.
-Damn it... Where is it?
-It is not available at the moment...Sir!
I ignore the receptionist and decide to find him myself. There are only a few offices. It won't be very hard to find.
I open every door until I find Tyson.
-Damn it, Clarissa. He says nervously and pushes his food casserole in front of him. How many times have I said that…
He doesn't finish his sentence because when he sees me he measures me with his eyes and then arranges his jacket.
- I'm sorry, but... We have an appointment and I forgot? He says, more calmly this time.
- I'm sorry, sir. He just popped in without an appointment. The receptionist said in a whiny tone.
- I don't need an appointment to see Amanda's father. I say, refraining from making further remarks.
His face turns pale at the sound of his daughter's name and he motions the receptionist to leave.
She retreats and closes the door behind her giving us the privacy we need to talk.
-Who should you be? Amanda's boyfriend? He asks me, sitting down in the office chair again.
What should I answer? If I tell him we're just friends, he might not want to listen to what I have to say. From what I understand from Amanda from the conversations I've had with her, is that Tyson helps people more quickly if you have some kind of relationship with the missing person.
-I need your help. I say avoiding giving him details about my relationship with Amanda.
-Amanda sent you to me? What doesn't she understand that I don't want to have anything to do with her or her mother?! He says raising his voice to me.
- No one sent me. I came to you by choice. Although I don't understand what has wronged you two women so much that you don't want to know anything about them.
-What did they do wrong?! Gabriella lied to me and hid from me thinking I would never find out and Amanda is not my daughter.
I don't know how to react to this news, so all I do is sit back and wait for him to continue.
-It seems that her mother whore hasn't told her yet... I don't know what I expected from her. A year after we got married, he cheated on me with some idiot who was in town on business. Following that one night stand, Amanda came along. For many years I suspected something was wrong because Amanda didn't look anything like me, so I took a paternity test and found out the harsh truth. My daughter wasn't really my daughter.
I feel sorry for Tyson. I don't know how I would react if this happened to me either.
-Amanda needs you. I really need you. I say approaching the desk.
- I have nothing to help Amanda, I think...
-Amanda was kidnapped because of me.
The news takes him by surprise and for a few moments he says nothing, as if chewing on the information I gave him.
-I am sorry. He says simply and I can see him expecting me to leave.
But I came with other plans.
-Don't tell me that everything Amanda meant to you until you found out the truth is gone now. Because I know one thing for sure. You can't help but love Amanda, no matter how hard you try.
Tyson gets up from his chair and goes to the window staring blankly for a good few minutes, as if thinking about something.
-It's raining. He says simply. Whenever it rained, Amanda would go outside and dance in the rain. Many times she caught cold doing this, but she never stopped dancing in the rain. I couldn't blame her, because just watching her have fun brought a smile to my face.
I can imagine Amanda doing that. The bad part is that it rarely rains in Miami.
-As a former marine I didn't really know how to show my emotions because we were trained not to feel anything. But Amanda...She always managed to bring out strong father feelings that I didn't think I was capable of. Tyson continues talking then turns to face me.
-So, will you help me find her? I ask, still in the same place.
-Who did you say you were again?
-Ron Stallion, sir.
-Amanda's boyfriend?
-Just a friend.
-But you love her...I can tell. And I can still tell that Amanda doesn't recognize love. She wouldn't recognize her even if he punched her in the face. He says laughing, and I sit in a chair in front of the desk.
- I will help you find her, but... You will have to tell her the truth about the relationship between me and her. Make her understand why I made the decision to leave them.
Great… No pressure, Ron.