Chapter 113

Will pulled over, too overwhelmed to drive.
“Goddamnit!” He yelled and punched the steering wheel. Moments later he received a message on his phone. It was a photo, and it made his blood run cold. The background was dark, not giving much of the location away. In the forefront, was Emma. She was unconscious and bound to a chair. A strip of gray duct tape was placed over her mouth. A trickle of blood had dried on her forehead. Will struggled to breathe as rage took him over. He thought about calling his uncle, demanding an explanation.
If you deviate at all… Emma Wells will die. The voice rang in his head. The caller had used a voice changer so Will couldn’t pick up any specifics on it. He played the call over a few times, frustrated that he couldn’t place the voice. He didn’t have a choice. He had to go back and wait.
“But not without a plan,” he said out loud. The kidnapper said not to call the police. However, Will wouldn’t play into their trap. Getting Emma back was the number one priority. Whatever this person wanted from him was irrelevant. He had people in his corner that could help in “unofficial” capacities. Alex’s connections alone would be invaluable. But he had a few of his own.
This had to be played correctly. The smallest mistake could cost him Emma’s life. He thought of Lizzie, asleep in her crib. Shielded from the horrors the world could hold. He vowed that no harm would come to her. I vowed the same thing about Emma… but look at her now.
Will snapped himself out of it. This wasn’t the time to wallow and worry. It was time to prove why he was the best choice for Emma, for the company, for Lizzie. It was time to prove why William Anderson Stewart was a king. He started driving back home and began putting his plan into action. As he drove back to the apartment, he dialed a number he hadn’t dialed in long time.
“Captain Damon Whitlock,” a tired voice answered.
“Hey, Captain.”
“Oh, hell no!” he said when he realized who was calling. “William fucking Stewart! As I live and breathe!” Captain Whitlock let out a hearty laugh. “How the hell are you?”
“I’ve been better,” Will admitted.
“I bet you have. I’ve heard some whispers in the city. Any truth to that?”
“You’d know better than me. Listen, I need your help.”
“Don’t you always?”
“Somethings don’t change. I need this to be unofficial. You understand?”
“Holy hell, boy. What have you gotten yourself into?” he laughed.
Will explained what was going on and his suspicions about his uncle. Captain Whitlock listened intently and took notes.
“Well, that is a problem,” Captain Whitlock, all the humor gone from his voice. I’ll need the recording of the call, and a photo of your girl. And her phone number.”
“I will. I’ll send along her friend’s info as well.”
“Good.”
“Remember. I need this investigation to be…”
“Unofficial,” he interrupted. “I got it. You got Alex working on it?”
“I will be. Can’t believe you even remember him.”
“How could I ever forget you two? You’re the reason I have back problems.”
“You’re welcome,” Will laughed, grateful for the touch of levity.
“We’ll find her. Talk soon.”
“Thanks, Captain.”
The rest of the drive was tense as Will continued to hash out his plan. By the time he arrived, everything was set in his mind. All that was left was to put everything in motion. He messaged everything over to Captain Whitlock who responded with a thumbs up emoji. He parked the car and sprinted back to the apartment.
“Let me in,” Will called as he knocked on the door.
The door flew open, Spencer’s expectant eyes were wide, but quickly narrowed when he saw that Will was alone.
“Where is she? I thought you said you were going to get her!”
“There’s been a change in the situation. Did Lizzie wake up while I was gone?”
“She woke up for a bit, but I got her to go back to sleep… what do you mean a change in the situation?”
“I mean… things are gotten worse.” Will sank on to the couch and ran his hands through his hair. He pulled out the phone, playing the recording for Spencer. Spencer’s face paled as he listened, but then wrath overcame him when Will showed him the photo.
“This… is all your fault. Look at the mess you’ve gotten her in!”
“That isn’t helping,” Will shot back.
“I don’t care! She wouldn’t even be in danger if it weren’t for you.” Spencer paced around the living room. “Holy shit. She’s in real danger.” Spencer’s anger tempered a bit and was replaced with worry and fear. He supported himself on the kitchen counter and let his head fall. “Nothing can happen to her. She has to be okay. We have to get her back.”
Will wished he had imagined the pain in Spencer’s eyes. If there was ever a doubt in his mind about what Spencer’s feelings were for Emma, they were gone.
“We will. But we’re going to have to work together on this.”
“I’ll do whatever it takes to get her back.”
“Good. We should try and get some rest. It’s two in the morning. You can stay here if you’d like. Until we get Emma back.”
“You can sleep in my apartment. It’s across the hall.”
“You rented the apartment across the hall?”
“Yeah.”
“Of course, you did,” Spencer muttered. “I’ll stay here. I don’t think I’ll be able to sleep much. At least not tonight.”
“Me neither.” Will let his head fall into his hands.
“So, what’s the plan?”
“You’ll hear it in a second. I have a phone call to make. Stay there. You’re in on this too.”
Will called Alex, who answered on the first ring. He put the phone on speaker so Spencer could hear.
“Sabrina filled you in?” Will asked.
“As much as she could,” Alex answered.
“She around?”
“Right here.”
“Put your phone on speaker. I only want to say this once.”
“I’m here,” Sabrina’s voice came over the phone.
“Good. I have Spencer here with me as well. So, things have changed. Emma has been kidnapped.”
“You said what?” Sabrina screamed.
“I got a call after I spoke to you. Whoever it is used a voice changer. I’m pretty sure Robert is behind this.”
“Do you think he would hurt her?” Sabrina was near tears.
“I… don’t know. Robert has done some shady things in the past. He’s manipulative and power hungry. He’ll do just about anything to get what he wants.”
“So why take Emma?” Spencer asked.
“I’m afraid that this may be about me. He wants the company, and he’ll do whatever he thinks will get me to fall in line.”
“So, Emma is just a pawn in his game,” Spencer said.
“If it’s him,” Alex added.
“I need you to keep tabs on him, Alex.”
“Done. I’ve got a team on it. What are you doing on your end?”
“I called in Damon Whitlock.”
“No, you didn’t,” Alex laughed. “You called Damon fucking Whitlock?”
“I did. He’s already working on it.”
“Excuse me,” Sabrina interrupted. “Who is Damon fucking Whitlock?”
“Long story,” Will and Alex said in unison.
“All you need to know,” Will continued. “Is that he is going to help us. I sent him the recording of the call and the photo they sent me.”
“They sent a photo?” Sabrina cried out. “Is she okay in it?” This was a Sabrina he’d never known. She sounded afraid and unsure.
“I’d rather not get into that.”
“Tell me!”
Will flinched at the memory of the photo. The knowledge that Emma was alone somewhere, being mistreated set his blood on fire, but in every wrong way. A fear he’d never understood settled in his chest as he described the photo to Alex, Sabrina, Spencer.
“Shit! You get her back, you hear me? You get my best friend back in one piece! I will tear you apart if anything happens to her!”
“Get in line,” Spencer seethed.
“We need to calm down,” Alex said, trying to deescalate the situation. “We’re all afraid for Emma right now, and we need to keep our heads level if we’re going to be of any use to her.”
“I’m going to get her back,” Will promised. “I will get her back from Robert.”
“About that, Will,” Alex said. “What if it isn’t him?”

The Billionaire's Contract Pet
Detail
Share
Font Size
40
Bgcolor