Chapter 73

Peyton hummed along to a tune on the radio. She hadn’t heard it before today but the DJ had played it three times in the past hour. By now, she was fluent in the chorus despite not knowing the artist or the song title. Music helped her concentrate when putting her evidence in a coherent spread for the readers.
The song ended and the news on the hour filtered through. Well, entertainment news that was. Peyton groaned and slumped back in her chair waiting for the music to play again. She’d forgotten her cell phone home this morning and on it her playlist.

The words affair struck out to her but she wasn’t fazed into listening anymore. When was there ever news about a celebrity that didn’t involve cheating? But the name Harvey Regal come over the system and Peyton almost fell off her chair. She clamoured about in an attempt to regain her balance. She’d heard wrong right? She opened up her browser, something she never did when putting her information together; it was too much of a distraction.
But sure enough, there it was. An article exposing Harvey Regal for having an affair with a married woman. The report didn’t mention the woman’s name. Such a scandal was damaging to the reputation of the entire Regal family. She didn’t read the entire report; she picked up her office phone and dialled her husband. Ethan picked up on the second ring.

“Didn’t you tell me not to disturb you today?” Ethan chuckled.

“Babe, I am sorry but you need to call Harvey now.” She responded, telling her husband what she’d just heard. It was suspicious that she hadn’t gotten a wind of this story before it came out. Usually, she was able to stonewall a lot of scandalous material but this was done too secretively for it to just be a by the way occurrence.
Harvey had taken a shower and was about to head back into work when he received a call from Ethan. “What do you mean news reports?” Harvey was taken aback, his brain swirling.

“Fuck.” He said, before Ethan could get another word in. “He knows.” He said mostly to himself. This couldn’t be a coincidence; Gabriel had to have found out. No lay person without any power of their own would be able to slander him this easily. And that was motive enough; he’d want to destroy the Regal name. “I gotta go Ethan.” He said, hanging up the phone. He jumped into his car and made his way to Mia’s sister’s house, it was a weekend and he hoped she’d be home. It was a long shot especially since he and most of his acquaintances worked weekends.
Amber eased the door open, her eyes illustrating her confusion at finding Harvey at her door. Nate had come down behind her as well.

“Is Mia here?” Harvey skipped all of the pleasantries, his heart hammering against his chest, he felt slightly light headed. Somehow he already knew the answer.

“Is she supposed to be?” Amber questioned, her eyes turning worried as she glanced back at Nate. He’d leaned off the wall now, in full attention. Her response caused
Harvey to gaze behind him. What should he do?

“She didn’t come here last night?” He asked for clarity, “Did you talk to her?” He asked in quick succession.

“No, she wasn’t here but I received a goodnight text as I always do from her.” Amber gazed into Harvey’s wild eyes. It was obvious something was amiss. “You’re scaring me, Harvey. What’s happened?”

“But you didn’t actually hear her voice, did you?” He questioned again and Amber shook her head in the negative. “Me either.” Harvey said to himself. He shouldn’t have listened to her, he should have followed her last night. This was his fault.

“Harvey, what’s happened?” Amber could feel a sickening pull in her chest.

“I think he found out about us.” Harvey said, raking his fingers through his hair in frustration.

“Who, Gabriel?” Amber stared back at Nate, whose mind was also running wild.

“Do me a favour, Mia said that she was going to pick Amiyah up from Gabriel’s mother last night and then come to you. We had plans to help her separation from him.”

Harvey wasn’t sure if Amber and Nate knew about Mia trying to leave Gabriel again.

“We’ll go to Marina’s and see if she’s there.” Nate interjected, getting the gist of Harvey’s request.

“I don’t want to say this, but something tells me she won’t be there.” Harvey bit down on his tongue.

“Harvey, if Gabriel does know about you and Mia…” Amber’s voice trailed off.

“I know.” He whispered. “Hold on.” He said, reaching into his pockets to answer his phone. Nate had come up behind Amber to cross his hands around her body,
whispering comforting words to her.

“Ethan?” Harvey spoke into the phone.

“Things just got worse.” Ethan declared.
Harvey’s mouth ran dry, “Worse how? Is Mia…”

“No, no. But Gabriel just made a report that his wife has been missing since last night and clarified that she was the female from the articles and you were the last one to see her.” Ethan summarised the words as his wife paced around her office, clicking a pen in her hands. He’d dropped everything and drove over to her office after the call with Harvey.

“What?” Harvey snarled into the phone. He needed to calm down and think about Gabriel’s motive at this point. He’s drawing attention to Mia’s disappearance which convinced Harvey that Mia would not be found at Marina’s, but she was alive at the very least. Harvey signalled Amber and Nate to leave, Nate had already pulled his keys in his hands and they were out the door. Harvey made his way to his car while Ethan spoke on the other end.

“Peyton thinks he wants to both hurt you and distract you.”

“Distract me?” Harvey leaned his head back on his car seat. “Wait, Mia said he was supposed to leave the country tonight for a business trip he’d been planning, what if he plans to take her out of the country?” Harvey’s desire to find her exponentially rose.

“If he takes her out of the country…” Ethan began.

“We may never find her.” Harvey finished the sentence. There was no way he’d keep her somewhere they could find, he wasn’t that stupid, but he wasn’t resourceful or had a lot of friends. “Ethan, can you have Peyton’s brother try to find any property that may be connected to Gabriel, off the books property.”

“Draven?” Ethan echoed.

“I know he isn’t a police officer and I am not asking what he does but I know he has connections and doesn’t play by certain rules.” Harvey was no fool. Peyton’s brother had been a no less than a ghost that he was certain not even Ethan ever saw him. He ran in different circles but protocol and rules wouldn’t deter him.

“I’ll ask Peyton to contact him.” Ethan responded, but Peyton had already heard, nodding and pulling out her phone to make a call.

“Since he had plastered it all over the web that I was the last one to see Mia, I am pretty sure I’ll be called in for questioning in her disappearance, I will be held back.” He said hanging up the call, starting his car and driving. He didn’t know how he ended up here, but he was in front of Gabriel’s house. His car wasn’t in the driveway, Harvey was about leave when Gabriel showed up.
He exited his car, his fury driving him to act without thinking. “You can save yourself if you tell me where she is.” Harvey called out after him, but Gabriel only smiled, making his way to his front door. He stepped inside about to close the door.
Harvey stepped forward aggressively; he reached his forearm out with a forceful thud causing the hinges on the door to vibrate as he rendered it immovable in its quest to shut him out. He drew the reins on his anger as much as possible. Too much. His throat was burning hot. He glared directly into Gabriel’s sinister eyes, he had no doubt Gabriel was behind this but he couldn’t prove it yet. “If you have anything to do with her disappearance, and I know you do” Harvey shook his head, there was no doubt in his mind what he’d be capable of. “I will make the remainder of your miserable existence unbearable when I get her back.”

“Instead of attacking me, maybe you should do your part in helping the investigation for my wife.” Gabriel responded lamely.

“We both know she doesn’t want to be your wife. I am going to find her, Gabriel.” Harvey eased his hands off the door, reminding himself that he couldn’t place his hands on him yet. Not while she was in his grasp.

“Looks like you will be a little delayed.” Gabriel snickered as a police car pulled up in the driveway.

“Mr. Regal, we would like to ask you a few questions regarding the disappearance of Mia Evans.” Harvey turned around, he had expected this much. “Will you please follow us to the station?”

“Of course,” He complied, shooting a message to Raya to meet him there.

***
Mia was in the process of forcing her fingers to reach the corners of her mouth. It was taking longer than she wanted; only capable of peeling off bit by bit until it finally fell from her mouth, along with the handkerchief Gabriel had shoved in her mouth. By the time she finished that night was coming again, the house was cascaded in shadows. She looked around her desperately in search of anything she could use. There was a chest of draws a little way from her and on it there was a small rectangular mirror. It was resting on the edge; she manoeuvred her legs to kick it.
The chest of draws moved slightly, she kicked again and again until most of the contents from it fell to floor with a loud clatter; the mirror included. It shattered as she wanted and she let out a sigh of relief.
She shifted around and reached for a shard. “Fuck!” she said, unable to reach it. Her fingers were not long enough. She pulled her body as much as she could, the ropes around her wrist causing her to bleed.

Mia heard the door open and her movements became more instant. She kept reaching, stretching to just touch a shard of the shattered glass. She heard Gabriel’s voice outside, “You let them take my daughter?” He growled. “I always fucking hated that sister of hers” he said, trying to keep his voice low.
But Mia had heard him, Amiyah was safe with Amber. That had to be it. She kept grabbing for the shard her desire for it, her desire to try escaping had reignited. Her daughter was safe that was all that mattered.

“Change of plans, pet. We’ll be flying out of the country tonight.” Gabriel had been busy typing away a message to get his plane ready. He had postponed his flight plans but it seemed that he needed to hurry the plan along before Harvey had a chance to interfere again.

“What the actual fuck?” Gabriel’s eyes roamed over the mess in the corner, as well as the free mouthed Mia. He dove towards her, kneeling on the floor and grabbing her face in his.

“Being defiant, I see.”

“You have no idea.” She spoke through clenched teeth, bringing her hands around to reveal the shard of glass, her movements were quick, she brought it down onto him with a warrior like scream. She’d grasped the glass tightly, ignoring the slicing of her own palms.
Gabriel cried out in pain as the shard stuck him in his groin, he shuffled backwards, Mia drawing the shard out as he went scurrying back. A sickening sound of tearing of flesh washed around them, but to Mia it was empowering. Her mind was made up. It was either she escaped or she died trying. She didn’t have to worry about her daughter, she was safe with people Mia trusted. But there was one thing she knew, she was not letting Gabriel take her away.

“You crazy bitch” He screamed. She had cut straight through his penis, he didn’t want to think about what she’d just done.
Her hands gripped the shard, the blood oozing down from her own injury.
His pants were soaking with blood, his chest heaving as he kept looking down, groaning in pain. Mia took his distraction as an opportunity to cut off her ropes, she worked first on her ankles, her cuts getting deeper, her hands losing the ability to grip but she kept trying.
Her legs were free, but Gabriel was also dragging himself back towards her. The pain ricocheting through his body was evident in the sweat around his neck and the heaviness in his breath.
Mia thought, if this was it. She could be satisfied that she’s hurt him too. She swung the shard again as he came closer but he knocked it out of her hands. She kicked at him with her free legs, but he caught it the second time, his hand coming up behind him.
Mia’s eyes didn’t close, she stared him straight in his eyes as his hand came down, but it missed her. He yanked back from her, his body being sent into opposite corner.
She looked up and saw Harvey gazing down at her. He immediately lowered himself and removed her ties. He hadn’t said a word, turning his attention back to the man cowering in the corner.

*A/N*
*Hey everyone, I know the past chapters have been difficult to read and before posting this one I read your comments, I do not really know how to respond to some regarding the rape but I really do appreciate all of your reads, comments and support. Thank you so much!
I wrote this in because sexual assault, domestic violence, rape and murder are on the rise in my country. I don’t know a single woman who hasn’t almost been raped or assaulted, including my mother when an estranged family member tried dragging her into his car, including myself who almost got assaulted a few weeks ago while I was five mins away from home. I kept thinking, what would have happened if he wasn’t scared off by me pulling out my phone to call my father as he was circling back with his car? Thoughts like that left me crippled and I am still terrified to leave my house on my own. To hearing a stranger earlier this year screaming at me ‘I will fuck you up’ because I didn’t want to go over to him and choose to ignore.
My point is, while it’s not ideal. I was still lucky that I made it home because not everyone does. If you ignore a predator they can be offended, if you fight back they can get angry and even more violent. There are still monsters out there, like Gabriel who believes that a woman or even their own wife is their sole property. I hope you guys can understand my reasoning for going to a dark route and also maybe understand Mia’s train of thought a bit more.
Thank you so much for reading! I adore you guys so much!*