“Skye, oh my baby!” Dad says, and I’m swept into a giant hug.
“Skye, we really need your help.” And there it is, not even a hello, how are you. Just we need your help.
“Barbara!” Dad chastises her; this is just as it always is. Mom says something dismissive towards me and my dad shouts her name as though she’s doing something wrong although no one ever tells her what it is she’s done wrong.
“Oh, for fudge sake Paul. We need her help, please Skye, you have to help us find Addi.”
“Why, where is she? What’s happened to her?” I fire the questions at her as I start walking toward my house; I need to get them in and to sit down, so I know everything that I need to know to find out where the hell my sister is. As soon as we’re in the house I get them seated; if they feel comfortable, it won’t be like pulling teeth trying to get information from them.
“Dad, where is Addi?” Start with him; he seems the calmer of the two of them.
“I think your mother is making a big deal about this. Addi was due back from London this morning. We went to the airport to meet her, and she wasn’t there. Knowing your sister, she probably forgot to tell us that she was extending her stay although how she has managed to do that with her visa I’ll never know.” Dad says on a tangent, and I understand where he’s coming from, Addi does have a tendency to do as she pleases and forgets about other people and how they may worry.
“Skye, Addi has changed, she’s not selfish anymore. She’s been calling every other day filling us in on her awesome adventure. She was so happy that she ran into you and she told us to meet her at JFK airport today, so we could come and see you too.” Mom tells me, and she kind of redeems herself for the real reason as to why she’s in New York.
“Okay, when was the last time that you spoke to Addi?” Trying to establish a timeline will help because as much as what my dad said makes sense, I met Addi, and I know what mom said is true. She has changed, and if she’s been calling them as frequently as mom says, then there is no way she’d flake and not tell them she had changed her plans.
“I spoke to her two days ago. With the time difference and everything we knew that we wouldn’t be able to speak to her yesterday as she would be busy getting ready to leave.” Tears spring to my eyes as I see my mom’s watery ones. “We’ve called both her and Gloria’s cells and no answer from either of them.”
I glance at my laptop on the table, and I know that I have that program on it that lets me track any cell anywhere in the world. I boot up the laptop and wait for the program to load. “Do you have both numbers on your cell?” I have Addi’s, but it would be easier if she read them to me, so I can input them into the computer.
“Yes, hold on let me get my phone.” She has it out and starts calling out Addi’s cell number, and I instantly type in the number. This could take a while as it tracks all the movement in the last twenty-four hours. Another one of Oscar’s genius inventions, it’s not available on the market yet as it’s still in its Beta stage, but it works well enough to help me track Addi.
What the hell, why the hell is her phone off completely? I wait for the program to show me the cell’s last movements. You never know, she could have lost it or something. The Royal Docks was her last location, what the hell is going on, why the hell would she be there? I search back through it, and it seems as though she left the flat in Tooting and travelled directly to the Royal Docks.
“Mom, what’s Gloria’s cell?” Worry starts to eat away at me, and I know that there’s something wrong here. I may need help, and just so I don’t have anyone sticking their nose where I don’t want them, I may ask Dwayne to help as he’s good with computers and he may be able to get footage from the Docks for me. Mom calls out the cell number, and I type it in and wait, again, her cell’s off, and that worry I had is now starting to turn into panic especially when Gloria’s last known cell location is also the Royal Docks.
“Both of their cells are off, the last time both their cells registered was at the Royal Docks. I’m going to call a friend to help see if he can locate them.” I explain to my parents and excuse myself to my room, taking my cell and laptop with me. The question is do I call Dwayne or Oscar?
I dial the number and wait for him to answer. “Skye is everything okay?” He sounds as though he’s still at work.
“Oscar, I need your help. Are you at work?” I called Oscar because he’s like my brother and he’ll do everything in his power to help me find Addi.
“Yeah, is everything okay?” He’s worried now and on edge.
“I’m fine, are you alone?” God, this is all cloak and dagger stuff right now.
“Ryder’s not here.” He gets what I meant, good because I can’t deal with him right now.
“I’ll be there in ten.” I end the call and pack a small bag; I have a feeling I’m going to need it. I go into the sitting room and tell my parents that we’re taking a trip to Smithy International; they’re just sitting on the sofa hands clasped as they wait for me to tell them the news. News that I don’t have right now so I usher them out of the house and into the car and I know that my dad has finally realized the severity of the situation.
We’re all silent on the way to Smithy’s, I’m praying that Addi’s okay and that Gloria’s flat was robbed and that’s how she hasn’t her cell. I know deep down that isn’t the case, something bad has happened to her, and I hope and pray that I can find her in time. We make it to Smithy’s in twenty minutes, and Oscar is waiting outside for us, he takes one look at my parents and gets a confused look on his face. He probably has concluded that these are my parents as he’s never seen them before.
I don’t say anything to him outside, I just silently walk past him and walk into Smithy’s, I need to find Addi. My heart is racing, and my hands are clammy as I try and not think of the possibilities of what could have happened to her. By the looks of things, the only person she knows in the city is also missing. God, she must be so scared right now! I walk directly to my office, Oscar hot at my heels and I’m probably worrying him so much right now, but I need to be sitting as I feel light headed. All this worry and stress isn’t going to be good for the baby, but I need my sister, I’ve just got her back.
“Skye, what the hell is going on?” Oscar demands as soon as we enter my office. He doesn’t even give me time to sit down.
“Addi’s missing, and I need your help.” My hands are shaking as I tell him, I’m so scared right now and I have no idea what I’m going to do.
“When was the last time she was seen?” Oscar directs the question to my parents, but they both are just staring at him as though he’s some sort of mutant.
“We don’t know. Addi was due back in the states today, mom and dad were waiting for her at JFK, but she never arrived. I tracked her cell, and the last place it registered was at the Royal Docks. Not only that…”
I don’t get to finish what I was about to say as mom interrupts me. “Her flight was due to arrive at noon, but she was never on it. Where is my baby?” Her voice is very shaky as she asks, and it doesn’t take very much longer until she finally breaks, tears streaming down her face and her whole body is shaking. I’ve been waiting for this to happen and I’m surprised it hadn’t happened sooner.
“Why don’t your mom and dad stay here while you and I go and see if we can get any footage?” I know that Oscar wants to talk to me alone, that and he doesn’t know what to do about my mom. He’s not really great at comforting people he doesn’t know.
“Sure,” I turn to my parents and dad has mom wrapped in his arms, but his eyes are on me, and he looks so lost, and I hate it. “I’m going to go with Oscar, you stay here, and if you need coffee, the break room is right next to this office.” I don’t give them time to object to not coming with us as Oscar, and I leave instantly, I can’t be around them right now. They don’t have hope; they don’t believe that she will come home to them, to us. I know firsthand how having hope and faith that you w
ill come home really does work.
Henry’s in the war room, and he looks at me, his face etched with worry. He must have been here when I called Oscar; I like Henry; he’s quiet and reserved while working but he’ll also have fun and joke around with the rest of us. He’s really settled in well unlike Will, damn I’ve never seen Ryder hate someone so much, and none of us know why. “Hi Skye,” Henry says, and he seems nervous, he probably doesn’t know if he should stay or not.
“Hey Henry, I’m glad you’re here, you can help Oscar and me.” The relief is evident on his face, and I offer him a small smile one that he returns but only quickly. Since finding out that Ryder is indeed my husband, the new recruits have treated me differently, and I don’t know why. Oscar, Sophia, Sam, Ryder and I all jointly own Smithy’s, and if I want to fire anyone I can, they treat Ryder as he’s the ultimate boss, which is total bull.
“What do you need?” He’s at a computer, ready and waiting for instructions.
“Um, first off you’re about to hack London’s CCTV footage, are you sure you want to do this?” Oscar asks him and damn, I forgot that Oscar was about to break the law. Oops.
“Yeah, that’s fine anything to help. What do you need to find?” At his answer, my smile is bigger and full of gratitude.
“Pull up footage of the Royal Docks for the last twenty-four hours,” Oscar orders him, and he instantly starts to hack; I start biting my nails as I wait to see the footage appear on the main screen. “Skye, when was the last time it was bounced of the cell tower?”
“Ten last night which made it three in the morning London time and that is what has me the most worried.” The look on Henry’s face as he realizes just how serious this is makes me even more worried.
“Okay, I’m on it.” Henry starts to search for the timeframe I have given. This could take a while as he has a field of cameras to search through before getting the right one. London is one of the most watched cities in the world, and that is what I’m hoping will help me find Addi.
I feel an arm on my shoulder, and I lean into it, taking the comfort that Oscar is offering me. “We’ll find your sister Skye, I promise you, and I won’t stop searching until we know where she is.”
“I know you won’t just as I won’t either. As much as I’m hoping that she got drunk and passed out somewhere, I’m not that naive, and I know deep down that something bad has happened to her. I just hope that we can find her in time.”
“We’ll find your sister Skye.” The confidence in Henry’s voice has me focusing on the task at hand; he’s still searching for the footage. I’m desperate to see it and find out what the hell is going on.
“How close are you Henry?” Oscar sounds on edge, and I know if that’s how he sounds then I can only imagine how I must have sounded when I called him.
“I’m in their feed; I’m just searching for the right location; do you have anything that could shorten this search?” Poor Henry he’s overwhelmed right now.
“You’re looking for East London, the London Borough of Newham,” Oscar tells him, and I’m wondering how the hell he knows that? Who the hell knows that when they don’t live in the area?
“That narrows it down a lot, shouldn’t be too much longer now.” I’m so grateful to both Oscar and Henry right now; they were obviously doing something before I interrupted them. “Got it, so the time stamp on the footage is GMT, so you said we’re looking for three a.m., and I’ve gone to fifteen minutes before that.” I nod my head as I don’t trust myself to speak just yet.
He starts the footage up, and I grip the edge of the table as I watch on, it’s the dead of the night, and luckily the street lights are on full force so that we can see clearly. “Can you fast forward until we see someone?” Henry nods, and before he even gets to do it, a car comes onto the screen. Fear grips my heart and has a tight hold on it, as I watch a hooded figure climb out.
“Can we get a close-up?” Oscar says, and I don’t know who he’s talking to as I’m fixated on this figure in front of me.
“Not yet, I want to see what happens first and then I’ll re-watch it close up,” I tell him, my eyes not moving from the screen. The figure throws something onto the ground in front of him and then stamps on it. What the hell is he doing? Oscar sits down beside me and takes my shaking hand in his as the hooded figure scoops down and picks up whatever it was and throws it into the River Thames. “Stop it right there!” I yell at Henry, and he instantly pauses the footage.
I need to see if there is anything around that could be of importance, there are no other cars, there’s nobody around. Is that why this person chose this spot because it’s so secluded? I need to understand what is happening? Where are Addi and Gloria? Are they in the car, if so why aren’t they getting out? I have so many questions rolling around in my head that it’s giving me a migraine.
“Replay it, but can you get closer this time,” I ask, hoping that a closer look will give me at least some answers.
This time it’s a bit grainy but nothing that distorts the image so that we can’t see clearly. Like the hooded figure is a six foot plus male, who is right-handed as that’s the hand that he uses to throw the cell phone on the ground… Wait… “Rewind that, and close in on the ground. I want to get a proper look at the object.” Henry does as I ask and right there, he throws not one, but two cell phones on the ground and stamps on them. That’s where Addi’s cell is, damn it, where the hell is my sister? As the man turns to get back into his car, a string of curses comes from both Oscar and Henry as we see the male is covered in blood. “Pause it; I think I know that man.”
Henry pauses it, and I see his face so clearly! I do know him, that’s the guy from the bar the night Addi, and I got to London. The Eastern European that Gloria was with, where the hell are the girls? “Can we get an ID on this guy?” The pleading in my tone causes Oscar to squeeze my hand. I’m so scared right now, and the one person I want to seek solace from is the one person I don’t want to see. I hate that Ryder has me punishing myself because of his selfishness.
“I’ll do it now. I’ll check everywhere; MI5, FBI, Interpol. I’ll find him, Skye.” The confidence in Oscar’s voice calms me slightly.
“Can we check Gloria’s house?” I ask hopefully. I need to see if they’re there.
“Yeah, but Skye, we can only check the past twenty-four hours,” Henry informs me and damn it; I need to see where my sister is!
“Okay, Church Lane, Tooting. I don’t know the Borough though.” God, I wish I was more useful. I feel like I’m useless and all I can do is sit here and wait for both Henry and Oscar to find her. Oscar lets go of my hand, and I instantly feel the loss.
“That’s the Borough of Wandsworth.” My eyes dart to Oscar who yet again fills in the blanks. How the hell does he know where all these places are? He smiles at me as he shakes his cell in my face. Oh, he’s Googling it, that makes sense.
Henry starts loading up the footage, and again I hold onto the edge of the table. I don’t know why, but holding it seems to keep me grounded, at least for a little while. I don’t know the address and I look at the screen hoping, praying that they’re walking down the street, but my hopes are dashed as there is police tape around one of the houses on the street and I know that it’s Gloria’s house.
Oscar moves from beside me to the seat opposite me, he’s now behind a computer, and I know that he’s going to find out why the police are there. I can’t stop looking at the screen, there’s nobody at the house, but the police tape is evidence enough that something bad happened, I just wish I knew what. I think it’s the guessing that’s making me worse; I’m jumping to all sorts of scenarios including a Liam Neeson Taken scenario.
“Okay, found the police report,” Oscar says getting my attention; I brace for the worst. “It is Gloria’s house as her name is on the lease. The cops received a call at midnight last night, a neighbor heard high pitched screams coming from Gloria’s house, and when a patrol unit got there the
house was empty, but there was blood everywhere. They have no leads on where Gloria or Addison could be.”
I need to get ready, I have a flight to book, and I have to pack a bigger bag. I need to check on mom and dad, I need to tell them what I’ve learnt, and I need Oscar and Henry to find out who the hell that man is. God, where am I even going to start looking when I get to London? I’m going to need a place to stay while I’m there, so much to do with so little time to do it.
“Earth to Skye?” I’m pulled out of my thoughts and see both Oscar and Henry looking at me expectantly. “Skye, I asked what are you going to do now?” Henry asks, and before I even get a chance to answer him, Oscar speaks.
“I’ve booked you on the next flight out. It leaves in an hour and thirty minutes; you don’t have much time, so you had better hurry. What are you going to do about your parents?” He knows me too well; I love that he thought ahead and booked me on the flight.
“I’m going to let them stay at my place while I’m gone. I’ll keep them updated as much as I possibly can. I had better go and get packed.” As I stand my legs buckle beneath me and I’m lucky that I managed to grab a hold of the table, it really has been my saving grace this evening.
“Skye are you okay?” Poor Henry must think I’m crazy; he’s such a lovely guy.
“I’m fine; I haven’t eaten dinner yet.” The look Oscar gives me tells me he doesn’t fully believe me. I’m not lying; I never got a chance to eat anything, I was blindsided as soon as I got home.
“You go home, pack and have something to eat. I’m going to email you your flight and hotel information, and then I’ll meet you at your house in thirty minutes to bring you to the airport. I’ll check in on your parents while you are gone.” I will myself not to cry and just nod my gratefulness. I leave the war room before I completely lose my composure and quickly grab my parents who are just sitting there staring at a wall.
Chapter Seven
Deadly Encounter (Deadly Series Book 4) Page 6
