Chapter 2 - The Morning After
At 8:00 AM, my phone buzzed. The caller ID flashed: Liam.
Victor, who hadn't slept a wink, pointed at the phone. "Answer it. Put it on speaker. Sound worried, but do not let him know she is here."
I took a deep breath, channeling every ounce of motherly rage into a trembling voice, and answered. "Hello?"
"Evelyn! Oh, thank God," Liam’s voice poured through the speaker, dripping with perfectly acted panic. "Is Maya with you? I woke up in our hotel suite and she was gone. I’m terrified, Evelyn. We had a… a bit of a disagreement last night, and she just ran off."
I looked at Victor. He mouthed one word: Keep going.
"A disagreement?" I asked, forcing my voice to break. "Liam, what happened? Where is my daughter?"
"She had too much to drink, Evelyn. She was acting erratic. I went to get her some water, and when I came back, she had taken her things. I’m going to call the police if we don't find her soon."
He was setting the stage. Building his alibi. Framing her as the crazy, drunk runaway bride.
"Don't call the police yet," I said, gripping the edge of the table. "I'll call her friends. Please, Liam, let me know if you hear anything."
"Of course, Mom. I love her so much," he lied smoothly.
I hung up, feeling sick to my stomach.
Victor slammed his laptop shut. A terrifying, predatory smile crept onto his face. "I found it," he whispered.
"Found what?"
May you like
"The reason they wanted the brownstone." Victor turned the laptop around. "Liam isn't a successful surgeon. He's drowning in malpractice lawsuits that have been quietly settled out of court. And Beatrice? Her late husband left her a mountain of debt. The bank is foreclosing on her estate next week. They are absolutely broke."
They didn't want Maya. They wanted a wealthy hostage to liquidate for parts.
