One Shot, One Chance

Chapter One (Proofread needed)

~~~ Three years later~~~

"Where is she now?... " Adrian Sanders asked calmly. His body was relaxed as he sat in the chair of his home office, staring at one of his detectives. The man in front of him stammered as he looked at Adrian before looking down.FTP

"Sir... I have a new lead..." he stated nervously as his Boss just watched him. "I'm sure this one will.."

"Baker, you are starting to sound like a broken record. Every couple of months, it's a new lead that fails. I don't want leads... I want results." He slammed his fist down before sitting back in his chair. He took a deep breath and righted a picture that fell. Ironically it was an old family picture of his now ex-wife, his children, his late brother Sean, Michelle, and niece... Chloe.

"I'm sorry, Chief... I promise... I will find her. I just need a little more time to follow this new lead." the man pleaded as sweat broke all over his hairless forehead.

Adrian didn't speak; he just stood slowly, stepping around his desk with a calmer expression on his face. Placing an arm around the man's shoulder, he guided the sweating man towards the door where two others waited.

"More time?... I have given you three years, Baker. Three years and ten months to find my niece and bring her to me. Why don't you tell Kevin about this new lead." The door closed in front of Baker as he got dragged away.

Turning, Adrian walked back to the large glass window that overlooked his small manicured garden and the Potomac River below. Off in the distance, he could see the Chain Bridge that led into Virginia. His thoughts, however, were further away than the shore.

Chloe had been at the house that night. He didn't know how much she knew or had seen. But she had disappeared that night, and it didn't take a genius to figure out she had seen something. He had to assume the worst.

~~~~~~~~~~Birmingham, Alambama~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chloe walked out of the bank into the humid Alabama heat. Her long hair hung down past her shoulders as she lowered her reflective aviators over her eyes. While Chloe walked, her eyes were always scanning walked to Starbucks. A news article in the line caught her eyes, she bought the newspaper along with an iced American and went to sit in a back corner.

Sipping a drink in the corner, she glanced at down at the door before looking down at the paper.

"DC police detective was found shot in the head. Detective Baker had been on the force for 12 years. A man was also shot at the scene resisting arrest. " The story went on to read. She had no doubt it was her uncle behind Baker's death.

After thirty minutes, feeling secure that no one had followed, she tossed her cup away, headed the bathrooms, and didn't stop until she was out the back door. Not wasting time, she quickly got into her beat-up car and pulled away, heading out of Birmingham.

Chole had called Lucy that night several times until her Father's phone died. Until to find out a couple of days later, she had been killed in a car accident. She still wasn't sure what to think about that. Her gut told her it wasn't an accident, but she didn't have any proof. There had been a winter storm that hit the east coast that night. It had turned into a blizzard that had saved her in a way. But then Lucy's accident could have been a freak event of fate or nature if you believed in that. She didn't, and she wasn't sure what she thought in anymore. She had managed to get to the bank and empty the bank accounts. A hand over the camera at an overnight ATM; Sweating that it wouldn't raise the alarm before she pulled the money out.

Having no idea what to do in the real world, she had never thought that her life would have taken a road like this. She was all set to go to College after getting early acceptance to Georgetown University.