haunted || l.h.

38

Luke's POV*

"Alright kid, your mother is on her way but start talking." A different police officer said as he sat down in the chair on the other side of the table. All that was in this room were two metal chairs and a metal table. Other than that it was empty.

"I didn't take her. The day I met her I knew something was up. She didn't like it when I touched her and she flinched every time I accidentally did. She was cold when I first met her, she didn't trust anyone and she was never a people person. She was afraid of people hurting her. When she finally got comfortable with me I introduced her to my friends and they all hugged her and stuff because that's just how they are. They didn't know about her dad and how much he hurt her but it scared her. She was scared and I walked in on her in the bathroom on the verge of a panic attack.

  One day she didn't come into school which wasn't really normal for her since I'd known her. She didn't go to school for days and I didn't know why. When she came back she had a bruise around her eye and a busted lip. She tried to hide it with makeup and by not looking at me but I saw it right away. And when I touched her torso she flinched and winced in pain. I took her back to my house that day and she told me everything. Her mom died when she was born and her grandparents got into a car accident when they were bringing her and her dad home and died. He blames it on her and he hurts her for it. I asked my mum that day if she could stay with us so she'd be safe. She's been staying there ever since and that's not because I forced her to. I love her and I care about her more than anything. He's hurting her now, and he's hurting her every single second that you aren't out there looking for her."

  I watched as he just looked at me with a blank look on his face. He was sitting with his back against the chair and his arms crossed over his chest the entire time. He let out a sigh before he stood up from the chair.

"I'm gonna see if your mother has made it yet." He said and left me locked in the room with handcuffs still around my wrists.

"Luke honey what happened?" My mum asked as she bursted through the door with the police officer right behind her.

"They came to the house and they took her. They let him take her with him and now she's getting hurt again. He lied and said I kidnapped her and now she's with him." I said as she stood next to me with an arm wrapped around my shoulders.

"You let her go back with him? Are you serious? When there is a case about an abused child you look at all the facts and you make sure you know what's going on before you take action. You let that sick man take her back so he could hurt her more. She's been staying with us so she can be safe and have a home that's full of security and love." My mum ranted which I think struck the officer by surprise.

"He told us she was kidnapped and we don't take those situations lightly. We've been looking for her for months." He said with no emotion in his face.

"But you didn't listen to my son when he told you she was getting abused at home? You take those situations lightly?" She asked with disbelief written all over her face.

"I personally wasn't on the scene. We sent out two officers to get her once we found her location." He said with a sigh.

"Well you better send out two new officers to find her and bring her back where she belongs. And you better get my son out of these damn cuffs right now." She said firmly while he got up and took the handcuffs off my wrists.

"He's lied before. She told me she's tried to get help and no one would listen to her because he's lied and gotten them to believe him over her." I said and looked the officer dead in the eyes.

"We'll find her. I'll send out some officers to his house and we'll bring her back. You guys are all set to go home." He said and opened the door so we could leave.

"No I need to go with you. She's gonna need me when you find her. I need to go with you." I said firmly.

"He could have a weapon we can't risk the life of a civilian." He said and follows us out of the room.

"I'm going. I'll stay in the car whatever. I just need to be there when you find her." I said which made him sigh and pinch the bridge of his nose.

"Is this alright with you?" He asked and turned to my mum.

"She needs him. All you guys have done is let her down, she's not gonna want to see you. She'll want to see him." She said, making him sigh again.

"You better stay in the car and listen to what you're told." He said and pointed a finger at me.

"I will." I said and nodded my head.

"Alright let's go kid." He said and brought me out with some other officers so we could go.

///

When we got to Paisley's dad's house the driveway was empty, which could be a good sign or a bad sign.

"Stay in the car, don't move." The officer said before they all got out of the car and headed towards the house. There were two officers in the car I was in and then two more in the other car.

They all walked towards the house with their guns ready and knocked on the door. They waited for an answer but didn't get one so they just went in.

This was killing me. They were taking forever it felt like and it was making me anxious. I need her to be okay. I promised she'd be okay and now that she was with him I don't think she was.

They came out a minutes later without my Paisley and without her dad. My heart sank in my chest and cracked. He wasn't there, and that only meant that he took her somewhere else.

"We gotta bring you home. It seems like she's not there which means we need to do some digging. They couldn't have gotten that far considering it's only been about an hour or so." The officer said as the two of them got back in the car.

"If you had just believed me when you took her from me then she wouldn't even be with him. This is your fault. She shouldn't be with him and if it wasn't for you she'd still be with me and she'd be safe. She could be dead for all we know and it would be because of you." I said angrily as they drove me back home.

"We'll find her. If we can get the license plate or maybe if she has her phone or something we'll be able to find her soon." He said but it wasn't making me any less angry.

"Do you want me to call her?" I asked and pulled out my phone and saw the picture I had of her sleeping on my chest as my lock screen.

"Wait till we get back to the station so we can track her number if she answers." He said so I just decided to look at pictures I had of her to keep me occupied.