When I See You Again (MxB)

13. Jude

I was smelling the candle as I walked up the stairs to our flat. Fey loved different types of candles, and sometimes I brought some home to surprise the little kitten. I missed his face so much that I ran up the stairs two at a time. I couldn't wait to kiss him all over and listen to his cute little giggles.

But I stopped as I came in front of our flat.

The door was open, and as I pushed inside, the candle fell from my hand.

There was an immediate smell of burning food that assaulted my senses, and as I looked around, nothing else seemed out of place. But our little cat was lying under the table, groaning pitifully. I ran inside and picked the little thing up in my arms, before turning the stove off.

"Fey?" I screamed into the flat even though I knew inside my heart that he wasn't there. This couldn't be happening.

Tell me this was not happening.

An hour or so later, our apartment was crowded. My brother and his boyfriend were there and so were some police officers. But my heart broke when I looked at Rabeya. She was sobbing uncontrollably into Leo's arms as Divit tried to comfort her with whispered words. The whole atmosphere of the flat was tense. Everybody was on edge and everybody kept looking at my phone as if anticipating a call.

A ransom call.

But I knew that wouldn't come. This was personal.

It was my uncle's doing. He was the one who believed in the motto, "You mess with my family, I mess with yours."

In his eyes, I messed with his family. I took his son to rehab and didn't tell him where he was.

He was teaching me a lesson.

I knew because he had called me a few days earlier and screamed at me for kidnapping his son. I tried to explain the situation but he refused to listen. I was so exasperated that I cut the call.

Of course, he didn't like that. That egotistical bastard!

My mother's brother was also here. His rank was too high to investigate a mere kidnapping case but this was family. He knew what I was thinking and he had moved some officers to investigate the case. They went to pay a visit to my asshole uncle but I already knew this wasn't going to do anything.

My uncle was smart. Even though he was a maniac, he knew how to cover his tracks well. One of the many reasons why my father separated his businesses from my uncle was because of his shady behaviours. After baba left, things became worse as he kept getting deeper into the shady shit. We stopped communicating altogether after one point.

But our roads crossed when my cousin came to visit my father and then shot my brother's boyfriend a few days later.

The thought crossed my mind as I jumped up from the seat I was sitting in so suddenly that all eyes in the room immediately fell onto me.

I reckon I looked like a madman right now. Dishevelled clothes and hair, eyes red from unshed tears and lips dry from nervous gnawing. But I didn't give a shit.

My boyfriend was missing. The love of my life. He was supposed to be home and he was not. Nothing else was important anymore. I looked at Divit, he raised his eyes in question.

I went to where Leo, Divit and Rabeya were standing, huddled together.

"You talk to Rudy right?" I asked Divit. I didn't have it in me to think that this question might start a fight between him and Leo. But he seemed to understand. He avoided Leo's eyes and nodded looking at me.

"Dial his number and give your phone to me. I have to keep my line open so I can't call from mine." I explained and he ignored Leo's frantically whispered questions as he scrolled through his contact list and found the number he was looking for. He gave the phone to me.

I gestured for my uncle to follow me into the balcony away from the humdrum and he looked at me questioningly but followed nonetheless. When we were outside, I slid the glass door close and explained to him what I was trying to do. He nodded seriously.

"We don't have any leads. Whoever kidnapped Faiyaz covered their tracks well and knew what they were doing. It is almost impossible that nobody saw what they were doing. But anyway, we need all the help we want, so call your cousin and ask him if he knows anything." He mused and I nodded. I wasn't in the headspace to hold intelligent conversations right now but I needed to do this. I needed to call Rudy and ask him about his father.

Even though I hated doing this to him, I had no other choice.

The phone rang a few times before Rudy picked it up.

"Hello?" He sounded a little breathless over the phone. But I chose to ignore it.

"Fey was kidnapped.."

"What?" His loud voice rang in my ear, "It was my dad, wasn't it?" He concluded without any prompting. I felt really bad for the kid but I didn't have any choice right now.

"Yes, I'm so sorry Ru, but do you have any idea where he might have kept him?" I asked him, desperate for answers. Even though a voice in my head kept saying that he probably didn't have one for me.

"I wish I could help, but I really don't know. Dad never talked about these things with me." Rudy's voice sounded morose over the call. "But, his old assistant, uncle Arun, my dad fired him only a few months ago. He might know something. I can text you his number." He mused, knowing that it was a long shot. But honestly, I'll take anything over sitting here and waiting for news to come.

"Send it to Divit's phone. I'll contact him. Thank you, Ru." I told him with all sincerity.

"I'm so sorry," my cousin sounded defeated. "It's because of me he got into this mess." His voice was shaking, I could feel he was on the verge of tears.

"Hey, it's not your fault, don't beat yourself up about it. We'll find him, don't worry. I'll keep you posted ok?" I asked and he barely hummed on the other side. But I have already cut the call. I anxiously looked at the screen, waiting for him to send the contact details of this Arun guy.

It came only a few seconds later. But before I could call, I heard another ring.

My phone was ringing, and everyone was anxiously looking at the device as if it could blow up at any moment.

I walked towards the table where it was kept, my uncle in my tow. I picked up the sleek device and saw the screen flashing an unknown number.

I saw my hand shaking before I answered the call.

"Hello?" I said in a shaky voice that I wished didn't betray my emotions at the moment?

"Baby? It's Fey! Oh God Sky, you have to get here right now!" Fey's voice was barely above a whisper, but I heard everything he said.

"Where are you?" Was the only thing I could say...