The Teacher's Pet

Chapter Twenty-Six

James Levine:
"James, we promise you, we almost have every person of the society out looking for Katherine." Dante reassures me for the third time this hour, but it does nothing to me.
Every possible scenario of her never coming back, her being kidnapped, her even being murdered crosses my mind. But the most dominant thought is regret, that I should've never let her go out without me, no matter how stubborn she is.
"Don't give up the hope yet."
"You think I would be the first person to give up the hope when it comes to her? You're even more stupid than I thought you were."
"Watch it!" His face turns from a sweet smile into a serious expression, sending child down my spine.
"What?" There is a sharp edge to my voice, a slight challenge.
For the first time this hour, I make eye contact with Dante, not sweet eye contact. 'Who is the more dominant person?' eye contact. "What are you going to do? You keep threatening me, while I've never seen you do anything!"
Dante stands up from the dinner chair, and strides across the room with less than 5 steps.
"I understand that you would be stressed with you girlfriend missing, I understand that things have been stressful, because she got hurt recently and you want to keep her safe. But I can't keep covering for your behavior son. There are edges to it, you are crossing one." His voice sounds a lot more calm and displeasing. Almost making me feel guilty for snapping at him, but I'm done with his empty threats.
"You don't understand for shit! Are you even in love with my mother?" From a cold hearted face he turns rigid, later I realize I shouldn't have been this personal.
Dante's hand wraps around my arm, with the other hand he hits me flat in my face and shoves me out the door.
"Get the hell out of my face! Don't you dare say anything like that again!" Never have I seen Dante this worked up, I guess this really stops my suspicions from roaming around, he does love my mother, with a powerful desire. But my ego is too powerful to apologize so soon. Besides, there are more important things to do now.
A vibration comes from the back of my pocket, I pick up my phone to look at the screen. Anonymous caller. Usually, I don't pick up these calls. But today, I am in such a bad mood, that I need to put my anger on something. Right now, this stranger will be the victim.
"Good evening James."
The voice pierces through me, it's a voice I recognize, my father's voice. How the hell did he get my number?
I lift the phone away from my ear to look at the number once again, it still says anonymous, of course, my father would call anonymous. Always hiding behind an anonymous identity.
My father hasn't reached out in over 7 years, it makes me wonder why he would be calling.
The last piece of a puzzle falls into place in my mind.
"Where is she Cedar?"
"No 'hi dad, how have you been, how lovely of you to reach out again. I missed you?' How tragic."
"I'm not playing around! I know you have her!"
"Why do you think so, son?"
"Firstly, I am not your son, second, you haven't called in over 7 years and now that my girlfriend is missing, you call? Put 2 And 2 together Cedar."
"See, I knew I raised a smart kid."
His voice alone is enough to get me raging mad, I have to clutch my hand into a tight fist to keep myself from destroying my phone.
"You raised no one! Where are you keeping her?!"
"If only it were that easy James Felone."
Him using my old last name, is enough to send me off the deep end, yet I take a deep breath and keep my temper in control for as long as I can. Cedar can't see what he still does to me.
"It's James Levine."
"You pathetic child, picking your mother's last name? You will always be a Felone, I created you, you will carry my nickname!
My father is drifting off the conversation, my guess is to drag out more reactions from me.
"Did you hurt her?" I ask to change the subject right back.
"Maybe I did, maybe I didn't, that's the fun game about this, isn't it?"
"Let me talk to her."
"No, things don't work that easily James, you should know that the best."
"Then why did you even bother to call me?"
A sigh sounds from the other end of the line. "Thought you might want to know where your little girlfriend is hanging out, she is quite enjoying herself in my palace with my men."
Cedar knows, he knows how much I love her, he knows that because he took her! Even though the no contact for 7 years, he hasn't let go of me, not like I let go of him.
Rage pulses through me as I imagine another man's hands on Kat's body. Her closing her eyes in pleasure, the same thing she does when she is receiving pleasure with me.
Not giving him the satisfaction of breaking me, I hang up the phone and stride down the halls, looking for the closest room with computers. Something. I need something to trace this call.
Without bothering to knock on the door I barge inside, startling the person sitting at the desk right in front of me.
"Rick, good to see you again."
His jaw tenses as he inches away from me, fear, he is afraid of me. People of the society are afraid of me just like Dante has mentioned.
"I'm not going to hurt you, I promise, I just..." To scare him less, I lower my tone. "I need your help." It feels weak to be asking other people for help, it's not something I do often. But if I would have to deal with all these computer screens myself, I would be here for a hell of a lot longer than if Rick just helped me with it.
"What's up man?"
A deep breath leaves my body, flooding all the stress away. "Can you track a phone call?"
"Easy job." A smile is planted on his face, hair in front of his eyes get whooshed away by the wind from the open window.
"The person who called, called anonymously."
"That won't be a problem sir Levine, putting your number on anonymous won't hide your IP address, all you have to do is call hik for one to two minutes while your phone is hooked up to my computer."
I'm not the person to be thanking someone, so I give Rick a wide smile, he smirks back at me.
After some struggles, my phone is plugged into his computer through multiple cords, I had to get most of my protection off my phone for it to work. So in these minutes that I am finding out where my father is, anyone could break into my phone. Rick assured me that it won't happen, I'm trusting him for it. If it does happen, I'll take his life for it.
"Ready?"
No words are needed, so I don't give him any. A couple more breaths come into my body,-I need all the air I can get,-before I go to my recent calls on my phone. There, at the top is the anonymous number.
"Hello son," He picks up with the first few rings. "hanging up on me before, not so nice is it? Came to apologize?"
Right now, I would do anything to keep him on the phone for the next 110 seconds.
"You're right dad," My entire body begins to itch and shiver, calling him dad is the worst thing I have done in the past 15 years, and I have done a lot of bad shit. "I'm sorry for that, I just want to talk this out."
With the phone still to my ear, I concentrate on Rick who is looking deeply in his computer. He has a very confused look on his face and sighs deeply. Definity not a good sign.
"Come on James, don't you think I know what you're doing?"
Rick makes eye contact, with a sorry expression he shakes his head before looking away. Too afraid to be faced with my angry expression.
"You're calling me again to track me aren't you? Don't you forget I made you, I am your father, we are the same. But you should know, that I am untraceable. I knew you would try this so I took my precaution. Good luck with ever finding your girlfriend again James." Before I even have the chance to say more, the sound of the phone call hanging up enters my ears.
My hands run through my dark and thick hair, frustration together with worry is all I feel.
"Fuck!"
Rick's eyes are still focused intensely on the screen, trying to find other ways.
"Come on, there must be something else that you can do! Something! Please tell me something!" There is a rush of panic in my voice. Never in my life did I expect to be so desperate over a girl.
"James, I-I'm sorry, there isn't much else I can do for you." His eyes switch around the room, this is the only room that doesn't have a million paintings. It's almost like this room isn't part of the society.
"The person calling has my girlfriend kidnapped, the things he is doing to her, or willing to do, are dangerous, more dangerous than anything. I just... God." The tears start forming in my eyes, I don't make them worthy enough to fall.
"Wait... There is. There is something."
Instantly, I stop from walking out of this room and trying to find another option and I stare him in his eyes. My deep brown eyes focused on his nervous blue eyes hidden behind the dyed brown hair. His roots show that he has dyed it many times now.
"If you promise not to tell anyone, I can track the previous call through multiple sites on the dark web, my father told me to never use it because there are always consequences. But those consequences can't be worse than what's happening with her, she was always pretty nice to me when she was here, as nice as someone can be when being so shy." He grins at the thought of her, never have I realized how loved she was in the society. Of course she was loved, she didn't kill, she's nice to everyone and she is a beautiful young woman.
"I swear on everything I own, I won't tell anyone, please track it."
There is a slight fear pressed on his face, that is hidden behind a smile. The fear matches the empty room, there is nothing in the room asides from a desk and 5 computer screens.
The sound of him typing on his keyboard and scrolling with his mouse fills the room.
Minutes pass, the minutes feel like hours, I fidget with the rings on my finger, tap my foot on the floor, all soundlessly so I don't make him nervous. Probably the first time that I think about others rather than myself.
"This must be it." Never in my life have I walked so fast toward someone.
Rick points at a place on the map and than zooms out to show me where we are currently located. He tells me that it is not more than a 30 minute drive.
"Thank you Rick, truly." I cringe at the words coming from my mouth, 'thank you', I will never repeat that again, not if my life depends on it. Rick seems just as shocked at I was, only, he is better at hiding it.
He writes down the address on a piece of paper lying next to him and hands it to me.
"I'll pray for her."
Lastly, I give him a nod and make my way upstairs to my car as soon as I can.
My mission is to save Kat from this monster, called my father.