"Hello, this is Mona O'Connor. Is this Chris?" Mona said as soon as the other end of the phone picked up. Harry had decided to move ahead with the search to find Emma, while Mr. Hatter stayed behind with Mona while she made the call. She hoped Chris would be of some help, but to her surprise, a woman answered.
"Um, no, I'm sorry, this is Kandy. Who is this again?" Kandy asked, holding Chris's phone to her ear. She was sitting in a chair beside Chris's hospital bed. You can imagine how shocked Kandy was when she picked up a beaten-up Chris from an abandoned parking lot in the middle of the night.
He had tried to explain everything that happened, but he was too on-edge to hold onto a single detail. The most Kandy was able to understand was that Emma had been kidnapped, Blake had gone to follow the car, and Chris had gotten his ass kicked by some crazy bitch.
She had managed to calm him down by telling him to tell her more later, after they got him looked over at the hospital. She was worried sick about Emma. She had made sure to text the other girls and fill them in on the basic information she had. And even though she knew there was probably no point, she tried calling Emma's phone multiple times.
She was probably going to see Emma's parents and let them know what was happening once Chris fell asleep. She wasn't expecting anyone to call Chris; he had left out that detail in his panic. The doctor had just left the room after checking his cuts and giving him a lot of pain medication. He was in and out of sleep.
Mona glanced at James, who gave her a raised brow. She turned the phone on speaker. "This is Lieutenant Mona O'Connor. Is Chris around? I'd like to ask him a question regarding your campsite."
Kandy's eyes widened. She looked over at Chris and patted his chest, making him groan. He met her eyes, and one look at her told him it was something serious. He sat up in the bed. "Yes, he's right here. One moment." She handed the phone to him.
He took the phone, clearing his throat. "Hello? Is everything okay? How's Emma and Blake? Did you find them?" Kandy pressed her hands together tightly, watching him.
Mona wanted to tell him that everything was fine, that his friends were safe and unharmed, and that everything was great. But that just wasn't the truth. Blake was bleeding out on the way to the hospital, and Emma was still missing.
James decided to speak up in her moment of pause. "Blake is currently on the way to the hospital. However, Emma is still missing. We are searching the woods right now."
Kandy began to cry into her hands, fearing for both of her friends' lives. Chris patted her back, trying to calm her, but his heart was also hurting. Blake was his oldest and best friend. Hearing that he was bleeding out somewhere was heartbreaking.
"I remember you said you knew this area well," Mona said, her voice full of urgency. "Blake was trying to tell me something before they took him to the hospital. Something about 'loner'... something. Do you have any clue what that could mean?" Kandy pulled her head out of her hands, looking up at Chris.
She was praying for a miracle, and she wasn't even religious "Yes! Oh my God!" Chris said, his voice cracking with emotion as the pieces clicked into place. "There's this little hidden area near the lake! It's on the left, and you have to push a few trees out of the way. There will be a clearing. He was probably talking about Loner Land. That's what we call that area."
Mona's and James's eyes met. Without another word, they began racing toward the lake. Chris and Kandy looked at each other as they heard the running on the other end of the line.
"You're brilliant. Thanks for your help," Mona said before hanging up the phone and sliding it back into her pocket.
James turned on his flashlight, shining it around the ground.
He pointed the beam toward the grass and bushes. They took a few minutes to scan the area before he called out to her. "Mona, look." She went to stand behind him, looking at the splotches of dark red blood. He bent down, looking more closely. "Blood. And it looks fresh. It goes in that direction. Let's go."
He stood back up and moved toward the trees. She looked at him for a moment in amazement. "Were you always this observant?" How could he have noticed the dark blood against the green grass? It was dark as hell out here, and it was only a few drops. He laughed softly, pushing some trees out of the way for her. "No, but I guess that makes you the oblivious one, huh?" he teased.
Mona raised a brow, a slow smile creeping across her face. "Oh, you think so?" she shot back. "I just prefer to see the big picture." He simply grinned, continuing to lead the way forward. Mona shook her head, but she couldn't hide the smile that had just appeared.
Her sole focus on work had kept her from noticing how often his eyes found hers, how he was always there to back her up. It was a new thought, one she didn't have time to process, but a thought that had definitely started to take root.
Mia note- Poor James I'm sure she'll notice one day!🤣😅
YOU ARE READING
It Started With Hello
Romance***** Emma Pear knew she wasn't the most popular girl in high school. Her nose was usually buried in a textbook, and her grades were as spotless as her reputation for always following the rules. "Nerd" was a label she'd long since embraced. Her pare...
