Learning to Love You

9. Lost and Found

The silence of his office was suddenly shattered by the ringing of his phone. Nathan snatched it up, his heart pounding as he saw Ava's name flash on the screen.

"Hello? Ava?" he answered, hope and fear mingling in his voice.

Instead of Ava, a cold, computerized voice crackled through the line. "Mr. Nathan, if you value Ava Hayes's life, you will delete all evidence against Marcus Roberts immediately."

Nathan's blood ran cold. "Who is this? Where's Ava?" he demanded, gripping the phone tighter.

"You have 24 hours. Delete everything, or Ava dies," the voice continued, unyielding and emotionless, before the line went dead.

Nathan's mind raced. He had to act fast. He dialed Vincent's number, a tech-savvy friend who owed him a favor. "I need you to trace a call. It's urgent."

He might not have taken these measures, but now it was confirmed that Ava was kidnapped. He was playing with fire. Nathan would inform the police on his way over. Hopefully, he would be able to rescue her.

Within minutes, Nathan received the location: an abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of the city. His heart pounded with both hope and dread as he grabbed his keys and gun, and raced to his car. It could be the place where she was being held captive. Or it could be a trap. There was only one way to find out.

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Ava was locked in a barely lit room within the warehouse, her wrists chafed from the ropes. She had been trying to loosen her bonds for hours, and finally, with one last desperate effort, the ropes gave way. Her heart leaped with hope. She carefully stood up, rubbing her sore wrists, and quietly crept to the door. It was unlocked.

One of the men had offered her food but she had refused. They could try to poison her or worse make her lose consciousness and do terrible things to her. He must have left the door open on his way out. Ava could not make out his face because of the dark. She could not figure out if it was a good thing or a bad. Placing her ear near the door, she tried to listen to any sound on the other end of the door but it was quiet.

Taking a deep breath, she slowly turned the doorknob and opened the door just enough to peek out. The hallway was empty. Ava slipped out, her bare feet making no sound on the cold, concrete floor. She followed the faint light and distant sounds, hoping to find an exit. Maybe the men were in a room farther away since their voices were faded.

She found a window high up on the wall in one of the back rooms. Climbing onto an old crate, she pushed the window open and squeezed through, dropping to the ground outside. She looked around, her heart pounding. The road to the city was visible in the distance.

She started running, her legs aching but adrenaline pushed her forward. After what felt like an eternity, she saw the headlights of a car and heard the roar of an engine behind her. She darted off the road, diving into the bushes and crouching low. The van sped past her, the men shouting and searching.

"Do you see her anywhere?"

"No. Shit, we are screwed. How did she even get away?"

"Just keep driving, she must not have gone far."

As another car rushed by, it made the bushes sway with the force of the car's speed. Ava stayed hidden, holding her breath until the van moved out of sight. When the road was as silent as the night again, she crawled out of the bushes, brushed herself off, and continued walking towards the city. Every step was painful, but Ava knew she had to keep moving. She was grateful since the darkness of the night hid her from people that she needed to hide from. But, it could be a problem if an unknown car passed her.

Praying silently, she continued to walk in the direction of the city, hoping that she would not die like this. How had it come to this? She was supposed to be Captain Ava Hayes by now. Instead, she was lurking out in the night on an unrecognized road with no phone or shoes. She could not call Stacy or Jeremy for help. Nathan's name did pop into her head but she shrugged it off. He was probably celebrating the end of a case and counting his earnings for it by now. But one question kept her mind occupied the entire walk, who was responsible for abducting her? And why? Could Marcus be behind this? Would he steep this low to not get arrested for his deeds in the past?

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Nathan arrived at the warehouse, his car skidding to a halt with no headlights. He approached cautiously, his gun drawn, scanning for any signs of movement. He entered through a side door, moving silently through the dark, labyrinthine corridors. His phone buzzed – a message from his friend confirming Ava's phone had been at this location just hours ago.

He checked each room, his heart pounding with the fear of what he might find. In one room, he found ropes on the floor and a chair overturned – a sign of struggle. His determination intensified. He was close.

As he reached another room, his phone buzzed again. This time, it was a call from the police station. They were coming and the officer was asking him to stay away from the warehouse and observe at a distance. But it was too late for that now. Normally, Nathan would observe and take all precautions before jumping into action.

But he felt accountable for Ava's abduction. She had been working with him, and it could be one of the reasons why she was held captive. It was hard for him to imagine what state she could be in right now. Maybe it was because he had not known the person he had to rescue before. He knew Ava. It was a horrible thing to happen to anyone and he was going to try his best to find her and take her back to safety.

Nathan's heart raced as he exited the warehouse, scanning the surroundings. Hitting the dirt, he placed his hands on his waist. As he began to walk back to his car, he noticed some fresh tire tracks. His sleuth instincts began to tingle as he turned on the car's engine and followed the track. He slowly drove back to the path he had taken to the warehouse. In the distance, he saw a figure stumbling along the road towards the city. He recognized her instantly. Her hair was down and her clothes a mess. His eyes widened at the sight of her barefoot. He brought the car to a halt and opened the door.

"Ava!" he shouted, running towards her.

She turned, her face lighting up with relief. "Nathan?" she cried, stumbling into his arms. He held her tightly, feeling her trembling against him.

"You're safe now," he whispered, his voice choked with emotion. "I've got you."

"They tried to find me," she gasped. "We have to go, now."

Nathan nodded, guiding her to the passenger seat. Taking off his coat, he placed it on her shoulders. As they drove away, he kept glancing at her, ensuring she was real and safe. "You're incredible," he said softly. "You saved yourself."

"And you saved me," she replied, reaching over to squeeze his hand. "but how did you find me?"

"I am a private detective, remember?" His comment cracked a smile on her tired face. Nathan looked at her with concern. "What happened?"

"I-I don't know. One minute, I was exiting the airport, leaving for home. But then a van stopped in front of me, and a few men pushed me inside. The last thing I remember was being hit on the head. When I woke up, my hands were tied, and I was in a dark room." The memory sent a shiver down her spine.

Nathan squeezed her hand lightly. She met his eyes, her face pale and exhausted. "Thank you for finding me, Nathan. I probably would not have survived alone."

Nathan shrugged away her words. "Nonsense, you had already escaped when I found you. You were dauntless! I know I said you should not get used to getting compliments from me, but I have to say you impressed me tonight. I am just glad I found you. I have to inform the police. Speaking of which, you would have to get your statement recorded at the precinct."

Turning his head in her direction, Nathan saw Ava napping peacefully with her head resting against the car seat. His coat wrapped around her snuggly. He leaned in closer and extended his hand near her nose to feel her light breath touching his fingers. Exhaling in relief, Nathan stepped on the gas. The sooner they reached the police station, the sooner she could rest.