Wren

S. Part 12

Wren sat cross-legged in the floor of his closet, his red and aching eyes staring blankly at the wall ahead of him.

It had been two days. Two days since he'd seen Sophie. He was so sick from anxiety and couldn't eat or sleep; Matteo was in the same state. They'd tried to check security footage from anywhere they could get access to the cameras, but it was a slow process. 

Matteo suddenly burst into their room, startling Wren so bad he bit his tongue. Matteo skidded to the closet and stuck out his hand. "Come with me-- we were able to track her location from her phone to a cafe downtown." 

Wren immediately jumped up and rushed out with him, getting in the car.

But when they arrived, the shop was closed. Wren and Matteo stood out front, hands tightly entwined as they tried to understand what was happening. Wren pulled out his phone and checked again-- it was right here! She was supposed to be right here!

Matteo suddenly pulled his hand free and walked a little way down the sidewalk, crouching down beside one of the big flowerpots that lined the sidewalk. He reached out a shaky hand and pulled out a phone that had been hidden in the pot; tucked under the leaves and flowers and dusted with dirt. 

Wren put a hand over is mouth, tears pricking his eyes. "That's hers--"

"Ugh. I can't believe it." A young woman suddenly said as she walked up behind them, making them whip around. She was dressed plainly enough, but had an apron draped over her arm. "Closed with no warning. . . I haven't heard a word from her!" The young woman glanced at them, giving an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry, but if you're here as customers, you'll have to go somewhere else."

Matteo stood, coming to Wren's side and again taking his hand, slipping Sophie's phone into his back pocket. "Do you work here?"

"Yes, but I can't open up. My boss has the key, but I haven't heard from her."

"Is your boss's name. . . Eden?" Matteo asked, his heart sinking.

"Oh! How'd you know?" 

Wren glanced up at his husband, his stomach in so many knots he thought he might be sick. If Eden had suddenly disappeared too, could she be with Sophie? Both of them were in danger?

"Ah, she's friends with my daughter." Matteo gave a forced smile. "I'm sorry, but we're in a rush. Thank you for letting us know," he said as he dragged Wren back to the car.

"Where are we going?" Wren asked, hating that he knew that answer.

"Home. There's nothing we can do from here, but now we know her last location, so we'll check the cameras from there and hopefully-- no. We will-- find her."

Wren didn't want to go home. He didn't want to drift around the house like a ghost while his daughter was in danger. He didn't want to go back and be smothered by maids trying to get him to eat-- Leo trying to give him sleeping pills-- he didn't want to just keep waiting and doing nothing while the girls were missing and probably being hurt like he had been--

"Puppy?" Matteo's voice cut through Wren's panic attack. "I know. Take a deep breath."

"I want to help. I can't just keep waiting." Wren turned to Matteo, gripping his arm as he begged. "Give me a job-- something I can do to help find her. I'm going to go crazy if I can't--"

"I'll find something for you to do, puppy. We'll bring her and Eden home safe, okay?"

Wren felt his heart sink with the confirmation that Matteo also thought Eden must be with Sophie. 

He stared out the window of the car, completely broken. 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Wren had been set up at a computer monitor, and shown how to scroll through hours of footage. They'd been able to get into the cameras at the cafe and the surrounding area, and were combing through the different angles. 

Wren's heart skipped a beat. "Matteo, come here!" he yelled.

Matteo jumped up from his desk and rushed over, leaning over Wren's shoulder as they watched the footage.

Sophie walking in, then about twenty minutes later she and Eden waking back out and turning to lock the cafe doors. Then they started walking down the street, out of the range of the camera.

"No!" Wren hissed under his breath.

"It's okay, just let me--" Matteo clicked around until he found the next camera down the street, then adjusting until he got to the right timestamp. They watched as Sophie stopped in her tracks and whirled around, as if she heard something. After a few moments the girls continued walking, only to stop again. But Matteo and Wren's hearts dropped when men came out of the shadows and grabbed the girls. They held their breath as they watched Sophie fight them off, rushing to Eden and pulling her arm-- but the men closed them in. There was no escaping them. The girls were pinned down and cloths held over their mouths, and Matteo and Wren watched in horror as their limp bodies were jammed into the back of a van that pulled up to the curb. Sophie's phone must have fallen out of her pocket in the struggle, landing in the flower pot.

Wren turned to Matteo and threw his arms around his waist, pressing his face into his stomach. "They took them!" he sobbed, trying to stand from the chair but his knees buckling under him. "Help them-- please do something--"

Matteo caught Wren up in his arms and sat him back in the chair, pulling it out and turning it away from the screen. "Puppy, it's okay. I can see the license plate number. I'll have someone trace it back. We'll find them."

"But what if--"

Matteo cupped a hand over Wren's lips, hushing him as he stood between Wren's legs. He pulled Wren closer, pressing him against his body and wrapping his arms around him. "We'll find them. We'll bring them home. I promise, puppy."

               Part 13 Coming Soon
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