Without a Trace

Chapter Twelve

I know it's kind of cliche for me to be bad at Emma.  I know when I see these kinds of things happen in movies, I always get annoyed with the person for doing it, because the other person did it for their own good.  But now that I'm experiencing it myself, I just feel betrayed.  What she did was selfish.  I should have been the one to decide if it was dangerous for me or not, not her.  

Emma leads me out to her car, and starts explaining what happened to our dad to me while we drive around.  Apparently, he research company had been lying to him for years.  They had him and the others who had died in the fire researching vaccines, which is why he was researching the flu when he died.  Xavier Yomez was secretly doing unethical research on people.  He was torturing them, so that he could find a way to make them immune to pain.  It explains why him and Zane were so good at torturing me.  

"How did you find all this out?" I ask, impressed but not wanting to admit it because I was still pissed.  

"I may have broken into a few places..." she says sheepishly, not looking at me.  "Including where Yomez was keeping the files on his research."

"What does Zane have to do with all this?"

"Zane's actually his son."  I nod, not surprised.  They're both a little insane.  

"We have to find them before they hurt Haden."  I say, scared for him.  They put me through hell when they kidnapped me, I can't imagine what he's going through.

"I think that the only reason they hurt you was to get information." she says.  "They might not hurt him, they probably just took him to get to you."  I remain silent, and she gives me a concerned look.  "How are you doing, by the way?"

"I'm fine." I respond, not wanting to talk about this with her.  "Let's just find where they're keeping Haden, okay?"  She sighs, but then nods.  

"Let's check into a motel and get some sleep first.  Then we'll figure something out."  I shake my head.

"Haden might not have that much time.  What if Zane gets sick of waiting?"  

"Haden will be fine.  Besides, you won't be much help to you like this.  You're exhausted, Willow."  I reluctantly agree, and we end up staying the night at a motel down the street.  

The next morning, Emma and I decide to get breakfast at a local diner.  We walk out to the car and as soon as I sit in the passenger seat, I realize that I'm missing something.  

"I'll be right back." I tell her as I get out of the car.  "I forgot my wallet."  She nods, and I walk back to the room.  I grab my wallet from my bedside table, and when I turn around,  I scream.  Standing in the doorway of our room is Zane.  I grab my knife from my pocket, ready for a fight.  

"What exactly are you planning on doing with that?" he asks, grinning.  He walks toward me and I back away as much as I can before hitting the wall.  I've cornered myself.

"Get away from me." I tell him.  He doesn't even react.  Instead, he just grabs my wrist holding the knife and twists it.  I cry out in pain and drop it.  I struggle to free myself from his grip and kick him as hard as I can in the shin.  He groans but doesn't release me.  Instead, he punches me in the nose and wraps a strong arm around my neck.  It was tight enough to prevent me from getting away but not enough to cut off my air supply.  I can feel blood flowing from my nose from him punching me.

"I know she's here." he whispers in my ear.  I feel his hot breath on my neck and move away as far as possible.  "She can't hide anymore."

"You'll never find her.  She's not that stupid."  I'm hoping that since she left me years ago, she'll do it again.  But when I hear a voice behind Zane, that hope is gone.  

"Let my sister go."  Emma says and Zane spins around, his arm still wrapped around my neck.  She's pointing a gun at him, which I didn't even know she had until now.  

"Or what, you'll shoot me?" Zane answers.  "You wouldn't risk hitting Willow."  He strokes my cheek with his hand and I cringe.  "You both are gonna come with me or I'll break her neck."  I hold my breath, praying that she'll either shoot him or just leave me here.  Even though I'm angry with her, I want her safe.  She starts to lower her gun, and Zane's grip on me loosens a little.  I take the opportunity to elbow him in the stomach then duck out of his grip.  As I do this, I hear a gunshot.  I look up and see him holding his shoulder in pain, blood coming from a gunshot wound.  

"Where did you learn to do that?!" I ask Emma incredulously.  

"California." she answers grinning.

"You shot me!" Zane exclaims, and I chuckle. 

"Shut up."  Emma tells him as she walks over to him.  "You're gonna tell us where Haden is or we'll let you bleed out right here."  He remains silent and she digs her finger into his wound.  He screams in pain.  I know it sounds cruel, but I almost grinned a little at that.

Zane ended up telling us where Haden is and we drop him off at a hospital.  I suggest calling the cops so that they can handle it, but Emma refuses.  

"I don't trust them." is all she says, and I decide to leave it at that.  Now we're on our way to where Haden's being kept,  a house about an hour away.  We've been in the car about fifteen minutes so far and the awkward silence is becoming unbearable.  

"So what did you do in California?" I ask her to break the silence.

"I wasn't vacationing if that's what you're asking." she answers, not taking her eyes off the road.  "I was just trying to lie low.  And I did feel bad for leaving you guys.  I wasn't just relaxing on the beach."   I sigh, knowing that at this point I should just stop being mad at her so we can focus on getting Haden back.  

"I think I'm less angry at you now.  It's just I was so angry at you for Haden being taken that I should've been angry at the people  who actually took him."  

"Don't worry, we'll get him back."  Emma reassures me.  "I'll make sure of it."