Persephone's Search

Chapter One

The days seemed so long and frustrating since tragedy hit both Riley and Persephone. Riley and the Pride Brothers searched near and far for Riley and Persephone's daughter. Phoenix was kidnapped from the hospital where she was born at three days earlier. Now two months have passed and there was still no sign of her. The police were little to no help and both Persephone and Riley did not want to get the FBI involved. The sheriff had requested their help but upon arrival they were sent on their way.

Persephone feared that if the federal government got involved Trey; her ex-husband who had kidnapped her daughter, might hurt the baby and that's the last thing that either of them wanted. For two months Persephone drove herself to the brink of insanity. She called everyone that she knew that was part of Trey's crew. No one would talk to her. She was so desperate she even tried to contact Trey. She wanted to negotiate a trade. Riley quickly convinced her otherwise. He already was missing his daughter, he did not want her mother to be missing too.

Persephone began to slip into a depressive state. She didn't know who Trey gave her daughter to or who was giving her love and affection, if she was even getting that. She didn't know whether she was dead or alive, but knowing Trey if Phoenix was dead he would have shipped her back in a box. The thought of that terrified her and rendered her paralyzed. What did he want from her? How was she going to get her little girl back? She spent her days sitting in the nursery, barely eating, hardly sleeping, and hadn't been back to work since this all happened.

Riley stood at the door observing his love slip away and didn't know how to help her. The pain of losing his daughter affected him as well, even thou he didn't let it show on the outside. He had to stay strong for her and he didn't know how to do that anymore. She barely answered anymore when he spoke to her. She would just sit there holding the little pink teddy bear he had got Phoenix when she was born. He couldn't take seeing her like that anymore. He grabbed his keys and his cut and headed to the garage. Persephone heard the door close behind him. She knew he was hurting but how could she help him when she couldn't even help herself.

Riley rode until the roar of his engine drowned out every single thought he had. At the moment he didn't want to feel, he didn't want to think. He didn't know what to think or what to do in order to get his daughter back. He rode for about

an hour before heading to the club. When he pulled up to the club half the MC poured out to come and show their solidarity to him. Jake was the first one to approach him. "I need to talk to you when you finish talking to the guys." Riley agreed and talked to the guys for a few minutes. All of them showed concerned for what happen to him and Persephone.

Riley walked into the room where Jake was and Jake asked him to close the door. Jake and Riley had been best friends since they were five years old. They were more than friends they were brothers and he knew Riley was hurting bad. He could see the pain on his face and didn't know how to help him.

"I have to tell you something but I don't want you to flip out because I need you to have a level head because you might not like what you hear or see." Jake said.

"Out with it already Jake", Riley said sitting down.

"I had Skitz hack into the security cameras on the day that Phoenix was taken. He copied the video and I want you to see who walked out with the baby."

Jake turned the laptop that was in front of him around and pressed play on the video. Riley watched the footage of the entrance of the hospital and then he saw it. It was not Trey who was walking out the hospital but Amaryllis. She was carrying a duffel bag. It was the way that she was carrying the duffel bag that drew Riley's attention. She wasn't carrying she was more like cradling it and handling it very carefully. Riley hit the table when he saw the video.