Quiet Storm

Chapter 45

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"I have to go now..." Emir grabbed his shirt that was lying next to the couch, standing up.
"Don't go yet..." Zeynep held his arm with both hands.
"I have business to attend to. Fortunately, I'm not jobless like most of your relatives." He smiled sarcastically, moving away of her.
"It's been a while since you insulted my family, I was wondering when it would occur again..." Sighing, she threw her head back staring at the ceiling.
Emir rolled his eyes, checking her reaction. He sat back down, staring at her. "Are you okay?"
"I don't know... I want to go to the cemetery, to visit my brother..."
"Take the driver and go... Go to your mother afterwards, she will be happy to see Poyraz without me there." He tried to hide a smile, caressing a strand of her hair.
"My mother will come around at some point... She isn't bad." Zeynep told him, keeping his hand in her lap.
"I don't really mind... It's funny like this... Mother and daughter filling me with adrenaline."
"Emir..." She giggled. At the moment, they heard Poyraz's cries from the bedroom.
"My son!" Emir exclaimed practically running to him.
Until Zeynep reached the room, Emir had placed him over his shoulders, making horse sounds.
"What are you doing?" She tried not to laugh.
"Entertaining him. The cheap way." He kept his show on, walking around the room.
"I'll caption this moment and hang it in the entrance of your company." She crossed her arms, shaking her head at him.
"It would ruin my reputation, don't you dare." He warned her between all seriousness. He was joking obviously. Poyraz was bringing something different out of him. It has never been like that with Deniz... Maybe because he has a son, he could easily see himself in him. He wanted to give to him everything he could, everything his father didn't give him.
"Zeynep..." He trailed, looking on the floor.
"Hm?" She went closer to him.
"I was thinking... I want to visit Asu." He took Poyraz in his arms, kissing his head.
"I was thinking about it too... But since you had told me not to bother you about it I-"
"No, no... I actually want to see her. I don't know why."
"You should go... Do it. Family is important, I know it... I lost one brother, but your sister is still there... Don't leave her alone, no matter what. I'm sure she has missed you." Zeynep's palm was laying on his chest.
Emir nodded his head, flickering his eyes.
"We should also go to your mother, what do you say?"
"We will... Take him, I have to go." Handing Poyraz over to her, he touched her cheek with his thumb and left without another word.

Zeynep didn't get the driver to take her to the cemetery, she walked instead. She had Poyraz in the stroller and enjoyed the nice day. It has been a while since she has been able to walk. It was another way to think freely and unhurriedly without someone on her back.
A few meters away and when she got in the main road, a black van stopped by her side and three men made their way to her fastly.
"Who are you?" She got shocked as the men dragged her along with them. "What is - My son! POYRAZ!" One of them took him out of the stroller and placed him in the car, throwing the stroller at the side of the street. "POYRAZ! POYRAZ! LET ME!"
"SHUT UP, SHUT IT!" A guy pressed her mouth shut and pushed her in the car.
Zeynep started crying uncontrollably, she couldn't understand what was going on, who those people are or anything else. They handed her over Poyraz so he would stop crying and she hugged him close to her chest.
"My heart... Calm down... It's gonna be okay, I am here... Okay, son?" She whispered by his ear, holding on for dear life.
"Boss, we have her." The man next to the driver said. "No one noticed... Alright... Yes." He hung up, looking back at Zeynep through the rear view mirror.
"Where are you taking me? My son is so young, he has to-"
"Shut up woman. Don't make us use force in front of your boy." The guy next to her nudged her strongly.
His look made her stay silent for the rest of the ride. She wouldn't risk putting Poyraz in danger, all she has to do is to wait.

Emir was at the Holding. He had lots of things to take care of since he was away for long. He arranged a special meeting with the board members in order to get informed about any recent changes. When he was done, he headed to his office. It was about 2pm now so he thought to check on Zeynep. Calling her, it went straight to voice mail. This was weird... If Zeynep was out, she wouldn't have her phone shut down. He called again and the same occurred. "Uff, Zeynep!" He talked to himself, sitting down to his chair. He thought about a few minutes, tapping his fingers on the desk. He remembered that she told him she would visit her parents after the cemetery so she would probably be there by now. He took some deep breaths before dialing Zeynep's house number. He was in no mood to talk to her mother right now but anyway.
"Hello?" Fehime's voice echoed from the other line.
"It's me. Is Zeynep there? Her phone is shut down."
"No, she didn't come by, neither she called."
"And where is she then?"
"I don't know, we haven't talked."
"How didn't you talk, she told me she would visit you today!"
"I am telling you she didn't! Where is this girl?"
"I don't know! That's why I called you!"
"Ah my girl, ah... What if something happened to her?"
"What could have- I'm going home to check it out."
"Let me know when you find her."
Emir grabbed his jacket and ran out of the office. Something couldn't sit well with him, the situation was totally weird.
Arriving at home, he saw no sign of her. He walked to the security room to check the cameras. He rewinded the videos to the time he left the house and waited... Zeynep showed up in the video at 11.30am. She walked out of the house with Poyraz in the stroller. To his surprise she hasn't called for a driver, she went out alone.
"God damn it.." He mouthed, turning his head to the side. He decided to call her again but it was completely in vain. He then widened his eyes in realization. What if she had left him? What if she took Poyraz and left for good?
"No, stop the nonsense." He talked to himself, slapping his own cheek lightly. Letting out a growl, he called Mehmet.
"Check into airport, train and bus stations for ZEYNEP. Even ships!"
"Why sir? I don't understand."
"Do I care?! Do as I told you! Be fast!"
"As you order."
Emir walked back to the living room and threw his phone on the sofa. "If you dared... If you dared to leave me, Zeynep... If you dared to take my son away..."
As his phone rang, he picked it up at once.
"Tell me."
"There is nothing, sir. Not even a reservation in her name."
"How's that? Are you sure?"
"Of course, there is nothing. We even double checked with her family name."
Letting the phone down his ear, he stood frozen for a little while. What is going on?
He rushed to open a drawer in the hall, only to discover that both her and Poyraz's id's were there.
Calling Mehmet again, he simply ordered him. "Check the hospitals."
Without any more time to waste, he got into his car to start searching on his own. There were a few places he knew that she liked, he would try his luck. He was driving down to the main road, thinking about every little possibility. Zeynep never acts like that, not without reason. They were just fine today, what could have happened to her? The corner of his eye saw something familiar as he was passing by the street. He pulled over to the side and got out. At the opposite side there was a stroller thrown down. This stroller... This stroller was the one he bought for his son! "POYRAZ!" He shouted, crossing the street without looking as cars were horning to him.
Emir reached the place, picking the stroller up. This was Poyraz's, he was 100% sure. It still had his smell on it. "My son..." His eyes wandered around unfocused. He was in no position to understand anything, his brain had stopped working. A faint shining on the ground gained his attention. He looked closely, bending down.
It was a pearl stud earring. His mind instantly went to Zeynep. She had those earrings on last night, he can remember it clearly.
"Zeynep..." He trailed, literally sitting down on the pavement. "Poyraz..." Rubbing his palm against his mouth, he couldn't believe what was going on. A chuckle left his mouth, a pathetic one. It was out of despair, of worry, of incapability...
His wife and son are abducted. Zeynep and Poyraz Kozcuoğlu are abducted.
Who? Who even dared to laid hands on them?
"AH!" A loud scream fell off his lips, slapping his knee in an attempt to stand up quickly. In a blink of seconds, he fell back down as his left leg got numb. "AH, AH, AH!" He yelled out of frustration, taking out his phone with his right hand while the left caressed his leg.
"Zeynep and Poyraz are missing... Move up the whole sky and find them." He called Hakan, talking emphatically between breaths.
"Slow down, Kozcuoğlu. What are you saying?"
"Zeynep and my son are missing!"
"How? Explain..."

About fifteen minutes later, a police team were at the place Emir was. Hakan was leading them, examining what Emir found.
A tear rolled down Emir's cheek, thinking about how his son was in his arms this morning. If he knew... If only he knew better... He would never leave for work.
She had asked him... Zeynep asked him to stay... His eyes flickered and he wiped the tear away annoyed. Like he hated being in this state. Being this weak... Unable to do anything. Unable to find them.

At the other side of the town, Zeynep was taken in a house in the middle of nowhere. They had her locked with Poyraz in a huge bedroom. There were even clothes and a crib for him.
"Allah, get me out of this nightmare..." She was crying silently, careful not to wake her son. "Emir..." At the thought of him, she cried even harder. What if she wouldn't be able to see him again?
Both of her hands gripped her belly. "Be strong, my baby... Be strong, my son..." She turned to Poyraz, who was asleep in the middle of the bed. "Your daddy will come... He will come." Nodding her head at herself, she slowly laid her body back, reaching the pillow.

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Oh man 💔