chatroulette's stranger

Chapter Twenty eight, Part one: Try a little unraveling

Esteban's POV

Caleb arrives exactly seventeen minutes later, and i guess it is weird how, in the midst of this hurricane of a mess, he looked perfectly composed. Angry, yes. But in control of his emotions. As if he knew something like this would happen one day or the other and mentally preparing himself for years, on how on behave in this kind of situation. The complete opposite of me.  and it was not for a lack of trying, i tried to detach myself, to think clearly, to not let my wild imagination build up scenarios worsening one after the other. But i had one certainty: We could not possibly handle this situation without calling in the police.

"No, Esteban we're not going to call the cops, they won't be able to help" he answered, his lips thining.

"Caleb, we have to, this isn't a game, she could be in grave danger, please" i said pleading him

he looks empathetically at me for a minute and adds," i know this is too much for you," he sighs looks at the ceiling and closing his eyes for second before looking back at me" I know it's hard, but Amelia and I, we have a past. We have to take care of this alone. and either way, the cops can't help us now."

Again, this past that follows them..."But if the cops can't do anything, what can we do ?"

That's when i notice that since he came, he has been fiddling with his phone. And at my question, he gestures towards it saying:

"This is going to help us find where she is,"

Laken is silent all the while, he is just staring at us, seemingly as lost as I was, not knowing what to do or what to say.

"Amelia and I have tracking devices on our phones, in case something like...like this happens" he explains before adding " it may just a bit of time, but as soon as it finds something i'll go there and you stay here in case she comes back having lost her phone."

"Of course, i'm not staying here, i'm coming with you" i say. At the same moment, a small ring is heard, coming from his phone. He looks at me and I understand, it has found her location.

I don't give hime time to object, "I'm coming Caleb, there's no ay i'm staying here", he sighs and answers:

"Someone needs to stay here, in case she comes here"

Laken chooses that moment to talk, simply saying, "I'll stay"

Caleb and I both look at him as if, we're trying to be certain of his statement.

"I'll stay," he says again, "You two go, and call me if there's any news"

The next moment, the two of us are in his car. We're both silent, there's nothing we can say, both of us lost in ou minds. The ride, is mildly long, but close to forty minutes later, we enter a quiet neighbourhood, in the ouskirts of town. Caleb stops the car few houses away from the place indicated in his phone. We can the said place; it's a white house, everything looks normal. Quiet. Nothing really out of ordinary. But for sure something was amiss.

"You stay in the car, i'll go check" Caleb starts to open the door, when I hold his wrist:

"No. If it's really someone from your past," I can't help but say that sarcastically, "They will recognise you, whilst they don't know me. I'll go"

Caleb looks torn, i see him debating internally if he should let me do this or not, weighting the pros and the cons. A moment later, he has come to a decision.

"Okay, you go. but don't do anything stupid. It could be dangerous, just have a look and come tell me what you see, i'll take care of the rest. Clear?"

I nod, then get out of the car. I walk to the house, try to glance out the windows from a position in which Caleb can see me, but all the curtains are drawn. I gesture to him that i'll be going out to the back, maybe i'll be able to see something from there. I don't know if he understands, because he moves his hand in a 'no' motion, but i don't listen to him, i have to do this.

The backyard door, is open, i take a glance inside. I see no one. I make the decision to go inside, but as soon as i step one foot in, a creaking sound in heard. I look down, there are pieaces of broken glass scattered on the floor. Putting my worry aside, i continue my movements, and soon enough i see her. 

Amelia's there, I push aside the surge of relief i feel and carelessly, run towards her. But her eyes, are wide open and she's shaking her head no, mouthing to me the words: 

'Get out'

Unfortunately, i don't get the time to think about her words when someone from a door behind her, comes in the room. Facing me, and holding a gun at my chest.

Amelia's POV

My kidnapper keeps talking on the phone, from the backroom in which he has disappeared, i don't feel time passing, it's as if i am suspended in a different dimension, but one moment, i hear a creaking sound from somewhere in the house. It cannot be the same man, since it came from a different direction, and suddenly a face appears in front of me, Esteban.

What was he doing here ? what possessed him to come here?

I try to warn him off, but it's too late. The man comes from behind, threatens him with his gun and says:

"How did you find us? are you alone?"

Esteban answers trying to sound unphased but visibly afraid," i came on my own, just located her phone."

"Damn the phones!"The gangster says before, yelling at us to give him our phones. once he has taken them, he ties Esteban up and leaves him sitting on the ground seemingly not prepared to have another guest to tie up. He then goes back to the same room he was in, and returns to his phone conversation. All the while i can't keep my eyes away from Esteban, we cannot talk in case he'll come back, but i can see him assessing me for injuries, checking if i was fine. I nod my head showing him i was completely fine, but then he mouths: 'Caleb is here'

He doesn't get the chance to say anything else, when the man comes back once again and this time heading directly for the door,not sparing us one look. He steps aside, letting the newcomer in. Once again i am shocked beyond belief for the second time that evening when i recognise who it was. Esteban is even more shook, when the man he sees is Kevin Costan.

Esteban's father...

**to be continued**