Second Chance

Chapter 33

"Rachel's ex? But why would he try to kill her?", Noah questioned.

I didn't know what to say!

I sure knew their history about how Nathan tortured Rach for months. Later, Rach also told me that she filed a FIR against him after he killed their child. Nathan was in jail for almost four years before he got released about a year ago.

If that is the reason he wanted to take revenge on Rach then why wait so long?

Moreover, was Nathan so stupid to assume that he'll be able to save himself after attacking one of the most successful businesswoman of States?

I had no answer to these questions so I helplessly looked at Zack. His eyes held a mixture of pain and shock in them.

"I should have known that people like Nathan never change. It is all my mistake. After he got released from jail, I should have kept an eye on him but I really felt that he must have changed and regret his actions.", Zack spoke in a very low, defeated voice.

A part of me was happy to see that Rachel had someone like Zack in her life. Anybody who saw him right now wouldn't believe that Rachel was not his own daughter. He was so terrified.

And all I wanted to do was assure him that we'll find her.

But I didn't have time to console him. I'd to track Rachel down, soon.

I looked down at the laptop where the CCTV footage showed that Nathan is leaving.

"Switch over to the camera outside the hangar. I want to see what Nathan does next.", I demanded.

Noah clicked some keys of the keyboard and the camera outside the hangar came into life. It showed that Nathan walked towards a door which looked liked some storage room.

Unfortunately, there were no cameras in that room so we had no option but to wait. Around ten minutes later, he came out. This time he is in his casuals clothes, not in the worker's uniform like earlier.

Then he started to make his way towards the exit. The camera outside the building showed that he walked out.

"Damn! How are we supposed to know where he went after that?", Aish's voice came.

"Well one thing is for sure. He is not alone in this, someone is helping him. Someone powerful.", Noah said.

Aish raised her eyebrows,"How can you say that?"

This time it was me who spoke,"Because the hangar company where Rach's jet was parked is highly guarded and Nathan is not enough powerful to have contacts that high."

Aish nodded understandingly as I continued,"Now the real question is who is helping him?"

"Maybe it's Kelley. Her father is rich, she can obviously make this happen.", Aish spoke again.

Zack, who was quiet all this time, said,"That makes sense but how come Nathan and Kelley know each other?"

"There's only one way to find out. Call the police and ask them to arrest Kelley.", Aish suggested.

"For what crime? For threatening Rachel, which for all we know can be empty? Or because we feel that Nathan has some connection with Kelley? We can't just ask the police to arrest the daughter of the owner of one of the best publishing companies based on out assumptions.", I said.

"Then what are we supposed to do? Just sit here and wait?", Aish screamed.

I ignored her and faced Noah,"Ask the Chicago police to find out the whereabouts of Nathan. Also get me the phone details of Nathan. If somebody is helping him, he must have talked to them over phone."

Noah nodded and picked his phone.

Zack left the room saying that he'll check with the rescue team and Aish walked back to the couch and slumped down as a single tear left her eye.

I leaned back on the wall and closed my eyes.

"Do you want coffee, Rachel?", I screamed loud enough for her to hear.

"Yeah! Make sure to put lots of cream and sugar.", she screamed back.

Her words made me get out of kitchen and I made my way towards her.

She was sitting on my sofa. Wearing a loose tank top and shorts, hair pulled up in a messy bun and a pen between her teeth, she looked like an absolute angel working on her laptop.

A small smile appeared on my lips.

"Since when do you drink your coffee with cream and sugar?"

Her eyes tore away from her laptop screen.

"Since you filled my life with sweetness.", she stated.

"Huh?"

"Aaron, I was a very cheerful girl in my childhood. Even though I was abused at home, I never let it affect my behavior because I believed that that time with my father will pass by and I'll meet a guy who'll love me. But when Nathan did the same to me as my father, I gave up. I became bitter about everything. Even my coffee. But then you came by and filled my life and coffee with your sweetness. ", she smiled.

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It took us almost twenty minutes to find out that lately, Nathan had been talking to some girl named Lauren Johnson. Their phone calls were awfully long and they even exchanged messages related to Rachel's whereabouts.

"Now, who the hell is Lauren Johnson?", Aish questioned.

"Aish, stop being so tough. We all here are trying to find out the main culprit. Shouting like this won't help.", Noah raged.

"You don't tell me how to behave! My best friend is missing. You won't know how I'm feeling."

"Well, Rach is very dear to me also and I care for her as much as you do. And you-"

"OH, JUST SHUT UP BOTH OF YOU! We don't have time for all these arguments.", my voice echoed in the room.

Then I turned towards the police officer who bought the information about Lauren,"I want you to find this Lauren Johnson. Trace her phone, I want her location in less than an hour."

"My team is already working on that, Mr West. You'll have her location soon". He left after saying this.

"But if this accident was done by Rachel's ex and this girl, then does it mean that Kelley is not involved in all this?", Aish spoke again.

"I don't think so. We haven't got any evidence that concerns her.", I replied.

There was a comfortable silence in the room after that. I don't know how long we stayed like that before the officer again entered the room.

"Mr West, Lauren's phone was last active an hour before the crash so we couldn't track the current location. But we've got the location where it was last active. It's here, in New York. It's a residential address."

"Residential address! So, it must be Lauren's home?", I asked.

"No sir, actually it's um..", he hesitated.

"What?", I asked impatiently.

"It is not Lauren's home, it is Kelley Harrington's."