The Arrangement Factor (ARRANGEMENT SERIES #1)

Chapter 73

"I think they might already be done with shopping, so we need to hurry," Daniel urged, checking a call from Mia.

"Hey Mia, is everything going according to plan? We'll be there in 15 minutes; keep her distracted until then," Daniel spoke into the phone.

"Daniel! It's me, Sarah. Mia... Mia..." Sarah's voice came through, sounding scared and worried.

"Sarah? What happened? Why do you sound stressed, and where is Mia?" Daniel asked anxiously, prompting Alex signalled him to put the phone on speaker as they rushed out of the house.

"Daniel, Mia saw someone and told me to run and call you. I don't know... MIA!" Sarah spoke, her voice filled with worry, and she shouted at the end.

They sensed a rustling sound through the phone, and their hearts clenched at the ominous possibility of something going wrong.

Voices emanated from the phone.

"Let go of her.

Sarah, run.

I won't leave you alone, Mia.

Sarah, please, it's dangerous. Call Daniel and tell him HE's here.

....

....

Leave me.

Let go of her. You want me, take me, but let her go.

Oh, sweetheart, you have no idea what I want and will do with you. However, I am taking this beautiful friend of yours as well.

No, Sarah, run.

...."

The call abruptly ends.

Alex attempts to reconnect, but the phone remains unreachable. Daniel speeds, breaking numerous laws without care for potential arrest, as the safety of their girls takes precedence and matters more than anything else.

***

"I've been trying her phone, and it's not reachable. Where on earth is this girl?" Mr. Anderson spoke, visibly irritated.

"I need to inform her that he's out, and she needs to come back home. Enough of her games; she needs to be safe," Mr. Anderson muttered to himself, angrily smashing a vase against the wall in his home office as he couldn't reach his daughter's phone.

***

Alex and Daniel arrive at the mall's entrance to find Mia's phone smashed on the floor. Daniel, agitated after hearing the phone conversation, is losing his composure.

"Alex, what do you think happened? Where are they?" Daniel asked, visibly tense.

"I have no idea, Dan. I'm worried for them. I need them to be safe," Alex replied, matching Daniel's tension.

"Why are you glued to your phone? We need to take action to find them," Daniel shouted at Alex.

"I'm tracking Sarah's phone. I've had her location on since the last time she left, and you tracked her," Alex responded.

"So, did you get their location?" Daniel questioned.

"It indicates her phone is off, and the last location she visited was this mall," Alex responded, frustration evident in his voice as he grappled with the inability to locate the girls.

Daniel's thoughts were scattered, consumed by fear for Mia's well-being. What did she mean when she said, 'he's here'? Suddenly, realization struck him. "Alex, he was here, he took her. We need to act before something terrible happens to her," Daniel exclaimed, his words rushed and fearful, yet Alex struggled to comprehend what he meant.