Blissfully Numb. (Book 4)

Chapter 9

I wandered around for quite a while, I wasn't sure what I was expecting to find or think of. Maybe some magical answer or for Colin to appear in front of me, hand me Emily and leave without anyone getting hurt. By the time I went home it was dark and everyone had gone home. Alfie and Leya were in bed and it was nice to have some time to think.

How would Colin get in touch with me? He must know if he calls again they will be listening to him and will follow me to any meeting. He won't get away even if he doesn't hurt her, even if that really was never his intention he couldn't possibly hope to get away with kidnapping a child?! What did he want!

I feel like my stance has changed on all of this now. I want to see him, I want hear what he has to say. I want to hear it from him, how he killed my parents for money. I never did get to hear it from him, I only heard it from the police or the newspapers. I want him to look me in the eye and tell me that he felt nothing for them and wanted nothing but their money.

If he had been in America long enough to know Emily, to know what she meant to me that means he had been watching us for a while now. They told me because he had been out three years now the parole meetings weren't as often. He only had to attend once a month instead of once a week so he could have potentially been in America now over a month watching us all. Now that he had Emily she would be able to fill in any gaps that he was missing in my life and what I do daily. If that was the case he could be watching me still. I had to find him, I had to try and stick to what I normally do and hope that for Emily's sake he approaches me sooner rather than later.

The next morning a police officer was back round asking me more questions about Colin. I was really trying hard not to lose my temper as I told him, yet again that I didn't know my brother. I hadn't seen him for over 20 years, and even before he murdered my parents I never saw him because of his habit. I am not sure how much longer I can keep up with this so I ask him if he's done and when he nods I excuse myself to go run some errands.

I go for a run, I go to pick up some groceries and I pop to the office for a few hours. I try to brush off peoples concern and questions of why I am at work. I daren't tell them I am following a routine hoping to see my brother, the man who kidnapped my niece. When I leave work I ring Alfie and tell him I'm bringing food home so he doesn't need to worry about making anything. Then I make the twenty minute journey to our favourite Lebanese restaurant to get our food. Still nothing. I am approached by no one and see no one watching me, no matter how hard I look.

This goes on for another two days. I try my hardest to concentrate on my schedule, concentrate on everyone around me. I even take extra time out running to see if he would approach me off schedule in case he thought I was being watched by the police too but still nothing. I was starting to panic now. My family were beside themselves as we hadn't heard anything since he had made Emily ring Helen. How can I speak to him if I don't know where he is! The police are looking but they keep telling us that we need to be ready because it's been a few days now and usually people who are kidnapped normally contact their family or are found dead or alive by now. I mean jeez!

I am running on empty, everyone is. Charlie and Dom are a mess and I just feel so much to blame that it's eating me from the inside out. Damn him to ring like that and then not do anything else. Damn him for trying to take control of me like this and fuck him for doing this to my family. Playing games... if he has hurt her in this game of his I will make sure it is the last one he ever plays.

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Emily

Consequences. I haven't really had to feel the consequences of my decisions in my life so far. My parents have always been good to me, strict yes, but they trusted me and so I never really did anything against their wishes. As I walked home however, I was thinking of how nice the night had been and how I was supposed to get back through my window when I saw him approaching from the other side of the street. That word consequences still didn't enter my mind yet, a slither of fear did maybe as this tall, bulky man walked toward me. I tried to tell myself off, people are allowed to walk home that's what I am doing after all and he was on the other side of the street to me. It was all going to be fine and as I watched him pass me by, I laughed at the relief that flooded through me.

He didn't pass me though, in fact once he had passed me he crossed the street and came up behind me. When he said my name fear was replaced with worry as I thought I might have been one of my dad's friends catching me out this late. As I turned and saw his face though I knew that wasn't the case and I knew I was in trouble. I didn't know this man and I didn't know how he knew me.

"Emily?" He repeated.

"Who are you?"

"I am your uncle Colin." He smiled at me and my blood froze. Colin? As in Colin the murderer?!

"My dad's know I am out and they're expecting me home soon. I need to go home."

"Well now that's not true pet is it? I happen to know that you're on a tight leash. Those dads of yours treat you like a baby when you're a woman now, aren't you Emily?"

I didn't like the way he said my name or the way he smiled at me knowingly. How did he know so much about me? Theo had said he never contacted Colin so how else would he know that much about my life?

"You don't know how long I have waited to meet Theo's family. I know what he thinks of me but he's wrong and you're going to be the one to help me convince him." he said as he grabbed my arm.

"No I am not going with you please I need to go home." I tried to pull away but his grip was so tight. I dropped my phone as I tried to prize his fingers from my arm but it was no use. He pulled me away telling me if I didn't just come he would hurt my family. He pulled me into a truck and he drove away, the worst part was that he drove past my house and smiled as he did it.

The next morning he made me call my Nana and tell her that Colin wanted to talk to Theo. She tried to ask me lots of questions but I had been warned not to answer any of them. I could hear her panic and I wanted to tell her that I was scared but I didn't dare, so the tears streamed down as I told her the message again and then hung up. We're in an apartment, it's quite nice and he hasn't hurt me but it's been a few days now and we haven't moved. I want to see my family and I miss my parents so much but he just keeps saying they'll be watching, they'll be watching.

"Who will be watching?" I ask after hearing this for three days straight.

"The police." He replied. "I have been in contact and have asked to speak to Theo. If I go now to try and see him they'll be watching him and they will catch me. I know it will happen eventually I don't intend on hurting you Emily but I need Theo to listen to me, I need him to hear me out and by taking you he will. He won't want anything to happen to you and he thinks I am a murderer so he'll do anything I ask to save you. From here I can see at least two parts of Theo's usual routine and like clockwork he's been sticking to it but he's looking for me I can tell and I need to make sure he's not trying to set me up before I get my chance to talk to him."

"You said 'he thinks I am a murderer'. You went to prison, you killed your parents. You ARE a murderer!" I spat.

"Emily it's not like that. I killed my parents but I didn't pull the trigger."

"That makes no sense."

"My habit killed my parents. I got in with some serious people and I owed them big time. When my parents threatened to cut me off I knew I didn't have a way to pay that off. I knew they had money and so did the people I owed."

"So you killed them to pay those people back. God you are scum Theo was right. Do you know how much it affected him, did you even care about him. If you're after money now you've come for nothing. None of my family are rich they all work hard but they're not loaded."

"I don't want their money. I want Theo."