The Truth ✔

Chapter 37 ~

"Mr. Boswell," Jake says placing his hand over his shoulder. "Your daughter isn't dead. She's alive, but she's in a lot of trouble and needs your help."

Mr. Boswell stares at us with his mouth agape. Suddenly he smiles, "Please come in." He says opening the door to his home wider.

Connor's POV

We follow Mr. Boswell into his Living Room where he ushers us to sit on the couch. "Annie." He calls out.

After a minute a lady around his age appears. "Why are you yelling Ad-" She pauses when she sees us all sitting on the couch. "I'm sorry. I didn't know we had company." She says giving us a small smile before looking back at Mr. Boswell. "You didn't tell me we were having company. I would have made tea and coffee."

"Honey, they know my daughter. T-They said she's alive." He says with tears streaming down his face.

Annie rushes over to her husband and hugs him tightly. "She's alive, Adam?   Is it true?  Is she alive?" She says with so much hope in her voice.  Honestly, I'm amazed and shock at how his wife is acting. This isn't even her daughter and she never met Layla, but she is just as excited if not more than her husband.

As I look around the living room, I notice several pictures of Layla that they have pulled from the internet. They never once forgot about her. Layla had a family who loved her this entire time and never even knew about them.

Annie turns her attention to us. "I am so sorry. Where are my manners? I'm Annabelle Boswell, Adam's wife, but you can call me Annie for short."

"Hi Annie." I say shaking her hand. "I'm Connor and my two friends are Whitney and Jake. We are all friends of Layla."

Adam sits beside Annie. "So, she really is alive?" He asks cautiously as if at any moment we are going to tell him that this is a cruel prank.

"Yes." Jake answers. "Why do you think she isn't?"

"I've been trying to find Layla since the day her mother told me she was pregnant. Every time I got close to finding Layla, Scott Walker, would find a way to hide her from me. He offered me fifty-grand if I was willing to sign my rights over to him. I told him no. That's my little girl. I'll do anything to get her back. I've never met my daughter, but she means the world to me." He swallows. "Three and a half years ago I received a call from his lawyer saying Layla and her mother both died in a wreck. I tried contacting him. I wanted to at least go to the funeral, but I was told if I go anywhere near the funeral, he would have me arrested for trespassing."

Shit. What kind of person lies to someone about the death of their child? "Layla is alive." Whitney says pulling out her phone to show them pictures of Layla. "Her mother did pass away and when she did Layla ran off to live with her real dad." Adam and Annie both have a confuse look on their face at the mention of her real dad. "Her mom and step dad hired a guy to pretend to be her real father. The guy is an awful human being. There hope was that Layla would meet him and realize how awful he was and stop asking questions about her dad."

"Instead," Jake chimes in. "She ran away to him once her mother died thinking that he would be her only chance at freedom. He, ummm." Jake pauses.

"H-he what?" Annie asks with fear showing through her eyes.

I swallow the lump in my throat. "He was physically and verbally abusive to her. He would beat her daily, call her names and even starve her." I say as I feel the anger build up in me again.

Annie burst into tears and Adam looks like he has just seen a ghost. "W-where is my daughter? Is she okay? Did someone help her?"

"That's why we are here. My best friend has kind of had a thing for Layla since freshman year. This year he finally decided to at least approach her and as a result of that we found out that she was being hurt at home. All of our parents stepped him and Layla has been living with my best friend and his parents until a month ago."

"What happened a month ago?" Annie questions. Her voice is so soft that it can barely be heard.

"My friend's parents were trying to get custody of her, but when they applied for custody it sent a notice to her stepdad. He and his son appeared in our lives a month ago saying that he was next in line to get custody over Layla and he was taking her back."

"So that bastard has my daughter again?" Adam growls balling his hand into a fist.

"Um no." Whitney hesitantly says. "The day that her stepbrother appeared at our school, she ran away with my cousin, who is her boyfriend. My aunt transferred a ton of money to his account which he pulled out and they took off."

"Before you get upset my best friend, he is madly in love with Layla." I inform them. "He and his entire family would do anything to help her. He is also the only person in this world that she fully trusts. He would never do anything to harm her or put her in danger. He is now a wanted criminal because they are claiming he kidnapped her, and both of his parents are in jail for accessory to kidnapping a minor. She was going to run off by herself, but he refused to let her go without him. Once his parents found out how dangerous and powerful Scott is, they both knew they couldn't ask for them to come back."

"No one has heard from Layla or Kaleb since the day they took off. This entire time we've been trying to find a way to get everyone home. That's how we find out about you." Jake says.

Annie squeezes Adam's hand and gives him a reassuring smile. "If Kaleb is anything like the three of you, then we are more than happy to know he is with Layla. Y'all are a godsend to us and we will do anything that is necessary to get Layla home."

Adam stands up and smiles brightly at his wife. "I'm going to make some phone calls. I don't want to waste another second away from my daughter." He says before walking out of the room.

We all sit in silence for a moment not sure what to do until Annie speaks up.  "Do y'all like roasted chicken? I can make it for dinner for everyone." Annie says smiling at us.

"You don't have too." Whitney says politely.

"Hogwash, everyone needs to eat and y'all look exhausted and hungry. I'm sure there is going to be a lot for all of us to do. We should at least eat a good meal." She says as she walks into the kitchen.

"I'll help you." Whitney says following her.

Jake looks at me once everyone is out of the room and whispers, "They're good people, Connor. Even if that means Layla is far away from us, she will be loved here."

"I know, but I don't want her far away from us.  Imagine what that will do to Kaleb.  We can't just let her walk out of our lives for forever."

"We won't." He says patting my back. "She will forever be apart of our family.  Now we have to figure out how to get a hold of Layla and Kaleb."