Things happened fast after that, Gabe stormed out of the warehouse, too his car. Maddison had to run to catch up with him worried that he wouldn't wait and take off without her. When she got in the car, he had his phone to his ear barking out orders rapidly. She had questions about what she had seen, and she didn't think he would give her a chance to answer them. It wasn't until he was pulling up at her office that he finally got off his phone.
'So what happens now?' she asked him.
'Now' Gabe said his voice rough with emotions. 'I go and get my ruler back.'
Maddison slowly nodded. 'Is there anything I can do to help?'
'No.' he said shaking his head. 'We have it covered.'
Maddison realised this was probably the last time she would see Gabe; her job was now complete. She didn't know how she felt about that. She thought she would be relieved to have it done. 'Those chains that they used on Lucifer. They weren't normal chains.' She thought about the way they sparked. 'What are they?'
'They are something that would have no effect on you, so I wouldn't worry about them.' She frowned at his answer, which wasn't really one. 'Look I need to go, there is a lot that needs to be organised for the rescue mission. I don't have time.' His words hurt, which made her feel stupid. Of course he was in a rush. She nodded her head at him, opening his car door she climbed out. She heard him sigh loudly. 'Maddison?'
She turned back, holding the car door with her left hand. 'Yeah?'
He rubbed his hand across the brow on his head. 'Nothing, just... take care of yourself.'
'Will do.' She said shutting the door, she turned and what felt like the hundredth time that night she walked down the alleyway to her apartment. Not looking back at Gabe who still sat idled on the side of the road. Feeling drained Maddison managed to make it to her apartment, without bothering to change she crawled into bed and went to sleep.
The next day Maddison managed to make it into her office on time. She had only been sitting at her desk for ten minutes when the bell on the door jingled. She walked out of her office to the reception area to find a delivery man standing there holding a large bouquet of flowers. Her heart fluttered at the sight of them. They were beautiful. But who would send her flowers? Tony's name popped into her head, and she had to repress the smile that wanted to shine on her face.
'Ms Banks?' the delivery guy asked
'Yes, that's me.'
'These are for you.' He said handing her the flowers, she could smell the different aromas and couldn't believe that Tony would send her flowers. She thought the date had been a bust, and that he only asked her to still go to his cabin because he is a nice guy and didn't want to take back the invitation. But to go and send her flowers that would mean that he really did want to see her. 'If you could sign here.' The delivery man held out a device for her to sign her signature on. The man left as soon as she signed. She sat the flowers on the receptionist desk, and plucked out the small white card that was peeking out of its side. She opened it smiling, and read what was written, and frowned.
Sweetest dreams, of sweetest nights.
I have you now within my sights.
Your luscious lips, and coloured hair.
I want to see you naked and bare.
I plan to touch your parts unseen,
The night I take you as my Queen.
Hand in Hand, side by side.
I cannot wait for you to be my bride.
A.
'Well that's not creepy or anything.' She said flipping the card over to see if anything was written on the back. The reality hit her. Tony didn't send them, and she had no idea who did. Picking the flowers up, she dropped them in the large bin behind the reception desk. She would throw them in the dumpster when she left for the day. She walked back to her desk, feeling like she needed a hot shower. She sat down at her desk and stared off into space. Who was A? She didn't think she knew anyone whose name started with A, she searched her memories and could find nothing that could clue her in to who had sent the flowers.
The phone started ringing breaking her from her thoughts. Picking it up still distracted she forgot to say the shop jingle. Instead she said. 'Hello?'
'I'm sorry,' said a women's voice. 'I think I have dialled the wrong number.'
Maddison cleared her through, 'No, this is Maddison Banks from lost and found. Is that who you were looking for?'
'Are you the women you can find anything, or anyone?' The women asked sounding unsure.
'That's me, how can I help you?' The women started crying on the other end of the phone, Maddison sat forward in her seat worried. 'Are you alright?'
'No, it's my daughter.' The women hiccupped 'She hasn't been home for three days, I called the police, but they haven't found her. I just want my baby to come home,'
Maddison's heart broke for the women, she wondered why Tony hadn't come to see her about this missing girl. Then again it was a big city he may not even know about it. She picked up a pencil. 'Where was your daughter last seen?'
'She was last seen leaving her school to walk home.'
'Was anyone walking with her?'
'No, she was alone.'
'What school does she attend?'
'Gratton School for girls.' She sniffled. 'Can you help me? Can you find my baby?'
'Listen Mrs....?'
'Carla, Carla Brent.'
'Mrs Brent, can you come down to my office? I need to get a few details from you, and if you could bring a recent picture of your daughter.'
'And you will find her?' She asked sounding desperate.'
Maddison licked her lips, she didn't want to promise anything even though she was fairly certain she could find her daughter. 'Than I will do everything I can do to find her for you.'
The women started crying again. 'Bless you, thank you. I will come right now.' The women disconnected the call before Maddison could tell her the address, she hoped that the women already had it. Maddison opened the draw beside her desk to prepare all the paperwork the women would need to fill out.
'Busy day?' Tony asked standing at her office door.
She looked up surprised to see him there, she didn't hear the bell jingle when he entered. 'Hey.' She said smiling at him. 'I didn't hear you come in.'
'You looked like you were deep in thought.'
She stood from her seat and leaned against her desk. 'Just organising myself. What's up?'
He leaned against the door frame, putting his hands in his pockets. 'I said I would be stopping by, last night.'
'Right.' She said remembering him telling her that when she got out of his car. She couldn't believe that was only the night before. It had seemed like forever, what with her going out again with Gabe and tracking Lucifer. 'Sorry I guess I'm a little out of it at the moment.'
'So you have had a busy day.'
'Not really, I just had a call from a women wanting me to find her daughter, she should be stopping in shortly.'
'So now isn't a good time?'
'No, it's fine.' She watched him look back into the reception room with a frown.
'You got flowers?'
She cringed, realising he was looking at the flowers she had thrown in the bin. 'Yeah, they came with a creepy note. So I threw them out.'
He looked back at her raising an eyebrow, 'Who were they from?'
'No clue, it was signed with an A. That was it. I tried to rack my brain to figure out who. But I don't think I even know anyone whose name starts with A...' her words drifted off as a terrible thought occurred to her. 'Unless your full name is Anthony and you sent them.' Oh god that would be perfect if he had sent them to her, and he is here seeing them in the trash.
'No, my name isn't Anthony, just Tony.'
She breathed out in relief. 'That's good.'
'I could take the card in and have it dusted for prints if you would like?'
She waved him off. 'Its fine, I'm sure it's someone's funny idea of a joke or something like that.'
Tony frowned not looking convinced, so she was surprised when he changed the subject. 'I enjoyed going out with you last night?'
'Yeah, even though we were rudely interrupted?'
'Well that wasn't so great, but the rest of the date was.'
She smiled at him feeling her stomach flutter. 'Really?'
He laughed at her. 'Yes really.' His smiled dimmed a little. 'Tomorrow is Friday; do you know if you will be able to make it this weekend?'
'Well I did manage to help find the guy Gabe was looking for. So that won't be in the way, but I do have a new client coming in. I don't think it will take me long to help find her. So yeah I can make it this weekend.'
'Yeah? That's great! We can leave tomorrow around two in the afternoon if you can get off work by then?'
She ran everything that she will have to do to help find the missing girl through her mind and nodded. 'I can close up early if I have everything done.'
'Great, well I need to head back to work. So I will see you tomorrow?'
'I can't wait.' She said walking after him when he turned to leave the room. She could feel the excitement bubbling up in her. She couldn't wait to go to his cabin, out in the fresh air, and a lake to Jet Ski on she couldn't wait.
Just as Tony reached the door it opened and some women in her forties walked in. Her eyes were red rimmed and Maddison knew she was the women from the phone. She walked passed Tony as if he wasn't there, up to Maddison. 'Ms Banks?'
'Yes, Mrs Brent I assume?'
'Yes I just spoke to you about my daughter.' Tony gave Maddison a small wave from behind the women's back and walked out the door.
Maddison looked back at the women, 'Please, come in to my office. Did you remember to bring a picture?'
'Yes, yes I brought one.'
She led the women into her office and pointed at a seat 'Please have a seat.'
Maddison walked around her desk and sat in her chair, picking up the papers she had gotten ready for when the women showed. 'I have some paperwork that I need you to fill out.'
Mrs Brent sniffled, nodding her head she took the paperwork from her and sat them down on the desk. 'Do you have a pen?' she asked.
Opening her draw Maddison pulled out a blue pen she kept there for clients to use and handed it to the women. 'Can I have the picture you brought?'
The women opened her bag and pulled out a small photo album. She opened it and pulled out a picture handing it over to Maddison. 'This one was taken only a couple of weeks ago.'
Maddison looked down at the picture at the young girl of about ten smiling. She had jet black hair and bright blue eyes. Maddison had expected the girl to older, at least fifteen, she seemed too young to be walking home alone from school. 'You have a beautiful daughter Mrs Brent.'
'Thank you. Her name is Tammy' She replied softly, Maddison could see that she had started to cry again. She watched as the women in front of her pulled herself back together and started filling out the paperwork, when she finished she handed them back to Maddison. 'Do I pay you now?'
'No Mrs Brent, I won't charge you unless I find her.' That wasn't always the case with clients, sometimes she would charge for the time she spent on a case, but she couldn't with this one. The women looked a wreck, her heart broke for her. She hoped for the women's sake that her daughter was still alive, and well. Mrs Brent nodded her head, Maddison wasn't really sure if the women was hearing what she was saying, or if she was on auto pilot. She would leave as soon as the women left and go find her daughter. 'I will call you as soon as I know something, until than why don't you go home and try and get some rest.'
'Ok, thank you Ms Banks.' Her eyes started to water, and tears started to fall.
Maddison stood from her seat and walked around her desk to her, she was at a lost as to what she could do for the women. She took the women gently by the arm and helped her to stand. 'Do you need me to call someone to come and get you?'
'No. I'm ok.' She walked with Maddison out in to the reception room. 'You will find her for me, won't you Ms Banks? Please, please find my baby girl. She must be so scared, out there all alone.'
'I will do everything I can to find her for you Mrs Brent, go home and wait for my call. Try and get some rest.' Maddison walked her to the door opening it for her, the women turned giving her a desperate look, she didn't speak again, and she just turned and walked out the door, down the side walk. Maddison watched her as she walked and waited until she was out of site before rushing back inside her office to grab her jacket and bike keys. Locking up her office, and getting on her bike parked in the alley way. Maddison took off driving to the last place the young girl had been seen. Gratton School for girls.
When she pulled up outside of the school she was surprised when she didn't see any teachers or students roaming about the grounds. Being a school day she expected to see at least a few kids walking around. The carpark on the school grounds looked abandon with a white plastic bag floating around being the only thing there. She felt uneasy as she climbed off her bike. Like she wasn't alone, that someone, or something was nearby and watching her. She shook her head wanting to laugh at her silliness. It was daytime, and she was standing outside of a school. She was safe, then again a young girl had been taken from here. So maybe she wasn't as safe as she thought. Scanning her surroundings, she relaxed slightly when she didn't see anything out of the ordinary. 'Pull it together.' She muttered at herself, as she walked to stand where she thought the girl would have come out through the gate when she left school.
Removing the picture from her back pocket, she looked down at the ten-year-old girl, closing her eyes she waited for her ability to kick in. Vertigo hit, her surrounding start to swirl as she was thrown out of her body. As soon as she was outside of her body she started rewinding time, she didn't make time move backwards at same speed as she had done when tracking Lucifer, she didn't need to go that fast. The girl had only been missing a few days, so she didn't need to burn through as much time.
Slowing the motion, time came to a standstill, it surprised her at first when she started using her gift at how she always knew when to slow time. Like she subconsciously knows exactly when to stop and be at the point of time she needed to be in. Sure enough as soon as time froze, there was Tammy, about to walk out the school date. Maddison took in the young girl frozen there, her face was alight with her smile as the girl next to her was bent into her obviously whispering something into Tammy's ear. Maddison allowed for time to start moving again. Tammy and her friend walked out of the gate. Her friend waved as she moved her mouth, Maddison guessed she was saying goodbye. Tammy waved and walked off in the opposite direction of her friend. Maddison floated after her, along the crowded footpath, the girl continued to walk, turning down street after street, until the children who also walked home thinned out until Tammy was walking all alone. Maddison couldn't believe that a girl so young had to walk home such a long distance.
Maddison saw them before Tammy did, up ahead of her, leaning against a thick trunked tree were three men. All were standing there staring at the girl. Two of the men were big, muscled men with shaven heads, one had a large scar across his face like he had been sliced with a knife. The third guy who stood in the middle wore a black hoody, his face was angled down so the hoodie hid it. But she knew he watched the girl as she walked closer to them. Maddison wanted to shake the young girl, telling her to look up and see, to run now why she still had a chance of escape. But the young girl didn't look up, she kept walking until one of the large men stood in front of her path cutting her off. They didn't waste any time, one of the bulky man picked the young girl up and threw her across his shoulders. He looked at the hoodie man, who nodded and the man with the girl vanished at the same time as the other large men did. They guy with the hoodie was the last to vanish, there was something familiar about the guy. But without seeing his face Maddison knew she wouldn't be able to figure out how she knew him. They were obviously Demons, teleporting the young girl away.
Expecting it to happen like the other times, Maddison was sucked into nothingness as she was dragged along with the girl. She was stunned when she reappeared, in Club Hell. Just like the last time when she helped Tony find the missing boy. Why were these men taking children and bringing them there? Maddison watched as the young girl was handed over to another guy who vanished with her, as she kicked and hit the man. The young girl may have been terrified but that didn't stop her from trying to fight her abductors. Maddison felt herself being pulled back to her body, she didn't fight it, there wasn't anything else she could do here while in this state. The world started going black as she faded out, but not before the guy in the hoodie looked over in her direction revealing his face. A face that Maddison did know, a face that the thought she may not see again. The face of the man who had needed her help. It was Gabe's face.