Chapter 57
ASHLEY
"What do you mean you can’t find her?" I whisper into the phone. Ashal isn’t making any sense right now. "She was just there a second ago. Didn’t you send her off with a bodyguard? How could you lose her, Ash? You said you would be careful!" His raspy voice echoes on the other end of the phone as he panics.
"My men are combing the restaurant. She couldn’t have gotten far."
I know he’s trying really hard not to lash out. I hear him kick something.
"What was that?"
"Uh, nothing. I accidentally knocked down the wash hand basin. Fuck!" He cusses loudly. "Ash, I fucked up really bad. You all were right. I shouldn’t have been so lenient with her. I shouldn’t have trusted her. She played me, man. She planned to escape this whole time and what are the fucking odds that she timed it just when that comment was made on the blog."
"You think she might have written it?"
"No. She didn’t touch her phone the whole time we’ve been here but I suspect she knows who wrote it. She must have been aware that such a comment was going to be made and lured me out on this date so she could escape. Damn it! Father is really going to kill me now."
"Calm down, Ash. We’ll figure something out." I am not sure how we can remedy this but I keep my fears to myself to sympathize with my brother.
"Who knows where she has gone and how far? She would likely attempt to leave the city first. Her family won’t hide her. She..." Sir? I hear someone call his attention in the background. "What?" Ashal barks at them, then everywhere goes silent.
"Ash? What’s going on?" I inquire over the eerie silence.