Chapter 97: What Demands?
The morning sunlight streamed into the room, but Alex barely noticed it as he paced back and forth, his phone clutched tightly in his hand as he waited for Claire to join him.
His heart was heavy with dread, his mind racing with worst-case scenarios. Emma had been missing for over seventeen hours, and every passing second felt like a countdown to disaster.
A couple of moments later, Claire joined him, her expression a mix of anger and worry.
She had barely spoken since Alex had told her he was going to the police station and she had decided to follow him.
Alex hearing her footsteps, turned in her direction and their eyes met, the weight of the situation hanging heavily in the air, both of them consumed by fear for Emma's safety.
Just as Alex grabbed his car keys so they could leave, his phone buzzed in his hand.
Immediately, he raised the phone to see who was calling. He froze, staring at the unknown number on the screen.
Could it be the kidnappers? Or was it someone else? It has to be the kidnappers, Alex told himself as he looked at the number.
His stomach churned as he answered the call.
"Hello?" he said, his voice taut with tension.
There was a pause, then a voice, low and menacing, came through the line. "Mr. Sterling, we have your wife. I'm sure you must've been searching for her since yesterday."