Chapter 28: Chapter 28

Author’s POV

Cara put her phone on her lap after disconnecting the call with Chase.

But kept staring at it waiting for him to call back after taking care of the things in club. He said he would call her again as soon as things settle.

She can’t deny the fact that she is feeling really anxious at the moment. But talking to him continuously was making her feel less scared.

She heard the doorbell of the apartment ringing and jumped on her place feeling her heart beat increasing.

She lifted her hand up to pat her chest lightly to calm her pounding heart.

‘It must be George. You don’t have to be scared’ she told herself.

But her brows knitted together when she remembered what Chase told her before disconnecting the call.

He said that George is stuck in the traffic and it would take at least ten minutes for him to reach here.

She gulped in fear. It’s not even been two minutes since Chase told her that. It can’t be George.

She flinched when she heard the doorbell again.

She took her phone in her hand and came out of the room she shares with Chase and walked towards the main door.

She checked who is outside through the monitor and saw a delivery man standing outside.

She instantly took few steps back when she remembered this is exactly how Albert entered into Chase’s house in past when Valarie was alone at home.

She fumbled with the phone which she was holding in her shaking hands in attempt to call Chase but before she could do that she heard the sound of security code punching.

She averted her wide open eyes towards the monitor and saw the man entering the password to Chase’s apartment.

Her heart stopped beating when she heard the door of the apartment unlocking.

She instantly turned on her heels and entered into Chase’s room and locked the door behind her.

Her breathing became uneven. The fact that she was under the same roof with the person who is the biggest fear of her boyfriend and is threatening him using her was driving her crazy.

“Do you like playing hide and seek? I didn’t know that” She heard the man speaking from outside and her breath hitched hearing his dangerous voice.

She covered her mouth with her palm, trying her best to not make any sound to attract his attention.

“Where are you Cara? Come out. We have to leave before Chase comes” he said in a tone, one uses while talking to kids.

She again lifted her phone in trembling hands and before she could touch the green icon to make a call, she heard the loud banging on the door of the room she is in.

A low scream left her mouth and phone fell from her hand. She felt like her heart would pop out of her chest.

She heard him chuckle on the other side of the door, followed by his voice, “Found you. Now come out when I am being nice”.

She could hear the evilness in his tone. Just hearing his voice and words made her realize why Chase is so afraid of this man. Cara was convinced that this man was not in his right mind.

She quickly picked her phone from the floor and put it over her ear after pressing the green icon. Chase answered the call.

“Ch.. Chase… he is here” She whispered in her trembling voice. But before she could hear him say anything, she heard the door of the room burst open.

“Ahhh….” She let out a soul piercing scream when the door hit the back of her head and she fell on the floor with a thud. Her elbows hit the ground and it caused the phone to slip out of her hold.

“Peak-a-boo” she heard him say and turned her head around to find him entering inside the room with an evil smirk plastered on his lips.

Cara gulped in fear while staring at him with fear in her eyes. He started walking towards her making her scoot away from him.

His smirk widened watching her reaction. He looked around the room and his eyes fell on her mobile phone.

She followed his gaze and found him staring at her phone. She quickly reached to grab it but he beat her to it, grabbing it first.

She looked up and he was already staring at her. He put the phone over his ear and heard Chase’s voice laced with concern and panic.

“Cara….”

“Chase, my boy. She is here with me” Albert cut him off.

Chase felt his heart stop beating when he heard Albert’s voice.

“You… Cara…” he couldn’t form a coherent sentence. The fear which was gripping his insides was driving him crazy.

“Don’t worry, I will take care of her until you come” he said.

“Albert… you…” Chase started again but before he could say anything the call got disconnected.

Albert threw the phone smashing it against the wall, breaking it into pieces.

Another scream left Cara’s mouth at the impact. She was staring at the monster himself with her tear filled eyes.

“Shall we…” Albert couldn’t complete when Cara grabbed the table lamp from the night stand and threw it at him.

It hit him as he didn’t expect this coming. He was distracted by his main target Chase and didn’t pay attention to what the person he was trying to use as bait was doing.

Cara took the opportunity and ran out of the room as fast as possible. She reached near the door and opened it.

But before she could step her feet out, she was dragged inside by her hairs.

She screamed because of both fear and pain as her hands went up to curl around his wrist of the hand which was pulling on to her hairs.

Her scalp was on fire but she didn’t stop struggling.

“Help…” she shouted at the top of her lungs to be able to heard by someone, who can help her in this situation.

But her voice got muffled when Albert put a handkerchief over her mouth.

Cara smelled something on the cloth. But before she could realize that it was chloroform, it was too late.

“Where are you running off to, huh?” she heard him ask from behind her.

Her eye lids started drooping as her body started losing strength to struggle and get out of his hold.

“It’s time for us to have some fun” he whispered near her ear.

This were the last words she heard before darkness consumed her.

***

“Albert… Albert!!!” Chase shouted his name but the call got disconnected.

Chase’s heart stopped beating. Fear started crawling in every vein of his. Panic took over his features.

“What happened Chase?” his employee asked when he saw the look of concern on his face.

Chase came back to his senses with his voice. He gulped the lump which formed in his throat and unlocked his phone.

He quickly dialed her number again but it went to voicemail. He tried again but to no avail.

He turned on his heels and came out of his club and made his way towards his car. He was still dialing her number again and again, hoping it would connect.

He got in his car and started driving at full speed.

The look of panic was still clear on his face. His heart was pounding so loudly in his chest that he couldn’t hear anything else at the moment.

Albert was there in his apartment, with his Cara. The thought of that monster being under the same roof as his girlfriend is scaring him out of his wits.

‘Ch.. Chase… he is here’.

Her trembling voice is still playing on repeat in his head and every time it is squeezing his heart in an unbearable pain.

And the scream she let out before Albert took the phone and talked with him, is ripping apart his aching heart.

He dialed George’s number when he came to a conclusion that he can’t reach her number. George answered the call on second ring.

“George where are you?” Chase asked as soon as his friend answered.

“I just reached here, getting into the elevator of your apart…” he couldn’t complete when Chase spoke in urgent tone.

“Please hurry up George and check on her” the tremour in his tone didn’t go unnoticed by George.

He understood that something is wrong but instead of wasting time by asking what is wrong, he increased the speed.

He reached the door of Chase’s apartment and it was locked.

“The door’s locked from inside” he informed.

“Go inside and check if she is there” Chase instructed his friend. He knew that she won’t be there but he wanted his hunch to be wrong this time.

George immediately obeyed. Punching the security code he entered inside.

He looked around to check if there is something unusual. But everything looked normal.

“Is.. is she there?” Chase asked with fear lacing his tone.

George checked all the rooms as he kept calling her name but couldn’t find her. He went in Chase’s room and saw her broken phone lying on the floor.

George’s heart also filled with fear when he couldn’t find her.

“She is not here Chase” George told him in concern and Chase felt as if someone pierced his heart with a knife.

“Chase…” he called his friend but Chase had again blanked out.

“Chase!!!” George shouted this time to bring his friend back to his senses.

Chase came out of his trance and hit the break of his car right before he could collide with the car in front of him. He would have gotten into an accident if he didn’t stop the car.

He was breathing heavily. His forehead and palms were covered in sweat.

“what’s going on Chase?” George asked.

“I.. she called…” Chase couldn’t bring himself to form a proper sentence.

‘He took her’ this fact was traumatizing him.

“Snap out of it Chase and tell me what’s going on!” he shouted again. Even his heart was beating rapidly not knowing what is going on.

He got call from Chase earlier and he told him that he has to go to his club. But he was scared to leave Cara alone at home and asked George a favour to come to his apartment and be with her until he returns.

George knew why Chase was so anxious to leave Cara alone. He knows everything about Albert and how he has been threatening Chase using Cara. Chase told his friends.

But he doesn’t know what is going on right now. By hearing Chase’s voice and fear in his voice, George could guess that the possibility which was scaring all of them for past one week, has come true.

But still he needs to know exactly what happened so that he can do something before Chase returns to his apartment.

Chase closed his eyes to take in a deep breath to calm himself. But he knew it won’t work if Cara is not with him.

“She called me just now and said that…” he paused and swallowed hard before continuing, “that… he was there”.

“Before I could ask her anything or she could say anything else… I heard her scream. Then Albert… he talked to me. He was there… with her George. He took her with him…” Chase sounded devastated.

“How long has it been since she called?” George asked coming out of the apartment room.

He knew he has to rake his brain and do something because his friend who knows how to keep himself composed in every difficult situation was not in a condition to tell him what to do at the moment.

“Around five minutes…” Chase told.

“Okay. Listen, I will go and check the CCTV footage with the security team of this building. I will also call John and ask him to talk to his brother and get his help”

“We will find her Chase. So don’t worry and get back to your senses”

“George.. she is… she must be scared…” Chase started, feeling completely devastated right now.

His senses were not working properly. His mind was not able to make a rational and logical decision at the moment.

But George cut him off, “That is why you have to pull yourself together man. You know better than anyone what kind of man that bastard Albert is”.

“We can’t waste any time. We have to hurry and find her. I know we will be able to do it. So come here as soon as possible.” George tried to put some sense into his friend’s head.

“I will be there” Chase said sucking in deep breath. He disconnected the call.

He buried his face between his palm while taking few deep breaths. He shook his head to shake off all the negative thoughts.

‘Albert won’t do anything to her until you go there to meet him’ Chase told himself.

He remembers how Albert likes to challenge him. In past when Albert came to his house, he didn’t do anything to Valarie until Chase reached there.

Hoping it’s going to be the same this time as well, Chase tried to pull himself together.

He has to be in his right mind, only then he will be able to make sound decisions and find his Cara.

He started his car again and drove back to his apartment. He ran towards his house as soon as he came out of the elevator.

He entered into his apartment finding George and John sitting on the couch in the living room, staring at the laptop screen.

He rushed towards them and John turned the screen of the laptop towards Chase so he could take a look at the footage.

It was the CCTV footage of hallway in front of Chase’s apartment, also the footage of parking lot of this building.

His legs buckled as if he couldn’t hold his weight on his legs anymore and fell on the couch, when he saw the video of Albert carrying unconscious Cara over his shoulder and coming out of his apartment.

“Cara…” he whispered in his broken voice.

John put his hand over his shoulder, giving it a light squeeze as he said, “My brother is already looking for the car Albert was driving. We will soon find her Chase”.

Chase shifted his gaze from the screen of the laptop to look at his friends.

“He…” he again found it difficult to speak. He closed his eyes and raked his hand through his hairs in frustration before continuing.

“He is very meticulous John. He won’t leave any traces behind for us. It won’t be that easy to get him” he said.

Right at that moment John’s phone started ringing. He fished it out of his pocket.

“It’s my brother” John told and both George and Chase shifted their whole attention to the call, which John put on speaker.

By the end the call was disconnected, all three of them were disappointed.

John’s brother told them that he tried to check the CCTV footages to track the car Albert was driving but he lost it as soon as he left the building of Chase’s apartment.

No CCTV camera captured the car running on the road. It disappeared into thin air.

It was as if Albert knew all the paths without cameras. He skillfully avoided them.

“I think you were right Chase. He is not an easy target” George said.

“I knew that he must have had a plan or else he wouldn’t have barged into my apartment so carelessly without caring about getting caught on the camera” Chase said pointing at the footage they were watching in the laptop.

“Yeah, you are right. He had it all planned. I saw the footage of how he entered in here. He didn’t forced his way in by breaking the lock, he knew the password to your apartment” George said.

“Should I tell my brother to take help from fellow police officers? We can file a complaint and request them to try and keep it confidential” John suggested.

Chase shook his head in no. “We can’t go to police. Albert didn’t say anything but it’s an unsaid rule. I think even now he must be keeping an eye on us. And if we get police involved in this situation, it might put Cara in danger”.

“So what should we do?” George asked.

Chase was trying to rake his brain to come up with an idea when his phone started ringing.

Chase saw the caller ID and his jaw clenched tight.

He slid the green icon to the side and put the phone over his ear to hear some crazy bastard snicker on the other end.

“Were you missing me, my boy?”

Chase gritted his teeth. “Where is Cara?”

“What’s the rush? We have lots of time in our hands” Albert said and Chase could envision an evil smirk being plastered on his face, just with the tone of his voice.

“I asked where is Cara?” Chase growled through gritted teeth.

“I wanted to tell you where she is so that you could come here and I could have some nice conversation with you, remembering our old times. But I feel like you don’t want the same. Don’t you want your Cara back?” he asked.

Chase gulped knowing too well what he is trying to say but he tried to play dumb.

“What do you mean?”

“If you wanted your Cara back, you wouldn’t have called police” Albert said and Chase could hear his voice turning vicious.

“I didn’t…” Chase tried to deny it but he cut him off.

“So that bastard Jacob, your best friend’s brother is doing the unnecessary work of finding me on his own. Should I just kill him for being so nosy and bothering me?” he asked casually as if he wasn’t taking about killing someone.

“Don’t you dare touch him” Chase spat getting up on his feet.

“So you’d rather want me destroy your girlfriend, huh?”

“ALBERT…” Chase almost growled making his friends to get up on their feet as well. John tried to calm Chase by giving a light squeeze to his shoulder but it didn’t work.

“If you lay even a single finger on her, I swear I would kill you with my own f**king hands” Chase shouted.

“Oh, I love it. You getting angry. I wish I could see your anger filled dark gaze”.

“Why not? Just tell me where you are and I will show you the worst side of mine” Chase spat.

“So that you can bring the whole police force here and get me arrested, huh?”

“What do you want me to do?” Chase asked getting to the point. He knows Albert wants to meet him.

Albert did all of this because of Chase and would only be satisfied once he sees him being helpless in front of his eyes, just like how he did by using Valarie.

Chase also knows that he just has to comply with Albert’s conditions, if he wants to go to his Cara as soon as possible.

“Come and meet me but alone. No one should find out about our meeting, not even those two stupid jerks who are with you at your apartment right now. And I hope I don’t have to remind you, no police.”

Chase lifted his eyes up to look at his friends who were staring at him with concern in their eyes.

He turned on his heels and made his way into his room, locking it behind, “Okay, I will do as you say”.

“Good. I will call again to tell you what you have to do. And remember, your beautiful girlfriend is still with me” Chase’s hands balled into tight fists.

“So don’t even think about trying to get smart with me. I am still keeping an eye on you. One rash movement of yours and your beloved Cara won’t be able to see the daylight”.

With this Albert disconnected the call and Chase released a deep sigh feeling frustrated.

He closed his eyes and buried his face in his palms. He rubbed his aching temple, while taking deep breaths in order to remain sane.

Taking one last deep breath he opened his eyes. He walked towards the cupboard in his room.

He opened the cupboard door and his eyes fell on a small box he has been keeping safe for sometime now. He always keeps it locked.

He pulled out a small key from his back pocket and unlocked the box, revealing a gun. His phone again started ringing.

He looked at the caller ID and he knew what he has to do now to end this for once and for all.