Ninety nine
Kamille’s POV
After the meal, we got ready to leave. The food had barely passed down my throat, but Belle being the doctor that she was, prepared something else fast and quick that I could quickly eat up in time for our departure.
“Are you alright?” Amanda asked.
“Yeah, I’m fine,” I responded to her.
I nodded, but I was far from being alright. My heartbeat was no longer stable as my thoughts were filled with so many possible outcomes of Zeke’s journey to the abandoned warehouse.
Belle came up behind us and we got into Amanda’s car and drove away. Behind us were Zeke’s security personnel and I could see some of them ahead.
The sun was setting and soon enough, it would be dark. I prayed silently that all should be over by morning. We arrived in front of my apartment. The sight of it brought tears to my eyes.
I stumbled out of the car up the steps to the house, my heart pounding and silent tears streaming down my face. Amanda unlocked the door and we stepped in. Outside we noticed the security personnel park their cars and set up a watch.
“Kamille, are you sure you’re alright?” Belle asked, her voice trembling.
I collapsed into her arms, sobbing uncontrollably. “They have my kids, Belle. They’ve been kidnapped. I don’t know what to do.”
Belle held me tightly, her own eyes filling with tears. Amanda came to my side and patted my back.
“It’s going to be okay, Kamille,” Amanda whispered, stroking my hair. “We’ll find them. I promise.”
Amanda gently guided me to the couch, and I sank into the cushions, my body shaking with sobs. Belle sat beside me, holding my hand, while Amanda fetched a glass of water with lemons.
“Here, drink this,” she said softly, pressing the glass into my hands. “It will help calm you down.”
I took a few sips, my hands trembling. The water was cool and soothing, but it did little to ease the pain inside me.
My phone buzzed, and I snatched it up, hoping for news from Zeke. Instead, it was another text message from an unknown number.
You should not have come here.
Leave Luxstorg and never return.
Your kids will be at the airport.
Or you die and they will die with you.
Attached to the message was another photo of my kids, this time lying on sickbeds with oxygen masks over their faces. My heart shattered all over again.This content © Nôv/elDr(a)m/a.Org.
I couldn’t breathe. I felt like I was losing my mind. Desperation clawed at me, and I clutched my phone, my knuckles white.
“Kamille, what’s wrong?” Belle asked, standing up and coming over to me.
I showed her the message, my hands shaking. “What will they do to my kids?” I cried.
Belle’s eyes widened in shock. “Kamille, don’t worry we’ll get this sorted out.”
Amanda saw the message and was fuming. “Who the fuck do they think they are? I’ll make sure once their faces are exposed they will trend on all blogs for a whole year.”
On a normal day, I should have laughed at such a comment, but at the moment all I felt was pain.
Belle stood up, her expression serious. “We need to call Zeke. He needs to know about this.”
“Don’t. Please. He’s done enough.” I pleaded. “Allow him to be,” I said to her,
“Then what do we do?” Belle asked.
“Let’s just wait for Zeke to return,” I said to them.
They both looked at me in surprise. I did not know what else to say to them. I was already hurting and Zeke was already trying hard. I needed to be strong to get my kids back in one piece.
“Then we should get some rest for now,” Belle suggested.
“Yeah, we should,” I concurred and walked slowly toward my room.
I made a stop at the boy’s room. It was quiet, no boys, no scattered toys, no nanny Dona yelling after them or trying to coax them to tidy their toys after playing. I walked to their closet and started stuffing their clothes into a bag.
“What are you doing?” Belle asked from the doorway.
I sniffed back my tears and turned to look at her. “I’m just arranging their clothes. I don’t want them to be bothered with scattered clothes when they’re back,”
“Oh Kam,” Belle cried and hurried to my side and enveloped me in another warm hug.
Amanda walked in and sighed. “You need to be strong Kam, we’ll get through this stronger.”
“Can we get through it faster first?” I cried loudly.
They both consoled me till we were all tired. We finally went back into our different rooms. I decided to stay in Tyris’s room.
As I lay on the bed and clutched to the big teddy bear Zeke had gotten for her, my phone buzzed again. Another text message from another unknown number.
Everything or your kids.
Make a choice.
Time is running out.
If you choose your kids, meet me by ten pm.
I’ll send you the location when you’re ready.
A cold sweat broke out on my forehead. I felt like I was hanging on the edge of a cliff, about to fall into a bottomless abyss. My children’s lives were in my hands, and I had no idea what to do.
“I can’t do this,” I whispered, my voice trembling. “I can’t lose them.”
“I should have never come back,” I muttered, my voice breaking. “I should have stayed hidden. This is all my fault.”
I thought of what I could do to help my kids. I had no other option. I had to go and see them. If we are correct and Ellen is behind all these, then all I had to do was leave everything behind for her and then I’ll leave with my kids.
I raised my tear-stricken face to see the time, it was about nine pm. If I was going to meet with them, I had to leave soon. I looked outside and noticed Zeke’s security clustered at every single part of the house.
I have to find a way to sneak past them. Then an idea struck and I sprang up from Tyris’s room and got into my room.
Hang on babies, Mother’s coming for you.