Greg’s knuckles whitened around the phone as Cammy’s voice rang out, sharp and trembling.
"What do you an my son is missing?!" Cammy’s cry echoed through the parking lot.
On speaker, Grace’s voice cracked. [C-Cammy...]
Greg cut in, his tone tight and controlled. "You’re on speaker, Grace. Where exactly are you?"
Grace’s words spilled in a frantic rush. [We’re at Dalton Airport. Our connecting flight got canceled last night, but we were offered an earlier direct flight this morning. I didn’t want to bother you that late, so I took it.
Dylan—he wanted to surprise you. Said he wanted to buy sothing special for you with his savings. So I agreed.
We were eating while waiting when soone bumped our table, spilled sauce all over my dress. I told Dylan to stay put, just for a minute. I went to the restroom, literally two steps away, and when I ca back, he was gone. Just gone! No one saw where he went, no one noticed anything strange!]
Cammy clutched her chest, her breathing ragged. Her vision blurred as her pulse thundered in her ears. "Oh my God... Dylan..."
Before she could respond further, her phone lit up with another incoming call. Randolf Evans.
She ignored it, but it rang again. And again. On the third attempt, she answered with a snap.
"Not now, Attorney Evans—"
[Don’t hang up!] Randolf’s voice cut through, urgent. [Duncan just called. Annie contacted him—she has Dylan. He’s on his way to her now.]
Cammy’s scream caught in her throat as she slapped a trembling hand over her mouth. "W-Where is my son?" she demanded, her voice barely a whisper.
[I’m sending the address,] Randolf said, typing furiously in the background. [It’s that house Annie’s been building—ant for her and Duncan. I’ve already alerted the police. Listen to , Cammy—don’t do anything reckless. Wait for the authorities to arrive. Promise .]
But Cammy was already shaking her head, her eyes glassy with panic and fury.
Greg grabbed the phone as both of them climbed into the car. "Send the location now. We’re heading there."
The mont the ssage pinged, Greg floored the accelerator. Tires screeched against the pavent as the car launched forward.
Cammy clutched the dashboard, every cell in her body screaming Dylan. Dylan. Dylan.
Greg’s jaw was clenched, his voice low and deadly. "If that woman lays even a finger on Dylan..."
Cammy didn’t answer. Her hand curled protectively over her belly as tears stread down her cheeks.
Her son was out there... With Annie. God knows what that woman was even thinking.
The car sped through traffic like a bullet, horns blaring, tires screeching, the city blurring past in a streak of lights and noise.
But no sound could drown out Cammy’s sobs. Her chest heaved with every breath, her hands trembling on her lap, one resting protectively over her belly.
The address Randolf had sent was on the outskirts of the city—remote, quiet, too quiet. And too far.
Greg’s grip on the wheel tightened. Every red light felt like a betrayal, every second wasted a stab to the heart. "Babe, please..." his voice broke through the chaos, firm but pleading, "Be strong—for Dylan. For our baby. I know you’re scared, I know—but you need to breathe. We’ll find him. I swear to you, we will."
"I’m trying..." Cammy choked out between sobs, her nails digging into her palm. "I really am, Greg. But I’m terrified. Annie—she’s not stable. You know she’s not. What if... what if she snaps? What if she already has?"
Her voice cracked, and Greg reached across the console without taking his eyes off the road. He grabbed her hand, held it with a firm squeeze, grounding her.
"Oh, love..." he said, softer this ti, his voice thick with emotion. "I swear, I’ll tear that place apart if I have to. But we will get Dylan back. Alive. Safe. No matter what it takes."
The tension in the car was a living, breathing thing. Cammy gritted her teeth, wiping her face as she forced herself to calm down—for her baby, for Dylan. She inhaled shakily and nodded, lips trembling but eyes sharper now.
Greg’s phone buzzed on the dash—another ssage from Randolf.
[Cops are five minutes out. Duncan’s already there—he went in.]
"What the hell?!" Greg growled. "He went in without waiting? Dammit, Duncan."
Cammy gasped. "No. If sothing goes wrong—he could escalate her. She’ll panic—she might hurt Dylan!"
Greg’s jaw clenched so tight it popped. "Hold on, baby. We’re almost there."
Cammy’s breath hitched, heart pounding in her throat. Her body was shaking, her instincts screaming.
’Please. Please let my son be okay.’
********
Duncan’s voice trembled as he took a cautious step forward, hands raised. "Annie... please. Let Dylan go. He’s just a child. He has nothing to do with this." His eyes locked on hers, filled with desperation. "You don’t want to hurt him, I know you don’t."
Tears stread down Dylan’s cheeks as he whimpered, "Daddy..."
Annie’s grip tightened around Dylan’s small fra, the barrel of the gun shaking where it pressed against his head. "Look around you, Duncan!" she scread, eyes wild. "This—this room—it was supposed to be for our baby! Ours! This house is bigger, better than yours! We were supposed to be happy here!"
Her voice cracked, manic laughter bubbling up between her sobs.
Then—
"Dylan!"
Cammy’s voice rang out like a lightning strike as she and Greg burst through the door.
The mont Dylan saw them, he cried louder, reaching out, "Mommy!"
Cammy’s knees nearly buckled at the sight of her son in Annie’s grasp, but she steadied herself, heart pounding like a war drum. "Annie," she breathed, eyes glistening, voice shaking but steady. "Please... let my son go. Don’t do this."
"Don’t you DARE take another step!" Annie shrieked, whipping the gun around and aiming it at Cammy. Her hand trembled, eyes flashing with rage. "I swear, I’ll shoot you first, then your son, and your precious husband! You can all be one big happy family in Hell! And then—finally—Duncan will be mine."
Greg instinctively stepped in front of Cammy, shielding her with his body. "Annie, listen to . You’re not thinking straight. Don’t let your pain destroy an innocent life."
"I am thinking straight!" Annie howled. "This is the only way I get my life back! My happiness! If you hadn’t ruined everything—if she hadn’t seduced you!" she scread at Greg, her voice unhinged, hand twitching dangerously on the trigger.
The tension in the air was suffocating. No one dared move. Dylan sobbed, gasping for breath.
And outside—
The faint sound of sirens began to wail in the distance, growing louder by the second.
Help was on the way...
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