Ransom

I sat on the couch, my face buried in my hands. I had been sobbing since Liam and I were able to comprehend what had happened nearly an hour ago. Multiple police officer’s and Detective’s flooded our house, asking questions and probing into personal information. Liam paced back and forth, unable to say a single word. He covered his mouth with a single hand, eyeing down the floor with such intent that it scared me. I looked up, wiping my swollen, red eyes and coughed quietly into my hands. What did these men plan on doing with our baby girl?

I jumped back slightly when Liam threw his fist down into the coffee table. It cracked under pressure, but remained standing. I brushed back my hair with my hands and watched as he growled lowly. He continued to pace as the officers’ and Detectives questioned us further. I looked up at our front door when another man stepped through. My breath was stolen as Matt walked in, anger blazing in his hazel eyes. He looked straight at Liam and myself before stumbling toward Liam. He grabbed his shoulders and looked him dead in the eye.

“What happened, Liam?”Matt whispered.

Liam’s bottom lip began to quiver, showing he was on the verge of a mental break down. Matt pulled Liam into a hug, which was when he began crying. Liam clutched onto Matt’s suit, his fingers nearly piercing the rough fabric. Matt’s eyes watered slightly, but he refused to show anymore weakness. Another person stepped through the front door, but my watery eyes blurred what I could see. My head collapsed into my hands once more, where I continued to sob and cry. I shook with each breath I took and prayed that Ashlee would return home unharmed.

It may have been too much to ask for, but what else could I do? It was after a few seconds before thin arms wrapped around me. I pulled away slightly, finding a mildly upset Valary. It must have been on contact or because I was being shown comfort, but once I realized who had been there for me, I dug my face into her shoulder and began crying. I tried continuously to catch my labored breath, but every time I gasped, my chest got tighter. Valary rubbed my back, shooshing and trying to comfort me in anyway she could. When I finally pulled away, a young female officer took hold of my hand.

“I am so sorry, for what happened this evening, Mrs. Connor. I’m here to ask you a few questions so we can help you find your daughter.”She said politely.”My name is Officer Dean.”

I shook my head, chewing hard on my bottom lip. I wiped furiously at my eyes, hoping that I would just run out of tears. She grabbed a few papers from the side and readied herself to write down anything I could tell her.

“Did you see what any of these men looked like?”I shook my head, but not before stopping her from continuing.

Matt and Liam had taken a seat across from us, watching in agony as I answered Officer Dean to the best of my knowledge. I thought back on the fight that had occurred in Ashlee’s bedroom, but I know I had seen at least one of the men. I looked up at Liam and my eyes welled in tears once more.

“I saw one of them.”I whimpered quietly.”I saw one of the men!”

“Okay, sweetheart.”She soothed.”Calm down. What did this man look like?”

“He was very tall,”I looked over at Liam, earning a gentle smile in approval.

Matt seemed antsy; his hands roamed the couch, sweat popped along his hair line. Ashlee was Matthew and Valary’s neise. They loved her with all their heart and they wanted her back as safe as we wished as well.

“He was about three inches taller than Liam.”I wiped my eyes, but continued on to make sure this man was caught.”He had tattoo’s along his arms and very bright blue eyes. I grabbed his bandana,”

I choked on my words, feeling the need to get upset as the event ran through my mind like a skipping song. I could picture it over and over again. I could see Ashlee’s face as the large man took hold of her. I could hear her crying, screaming for the parents that weren’t able to keep her safe. I covered my mouth, allowing the tears in my eyes to free fall. Valary rubbed my back soothingly, smiling as best as she could to help me through. A soft, heart warming voice broke the silence with, “It’s okay, baby. Tell them everything you can remember.”

A hurt smile fit against my lips as I rested my hands in my lap. I continued to tell the officer about the attack and what had happened from when we saw them until they left. I could picture this man’s face perfectly. His oceanic blue eyes, his long, but chubby face. I wiped down my face with my hands and stopped for a moment. They had called him by a name as he had me against the wall. I looked over at Liam and Matt with shocked eyes. Liam looked, curious as to what was crossing my mind. He sat up more, asking, “What’s wrong, Nicole?”

“They called him by a name.”I whispered softly.”What was it?”

I was crawling through every event, trying desperately to find that monster’s name. It was something you wouldn’t expect, but commonly heard every day. I choked on my breath as I said, “Rev.”

It left a bad taste in my mouth to say this man’s name. The other guys had referred to him as Rev.

“Rev?”Officer Dean wrote down the name and shook her head.”I don’t think any man like that deserves such a blessed name.”

“I know that name.”Liam stood, growing angrier by the second.”I know who that is.”

“What do you mean, Liam?”Matt asked.

“I know who that is! He’s been on the run for months now!”He looked down at Matt, furrowing his eyebrows in frustration.”I need to go down to the station,”

Liam began collecting his things, talking more to himself than anyone else. Matt stood slowly and gripped Liam by his upper arm. Liam turned, finding Matt’s eyes in seconds.

“You can’t do this case, Liam.”He said softly.

“Why the fuck not?! That’s my daughter they took tonight! I’m the Commisioner!”I looked at Valary, hoping that the anger could be pushed aside for one second.

“Look at how you’re acting, Liam. You could do something drastic and ruin your chances of finding your little girl. Leave it to us, Liam.”Matt looked over at myself and shook his head.”I’m sorry, Nicole, Liam. You guys can’t have anything to do with this case.”

“We’re going to get our daughter back,”I stood, pointing an accusing finger in Matt’s direction.”and you want to stop us?!”

“Nicole,”Valary took hold of my hand, but I tore it from her light grasp.

“That’s not what I’m saying, Nicole.”Liam pulled his arm from Matt’s grasp, leaving him empty handed.”Liam, wait!”

“Fuck off -”The room fell silent as a loud ringing picked up on everyone’s ears.

It was nearly three in the morning and someone was calling us now? I raced to the kitchen, along with many others and took hold of the phone. Before Rev left, he had mentioned that they would be in touch with us. I swallowed hard, finding a restricted number on the other end. I looked up at Liam, but he didn’t know where to take it. They wanted to trace it, but by the time I answered it would be too late for that. I turned the phone on and greeted with, “Hello?”

Ashlee is safe, but only for now.

It was the large man who I had aimed the gun at. I could tell by the voice on the phone. I clenched the phone tight in my grasp, noticing my knuckles go white. These men had taken by baby girl by force and now had the balls to call only hours after pulling her away from us. I opened my mouth to speak, but didn’t quite know what to say. I wanted to curse this man for doing this to us, to threaten him and cry, but none of that would get me anywhere. I knew, from stories of Liam’s cases, I had to play cool and cooperate as best as I could.

This is a game played only by your rules, Mrs. Connor. If you want your little girl back, you will write out a check for sixty thousand dollars.

“Ransom?”I choked on the word, unsure if this was really what was happening.

Ransom. You have two days to get the check. I’ll call you on Tuesday with more instructions.

He had hung up, leaving me empty handed once again. All eyes stayed on me as the phone slipped from my hands. It clanked loudly against the floor and I welled up in tears. A three year old girl was taken from her parents, only to be balanced with life or death for money. It was a cruel world now, but even crueler when you dug deep under it’s surface. You never read about kidnappings because no one wanted to admit how bad their towns really were. I slid myself back into the wall, cupping my head in my hands. What did we do to deserve this?

Liam stepped over, pulling me into his strong, comfortable arms. I began to cry and wail, forcing all hearts in the room to shatter. It had been such a terrible night for the both of us, but no one would know what it felt like. I wrapped my arms around him tight, hoping he didn’t leave as well. Money meant absolutely nothing when it came down to Ashlee. They could drain our entire life’s savings and go happy, but so long as Ashlee was safe and sound in our arms, there was no care in the world. I cried quietly into Liam’s shoulder and was slightly soothed by his statement, “I will find these motherfuckers. And when I do they will all die by my hands. I promise you, Nicole.”