Chapter 4
Nathan froze, and confusion flickered in his gaze. “What are you talking about? Why would you have Rosanne’s phone?”
“Nathan, we found the crime scene, and the phone’s here. You should come in person.”
The voice on the line hit him like a blow, his body swaying slightly. He opened his mouth, but no sound came out of it. It was as if something had lodged in his throat.
Lawrence gave his sleeve an anxious tug. “Don’t just stand there! Go!”
Snapping out of it, Nathan turned to Gemma and said, “You go home. I’ll come to you in a bit.”
With tears brimming in her eyes, Gemma reached out to stop him, but her hands merely grabbed at air.
It was my first time seeing Nathan leave her for me.
As I watched him hurry away, complex emotions twisted in my chest. For a moment, it felt like I had my older brother back,
the one who once doted on me.
At the scene, Orson handed him my phone. “We found it in the corner. The splattered blood nearby looks like the victim dropped it while trying to escape.”
Staring at the familiar pink phone case, Nathan’s breathing quickened.
With trembling fingers, he entered his birthday, and the screen unlocked instantly.
Lawrence swallowed hard before trying to comfort him. “Maybe Rosie dropped it, and someone else picked it up.”
Nathan mechanically nodded with a vacant gaze.
Lawrence gave him a firm pat on the back and said, “Stay sharp. This isn’t the time to fall apart.”
As Nathan drew a sharp breath, he looked around, where blood stained the walls like splattered ink. A single broken chair was at the side, while a bundle of rope was discarded nearby.
Scattered footprints marked the ground.
I hovered close beside him, though I was now just a soul.
Even now, after death, I couldn’t hold back my tremors at the sight of this place. That night still felt like a nightmare.
Gemma had lured me here with the excuse that Nathan was hurt. And once I arrived, they tied me down tightly.
The man had terrifying strength, and I couldn’t move an inch, no matter how much I struggled.
Watching as I writhed on the floor, Gemma burst out laughing in delight. “Rosanne, aren’t you supposed to be a cop’s
daughter? Bet you never saw this coming, right?
“How does it feel to be tortured by people like us? It must feel good, doesn’t it?”
I could feel my blood run cold after hearing her words. “Who are you? What do you want?” I asked.
She had smiled and gestured to the man beside her. “Go ahead, Jaxton.”
He sneered. “If we don’t make her suffer, how else can we repay Detective Roland Slade for his dedication?”
My head snapped up at the mention of my dad’s name. “You’re the… Crowes?”
Five years ago, Dad helped crack a major jewelry store robbery. During the investigation, two men had stormed in and taken me and another customer hostage.
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As the lead investigator, Dad negotiated with the robbers. They demanded a huge ransom and a speedboat, and only then would they let us go.
Mom, as one of the city’s top psychologists, came too. She offered to swap herself in as a hostage. “My daughter’s with you, so let the other hostage go. You’ll have more leverage with us both.”
I had a rag stuffed in my mouth and could only shake my head wildly, begging her not to.
She smiled gently and said, “Don’t worry. Your dad’s outside, so everything’s going to be fine.*
I looked over at Dad, who gave me a small, steady nod. So, I slowly calmed down
But just as the swap was happening, the other hostage panicked and screamed Enraged, the robbers raised their guns.
My instincts took over as I shoved the hostage away to protect her. And just as the gun aimed at me, Mom threw herself in front of me as the shot went off.
Dad and his team rushed in seconds later, but the robbers had fled. Instead of stopping to check on us, he ran after them.
After a relentless chase, he managed to tackle one of the robbers. But a gunshot rang out from the second robber lurking in the shadows, hitting him in the head
He died on the spot, and Mom didn’t make it to the hospital either.
Just like that, Nathan and I became orphans.
He couldn’t accept losing both parents in a single day and blamed their deaths on me. He believed that tragedy had happened because I’d gone to that mall
After venting all his rage on me, he drove me out of the house. “Get out! This is all your fault, you goddamn jinx! You ungrateful bitch! You’re no sister of mine!”
I tried to explain, but he wouldn’t listen to a single word I said
Later, he saved Gemma and took her in as family, while I became the eyesore.
Gemma’s dad was Alistair Crowe, the robber Dad had caught and was executed. She’d changed her name and approached us, just to avenge her dad
Jaxton Crowe tortured me for two days. To humiliate my parents, he chopped off my limbs and had someone violate me
When I was barely hanging on, they thought it’d be fun to call Nathan on my phone and said I could beg for help.
As the phone buzzed, the agonizing and severe bleeding pulled my consciousness in and out.
When the call was finally picked up, Nathan’s annoyed voice came through. “What now?”
I forced my bloody mouth open and called out, “Nathan, help…”
Lateefa Khanam is a spirited writer who finds freedom in horse riding. She cherishes her mare and the newborn foal, calling them her little happy family.
Summary & Review: He cried
