Chapter 25

Richard Johnston POV

Wednesday- 8:00 am

I received a call from Eric yesterday. He said something about Rob keeping him and Miss Phoebe Grey locked up in the old cabin in the woods. My God, the way he was going on about it sounded like a horror movie but I know it's true because that cabin used to be a nice little home that we used to spend time in as children.

Even though I promised Eric I'd call Christian Grey, I don't. I want to go to the cabin and face my brother myself. I know he has something to do with Ana's death and now I want answers before I call Christian or the police.

It's now Wednesday. The kids disappeared on Monday but it feels like so much longer. Maria needed me home yesterday so that's why I haven't had a chance to go and face Robert. I know he hasn't done the kids any harm, he loves his nephew and was waiting to contact the Grey's before harming Phoebe but I knew I couldn't wait forever.

I leave Maria in bed and make the two hour trip to the cabin. It's ten o'clock when I arrive and I see a large white van waiting outside. Robert must be here. I don't bother to knock and just open the door. To my surprise it's unlocked. You would have thought he would lock it if he was holding two kids here against their will in case people came snooping.

Robert is laying on the couch in the living room, sleeping. The whole cabin looks disgusting now, not the beautifully decorated home we used to visit in the summer to get away from civilisation. The couch is severely discoloured and looks sticky. How can he sleep on that? I kick the arm that is drooping down with his hand resting on the floor. He wakes and looks surprised to see me.

"Ricky?"

"What the fuck is going on Rob?" I snap.

"I think you know the answer to that question, bro," he answers sitting up and rubbing his eyes.

"What are you doing with the kids? I thought we agreed to leave the Grey family alone now."

"It's not my fault! Eric figured it out and told the girl. Besides she needed to disappear considering she was getting close to my nephew. Why did you let that happen?" he snaps at me. I sigh and sit on the couch next to him.

"I didn't want it to happen, especially as it would mean them spending more time together. But I couldn't stop it without looking suspicious. But I figured if I got close to her father I could keep an eye on her. I had no idea she was going to pour her heart out to Eric, did I?"

"Well, you know she can't live now. She knows who I am and it puts you all in danger."

"No, Rob! No more killing. It's bad enough you killed Ana, you are not killing her daughter too," I reply. Yes, I knew he killed Ana. I've known for a while but I couldn't turn him in, he's my brother. But Eric is my son and while I may have differences with him, Eric needs me more than my big brother.

"If we let her live, everything will fall apart. Our family will be destroyed! I will go to prison. You will go to prison."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Who said anything about me?"

"If I go down, I'm taking you with me. I told you I shot her all those years ago-,"

"No, you told me you shot Phoebe!"

"I told you I shot someone and you helped me hide the gun. You helped me stay out of the way when the police started their investigation. You have kept me hidden and out of the spotlight this whole time!"

"That was different, Rob. You weren't a suspect then. They're onto you now and after what happened with Charlotte you're not exactly painted in the best way."

"This has nothing to do with Charlotte, Ricky. And I done my time for that!"

"Well, either way, Christian Grey knows you have something to do with his daughter's disappearance and I suspect he may now know you killed his wife. Even if you kill her now, he will never stop looking for you. And if you think I'm going down for something you did, you've got another thing coming. I have a family to look after. My daughter is getting married in May, I'm supposed to walk her down the aisle. You really want to fuck up my family because you're not right in the head?" I snap at him.

"Yes, that is exactly what I'm saying. I will not be the only one to suffer for this!"

"You're the one who created this whole mess, Rob! There is nothing more I can do to help you, except hire you a bloody good lawyer who can get you the least amount of time inside," I offer. I can't save him but I can try to help him as best I can.

"I am not going back to prison Rick! I can't. Do I have to kill you too and go on the run?" I freeze. I know he's capable of that but would he actually do that to me? My own brother?

"What is it that you want Rob?"

"I want to disappear. I want people to forget about me and the little brat upstairs. I don't want to be hunted down like an animal." I sigh. I know it's wrong but I can't help but want to help him.

"Ok. I will help you, but we are not killing her. You can disappear and I'll give you some money but that also means you can't come back. And it also means having Christian Grey tracking you down. I can't stop that but I can help you disappear." I try to sound convincing but I'm not sure how successful I am.

"Alright, fine! But I need to get out of here. I need money!"

"I will go and get you some money. But I want to take Eric with me. I need to be sure nothing will happen to him."

"No! Eric stays here until you give me the money. I want to be sure you won't call the police on me."

"I wouldn't do that. I'm your brother."

"Just get me the money Ricky!" he shouts.

… … …

Ted POV

Wednesday- 10:00 am

Sian is completely out of my life now. She doesn't want to be helped but I've left her a few numbers and leaflets for support groups to help her get off the drugs. I also got her a place at a meeting next week which I told her about and have alerted her that it is all I will do for her. If she wants the help, she'll take it and I will support her if she is willing to take it seriously but I will not be in a relationship with her again. It's just not worth the hassle.

Dad called me yesterday to tell me about Phoebe's disappearance. He wanted to tell me himself rather than I see it on the news as they have now alerted the police, even though dad has his security team on it. He wants me to go home so he can keep us all close but also because he has some other news that he can't tell me over the phone. So I am on my way back to Seattle to help support dad and my brother until our sister returns home. Dad has already cleared it with Harvard and I will be sent some work while I'm in Seattle so I don't fall too far behind.

When we land, at ten in the morning, I am greeted by Taylor on the tarmac and he takes my suitcase while my security guy, Jenson, opens the back door to the SUV for me. They both climb into the front and Taylor speeds away from the airport. As we're driving, Taylor's phone rings.

"Taylor," he answers.

"Sir, we believe that we are close. I have just seen Mr Richard Johnston driving through the woods in his car. It looks as though he's leaving so I believe he may be helping his brother," Ryan says over the phone. "If the children are in the woods somewhere we will find them. Marx and Mason are already following the tracks his car left behind. Barrell and Jennings are on the lookout for Richard's car and are going to follow him to find out where he's going." Taylor lets out a sigh of relief.

"Good work, Ryan. Keep me informed." They hang up.

"So I guess my coming home is a waste of time," I comment.

"Not exactly. There is a delicate situation that you need to be told about," Taylor says pulling up to the gate and typing in the passcode. As we pull up outside the house, he dismisses Jenson and turns to face me.

"Ted, there is something very important that your father needs to tell you but you need to keep an open mind. This is going to be very difficult for you and your sister but everything is going to be ok. Eventually."

"What are you talking about?" Now I'm confused. He gets out the car and opens the door for me.

"Come. You'll see."

… … …

Phoebe POV

Wednesday - 10:30 am

I don't know how I managed it, but I fell asleep. I am in so much pain though and that's what woke me up. Eric is sitting in front of me watching me closely. I look away from him, trying to ignore the pain in my back, legs, wrists and ankles but it's near impossible to ignore. Eric starts talking.

"My dad is here. I can hear him and Uncle Rob talking. That should mean that your dad and the police should be here soon. Don't worry Phoebe we will get out of this." I decide not to answer. My mouth is so dry and I feel too weak. I realise I have no idea now how long I've been here and that man hasn't given anything to eat or drink. By the way I'm feeling it must be a while and I know it's at least two days since I remember the sun setting but I don't know how long I've been sleeping so it could be longer. "Phoebe, it's going to be alright."

I turn to face him, anger in my eyes. How could he say that it's going to be alright? He's going to survive this because his uncle loves him. He even let Eric out to feed him before shoving him back up here with me. I can't feel sorry for him though, at least he gets fed.

"Don't look at me like that Phoebe. Our dads will save us and my uncle will suffer for what he's done. To us and your mum."

"Eric, shut up," I croak out. Even that hurts. Maybe I shouldn't try talking again. He finally shuts up and we just sit here in silence when we hear Eric's dad suddenly shout and Rob shout back. Has he really called my dad or is he actually helping his psychotic brother.

It goes quiet but we can still hear bits of the conversation.

"I will go and get you some money. But I want to take Eric with me. I need to be sure nothing will happen to him." Eric's dad.

"No! Eric stays here until you give me the money. I want to be sure you won't call the police on me." Rob.

"I wouldn't do that. I'm your brother." Oh no! He hasn't called them.

"Just get me the money Ricky!" Rob shouts.

I look down and glare at Eric. We suddenly hear stomping on the stairs and I close my eyes, trying to contain the panic.

"How the fuck did Ricky know we were here?!" he shouts as he walks into the room.

"I don't know, uncle. Maybe he remembered this place from when you were kids?"

"Or maybe someone snuck out and rang him," Rob glares at Eric. "I must admit, I was quite amused when I figured you'd snapped that cable tie off your wrists Eric, but to do something as stupid as to leave and contact someone? I don't know how to feel about that if I'm being honest." He paces back and forth before turning to look at me. An evil smile appears on his face. "Well it's a shame your plan didn't work because your dear old daddy doesn't know anything about where you are little missy. And as for you, my boy, your dad is going to help me get away from here. I am going to live a long and happy life with your dad's money and there is nothing you can do."

He turns and suddenly hits me across the cheek with the back of his hand. Eric screams at him.

"Try something stupid like that again and she will get something much worse!" Rob shouts at Eric before turning and slamming the door behind him as he leaves. I let out the breath I'd been holding, almost like a sob.

"Phoebe? Phoebe I'm so sorry, I didn't think my dad was going to be such a dick. We will find another way out of this, I promise."

"Shut. Up."

… … …

Christian POV

Wednesday- 10:45 am

Taylor alerted me about 45 minutes ago that Teddy had landed safely which means they should be arriving back at the house any moment now. Ana and I spoke last night about bringing Ted home to be with his family during this time, under the thought that he wants to support us with his sister being missing. That's only partly true. We wanted to tell him face-to-face about his mother being alive.

So I'm not sure how Ted and Phoebe would react I decided that I would tell them individually and give them the time they needed to get their heads around it. Also, I didn't think it would be fair to keep Teddy in the dark while his sister is missing. I wouldn't want him to feel like we were keeping secrets.

Ana is naturally a bundle of nerves but I think it's getting easier considering we have told over ten people already. It's just our two eldest and her parents and as for the rest of the world, well we'll just release a statement to the press but not reveal any details. But first we need to tell Ted, find Phoebe, tell Phoebe, tell Ray and Carla and catch this son of a bitch. Hopefully the latter will come very soon.

Taylor is having a quick word with Ted in the car about how sensitive this conversation we need to have is going to be and while he does Jenson appears and tells me about Taylor's phone call in the car. Richard Johnston is mixed up in all this after all! I will destroy him if anything happens to my little girl. I will destroy him altogether actually. No one messes with my family anymore. However, I am now stuck. Do I stay here and support my wife and son as they are reunited and let security deal with the situation? Or do I go and do everything I can to help them find my daughter? This whole situation is a fucking nightmare!

"Dad?" Ted says entering the house and sees me waiting for him. "What's going on? What is this sensitive subject that you need to talk to me about that couldn't be said on the phone?"

"Son, come with me. I think you will need to sit down for this." I lead him into the family room where I can tell him about his mom. Ana is downstairs with the boys and our nieces (who stayed the night in the end) getting to know more about them all. When I've told Ted, I will give him time and the choice to go down and see her for himself.

I take a deep breath and let it out like a sigh. I don't know where to start.

"Dad? What is it? Is it Phoebe?" he gets panicky.

"No, it's not Phoebe. We haven't much more about that yet but the security team think they're getting close. I'm going to go down there later and see what is going on."

"I'm surprised you're not there now."

"Well, I have you and your brothers to worry about, don't I? Besides, there is a new situation that needs my attention as well and since I have no control over the Phoebe situation, which I'm sure you can imagine I am livid and worried about, I have decided to stay where I can kind of control this situation."

"What situation?" Ok. Time to just come out and say it.

"It's about your mom." He looks at me. "Teddy… Something happened. Well you know what happened but it's not like it seemed. She's uh... Well..."

"Dad! Spit it out!" he snaps at me and I realise I'm delaying telling him the truth.

"She's alive." I blurt out. There. I've said. "She's here." Ted looks ready to kill me.

"Seriously! Phoebe's gone missing and now you're making sick comments about mom? Have you lost your mind!" he shouts.

"Sit down! This is not a sick joke, Teddy. It's the truth. She turned up here on Monday just before I found out Phoebe was missing and explained everything to me. Everything we know about the day she died has been twisted by the police. She's alive. She's here and right now she's downstairs getting her ass whooped at Mario kart by your brothers, wishing she was up here meeting you and seeing the man you have become that makes me proud to call you my son."

Ted shakes his head at me and stands up walking over to the window to look out into the backyard. He turns after a few minutes, tears in his eyes.

"Say you are telling the truth. Where has she been all these years? Why did she stay away? Why come back now when we were all finally moving on with our lives?"

"She's been hiding away in England under witness protection because her emotions were used against her and she was tricked into leaving us, believing she was keeping us all safe. She didn't think it was all going to take this long."

"Why didn't she come back sooner?"

"She was scared. She only came back now because she couldn't live another day without us. She was emotional when Detective Binks approached her in the hospital and she didn't really know what she was doing. By the time she realised what she'd done, she was so ashamed that she thought it was better to stay away. She thought we'd all hate her."

"How could she think that? We love her. Everyone does and they always will love her."

"That's the thing about your mother. She had been so busy making sure I knew how much I was loved by everyone she didn't realise how much they loved her too." He sits back down next to me and puts his head in his hands. I know this is a lot for him to take in. He has so many memories because he was that little bit older and I know that for him it's going to be like knowing two different moms. She is obviously not going to be the same after ten years.

I calmly tell him everything Ana told me about Caroline and that horrible day and Ted just sits there. When I finish he sits still for a few minutes before he sits upright and takes a deep breath.

"I want to see her. I need to see for my own eyes that you're telling the truth." I nod and lead him down to the games room where we can hear childish laughter. I open the door and Ana looks up from staring at one of the triplets (I can never tell them apart) who was curled up on her lap, talking about some gibberish. I nod to her and she gently encourages my niece to move so she can get up.

Ana makes her way over to the door and I close it behind us, not wanting the other children to ruin this reunion. She gasps when she sees Ted and her hands fly to her mouth. His mouth drops open and tears are in his eyes. He really didn't believe me.

"Mom?"

"Ted?"

Next thing I know, their arms are wrapped around each other.

"Oh my God, look at you. You're so grown up. Not a baby anymore. Oh you look so much like your father," she starts blabbing as she holds him at arm's length to examine him. He just stands there and admires her in return before he starts blubbering like a baby. She just pulls him close to her and holds him as he cries. He's missed her. We all have. I gently lead them upstairs to the family room where they sit and hold each other before they start talking and asking each other questions.

Teddy tells her about Harvard and I can see it in her eye. She couldn't be more proud of him if she tried.

I'm distracted by my cell phone. It's Taylor. He tells me about the conversation he and Ryan had in the car and then reports that they found Richard Johnston taking large amounts of money from various cash machines. That son of a bitch knew all along what was going on and now he is going to help his psychotic brother run away? I don't fucking think so!

"Call the police. Get them to that location and take the fuckers down. And get the car ready, we are going there to get my daughter back!" I hang up and make my way back to Ana and Ted who are talking as if they were old friends. Only one child to go and I get the feeling their reunion won't go as smoothly as the rest.

"Ana, baby, I've got to go. We think we have a strong lead on Phoebe and I'm going to down there and find out what's going on. I can't just sit around here anymore."

She nods and turns to look at Ted before mumbling an apology.

"I'm coming with you. And it's not up for discussion." She stands.

"No you're not. You are staying here. Spend some time with Ted. We don't know how Phoebe is going to react if we find her but I do know it will be worse if you're there. I need time to talk to her first, Ana."

"You can't keep me locked up in this house, Christian!"

"I want to keep you safe, Ana. I lost you once and I've just got you back. I will not lose you again!"

"I can't just sit here." I moved towards her and kiss her softly and plead with her to stay with the boys but she just shakes her head at me. I sigh, bend down and pick her up over my shoulder, carrying her up to our bedroom and placing her gently on the bed, her screaming at me to put her down the whole way. Once on the bed she glares at me but I walk out the door and do something I know I will regret. I lock it. Ted has followed me upstairs and we can hear Ana banging on the door telling me to let her out. I hand Ted the key.

"Do not open that door until Taylor and I have gone. Understood?" I don't want to keep her in there she just needs to stay until I've gone. He nods and Taylor and I walk out of the house.

… … …

Ana POV

Wednesday- 12:00 pm

I can't believe it! He fucking locked me up. He just threw me on the bed and locked me in our bedroom. How dare he?! I bang on the door and demand to be let out and finally after ten minutes I hear the key in the door and Ted walks in.

"Sorry mom. I don't know why he did that," he says. I sigh and try to calm down.

"It's not your fault. Where is he?" I say walking out of the room.

"He's gone with Taylor. I don't know where exactly but I have a feeling it's something to do with Phoebe. I think he just wants to keep you safe."

"I know that, Ted but I want to help. Phoebe is my daughter as well."

"I know that, mom but don't you think that it's best for dad to help her right now. I'm not trying to hurt you but he knows her better, he has a better understanding of how she will react. While believing you had died was tough on all of us I think it affected Phoebe the most. She was there. Besides, I want to spend some time with you before all hell breaks loose."

I look at my son properly. He really has grown up into an extraordinary young man, just like his father. He has my eyes but everything else about him is pure Christian Grey. And he has a point. I'm being selfish and Christian does understand Phoebe better than me.

I pull him into my arms and hold him tight, telling him he's right.

… … …

Please don't hate me for Christian locking her up in their room, it was the only thing I could think of to make him think he was keeping her safe. Don't worry there is more drama to come.