DISCLAIMER: Fifty shades of Grey or its' characters do NOT belong to me. I own the plot and more than a few characters though. I would like to remind you that this is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to real people or places is accidental.
Uploading unedited
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*Information:*
Ana and her friends = 24 years old
Christian = 28 years old
Mia = 22 years old
Elliot = 30 years old
Stephen = 28 years old [I'm casting Stephen Amell as Stephen of my story ;)]
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Chapter - 18:
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It had been 20 days since the breakup. It was Wednesday and Christian had finally returned to work. Since he had been working from his home office this whole time, there wasn't much work pending at the office. A knock on his office door made him look up from the file he had been reading. "Come in!" he called out.
Ros entered the room with a frustrated look on her face. Christian was not only her boss but her friend as well. The dark circles around his eyes and his weight loss was clear to see for everyone. She didn't want to disturb her boss, but she knew she had to. "Christian, one of our potential clients just got raided by income tax department. It's all over the NEWS," she informed.
"WHAT?! Turn the TV on NOW," Christian ordered jumping up from his seat.
Ros did as she was instructed and started browsing through the channels to look for the NEWS. Suddenly, the door of Christian's office burst open and Elliot barreled inside with Andrea closely following behind him. They could hear her protest.
"WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU, ELLIOT?!" Christian snarled. He already had too much to deal with. He didn't have enough energy to deal with brother as well.
"I'm sorry, sir. I tried to stop him," Andrea apologized frantically.
"Christian... it's Ana," Elliot said panting.
Christian paled instantly at Elliot's words. "What are you talking about? What's happened to her?" he asked grabbing his brother by his shoulders.
"You might want to see this, boss," Ros interrupted the brothers as she stared at the TV, horrified. She had met Ana many times and se really liked the girl.
All four of them could hear the NEWS reporter saying clearly, "BREAKING NEWS! The co-owner of the famous STEELE TOWER, Anastasia Steele has been missing since Monday night. 24-year-old Anastasia Steele was last seen at this bar downtown. According to her close friends, she had a stress filled day at work that day and wanted to relax a little. One of her best friends, Chloe Chandler, informed the police that Anastasia was dressed in a pair of black jeans, black top, black leather jacket, black high heeled ankle boots, and black choker. Witnesses informed that they had seen her leaving with a man, but unfortunately none of them were able to give a correct description of the man. She left the bar around 1 am that night. The surveillance camera caught her leaving with the man with his arm around her. Anastasia looked completely drunk and she looked unstable on her feet. Authorities have been looking through the CCTV footage of the club, but nothing helpful was found so far. Her family is pleading for help with the search. Please contact your local authorities if you see this woman!" The NEWS showed Ana's photos and a video clip of Carla and Ray pleading to the public for help.
Christian's legs gave out. He fell on his knees as he stared at the NEWS report in disbelieve. "no… no... no… NO! Please, no! This can't be happening! Please... tell me it's a joke! She can't be gone!" he started begging, grabbing his hair roughly.
"Why was she alone at the time? Why didn't her friends go with her?" Ros questioned Elliot.
"According to Kate... Ana had been keeping her friends and family at a distance ever since the breakup. She didn't want to worry them apparently. She would act like the happy girl she was known to be, then she would dress up, and then vanish alone for hours after work. She would then return drunk out of her mind. They tried accompanying her many times, but she was an adult and they couldn't force her to be with them if she wanted to be left alone. They are all regretting it now," Elliot informed shaking his head sadly.
"Why are they feeling guilty? I'm the one who is responsible for all these. If I hadn't broken her heart, she would've never gone out there alone like this. I did this to her," Christian spit out as angry tears ran down his cheeks.
"Even though you're my brother... I agree with. You were an idiot for what you did. You shouldn't have broken up with her," Elliot scolded.
"I think right now it's not important to find 'who is responsible', it's time to find Ana. She could be in serious trouble. I heard the first 72 hours are critical in any kidnapping and missing case," Ros interjected the brothers.
"Where did Ana's family made their base camp? I want to go there," Christian announced wiping his face.
"They are all at the Steele Tower hoping the kidnapper would call," Elliot informed.
"Then you shouldn't waste any more time and go there now," Ros insisted, "I'll take care of everything here," she assured.
"Thanks, Ros," with a nod at his COO, Christian and Elliot hurried out of his office.
..
Christian and Elliot were in the car with Taylor driving, as they headed for Steele tower. Christian was staring out the window recalling that night when he made the biggest mistake of his life. He shouldn't have broken up with Ana. He was the reason she was in danger now. He bit down his lower lip hard to stop from sobbing as his chest hurt like someone of tearing his heart out. The ringtone of his cell phone snapped him out of his thoughts. "Hello?" he answered with a sigh.
"Christian, son. I just saw the NEWS," Carrick's familiar voice rang in his hear.
"Which one? That one of my potential clients got raided by the income tax department or that the love of my life is missing for almost 2 days?" Christian asked, bitterly.
"Ana. I just saw the breaking NEWS about her. I'm sorry, son. I'm going to Steele Tower to offer Carla and Ray whatever help I could provide," Carrick informed.
"Elliot and I are on our way as well," Christian informed with a sigh.
"Grace and I are also heading there. Son, I'm sorry you had to break up for us. We love you and Ana a lot. I can't say how sorry I am for what happened,"
"See you soon, dad," with a sigh Christian hung up.
"What did dad want?" Elliot asked.
"Mom and dad are going to Steele Tower as well," Christian informed.
"Okay," Elliot nodded.
Soon they arrived in front of the Steele Tower just as another car stopped by theirs. Christian and Elliot got out just as Carrick and Grace got out of their car. Grace hugged her son. Patting on her back, Christian pulled back. He nodded at his father in greeting before heading inside.
"Carla, dear?" Grace called out as soon as one of the workers showed the Greys in. They found Ana's friends and family were gathered in the second floor of the library. Carla and Ray were sitting on the couches with Chloe, Alyssa, and Kate while the boys were standing in various places around them.
Looking up, Carla cried out, "Oh Grace, my baby!"
Grace wrapped her arms around her friend. "I'm so sorry, Carla," Grace apologized.
"Why are you apologizing? HE did this! If he hadn't broken up with her, this would've never happened!" Tom accused angrily. "Our best friend is missing because of that selfish bastard," he spat out. It was really hard for him to not punch that billionaire asshole.
"I agree with Tom," Chloe said glaring at Christian who was looking down at the floor. He agreed with them after all.
"What 'break up' are you kids talking about?" suddenly a someone said from the other side of the room. Jacob had been standing by the window, looking out. Everyone had forgotten about him. Due to their love for their best friend, Ana's friends were not bothered by Jacob. In fact, they felt grateful to have him there with them. "Uncle Jacob..." Caleb started, "Christian broke up with Ana the day you got out of prison,"
"Annie locked herself in her previous apartment and didn't come out once for a whole week. We were so worried for her. We thought… she might hurt herself. But thank God she didn't," Bill added.
Jacob finally turned around. A frown marring his face. "But both you and Ana told me everything was okay. Did you both lie to me?" he asked his sister, incredulously. He could not believe what he was hearing. He had asked his sister and niece repeatedly if everything okay or not. They both had assured that everything was fine.
Carla gave him a guilty look. "She asked me not to tell you," she whispered though tear filled eyes.
Grey family hadn't noticed him upon arrival. Now that he was talking, they were starting to feel uneasy. Christian finally looked up to meet Jacob's eye. "Tom is right. I broke her heart. I was being a selfish bastard. Now she's in danger because of me," he stated as tear flowed down his cheeks freely. He would never be able to forgive himself if anything happened to Ana.
"Do you want her to come back safe?" Jacob asked sternly.
"I do,"
"Then, stop weeping like little boy," Jacob scolded, "The first day after going missing is the most crucial time. These 24 hours are the only time when we could've hoped that Ana would be found alive. It's already been more than 36 hours. As the time go by, that chance will lessen. Whatever we do, we will have to do that in a matter of hours," he informed taking the lead.
"I called another of our best friends, William. He's a great hacker. Maybe he could help?" Jose suggested.
"Ana had her cell phone with her, right? Then If William could tell us her phone's last GPS location, then we'll have a starting point," Bill chimed in.
"Um... I know it's a private meeting but... I think I have some information," someone said interrupting the meeting. Turning towards the stairway, they found a hesitant looking Jonathan standing there.
"Yes, Jonathan?" Nicolas asked.
"Ever since the night Ana started going out, every time a man returned with her. Well... she would return in cabs, but that man would follow that cab closely. He stopped on the other side of the road each time. I didn't get to see the number plate from upstairs but I can tell you for sure that he drives a black SUV," Jonathan informed.
"Good job. Ask your hacker friend to look for black SUVs in the CCTV footage outside the club where Ana went missing and other CCTV footage around the area. I'm sure we'll find something else to go on," Jacob ordered.
"Did you see the man inside?" Christian asked Jonathan.
"No. sorry," Jonathan replied regretfully.
"Then how can you be sure that it's even a man?" Christian was frustrated.
"He once came out of the car when Ana fell getting out of the cab. The street light on the other side of the road is broken. I could see his shape and shadow, but not his features," Jonathan explained.
"FUCK!" Christian cursed before turning towards Jacob. "I want to call two of my special guys, Barney and Welch. They would be able to help," Christian offered.
"Don't be offended if I don't agree with you. After all, last time they didn't even to find those CCTV footages of your penthouse," an amused, arrogant voice said.
Looking at the at the stairs, Christian found a handsome young man. He looked like a male version of snow white; pale skin and black hair. The only difference was that he had on a pair of wire rimmed glasses. "My penthouse's CCTV footage...?" Christian asked confused. Suddenly, it was like a light bulb lit up in his head. Christian remembered. "The pranks Ana pulled on me! We never found the footage of how she pulled those off," he exclaimed.
"Of course, you didn't. I'm just THAT good!" the man smirked arrogently.
"WILLIAM! Ana is missing! We need help! Is now the time to boost about your illegal hacking activities?!" Caleb scolded.
Pouting, William nodded, "Sorry, I forgot," he muttered.
"You're the hacker guy?" Jacob asked.
"Ye...AH!" William stumbled back and fell on his butt as he pointed at Jacob. "Se-ser-serial killer!" he whimpered.
"Yes, and I am going to kill you in a VERY painful way if you don't get off your butt and help me find my niece," Jacob stated, taking a threatening step towards the black haired boy.
"Y-yes, of-of course, master... I mean Mr. Williams. Hey! Our names match! I-I mean… n-nothing.." William rambled on nervously.
Ignoring the boy, Jacob turned to others in the room. "We should take this conversation to Ana's place," he suggested. "Those who can and willing to help me find my niece, only they should join us in Ana's place," he said looking pointedly at Christian and his family.
"OF COURSE, we want to help! We never wanted Ana and Christian to break up. We saw how much they loved each other. We never thought our son would THIS stupid. For a billionaire he has shit for brain," Carrick grumbled glaring at his son.
"Well, you should've told me so earlier. I wouldn't have foolishly hurt both Ana and I then," Christian exclaimed. He looked like a little boy who just learned that he was allowed to eat cookies, he didn't have to steal them.
"STOP! Let's go," Jacob stated before kneeling before Carla. "Come on, sister! Take us up to Ana's apartment," he said kindly to the woman that claimed him her brother.
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Tyson came barking and whining to Jacob when he entered Ana's apartment. Nicolas, Tom, and Bill had been taking care of Tyson while Ana was gone. Still Tyson ran to Jacob. Carla started sobbing at the scene. "She finally introduced you," she said.
"She did," Jacob answer scratching behind Tyson's neck. "Alright! LISTEN UP!" he clapped his hands loudly. "Who are the lawyers?" he asked. Carrick and Kate raised their hands. "Find out about every law in Washington state about kidnap victims and missing person's family. What leeway do the family members have and so on? Ray, you and Carla are in charge of handling the police. call them as frequently as you can, get their attention, and make them give attention to this case. Ask them to treat this as abduction case instead of missing person case," he ordered.
"Boy, you get the media involved. Make sure people know Ana as soon as they see her face. But... don't tell anyone that you're her... ex or present. If the kidnapper had been stalking her then there's possibility that he has a crush on her or he's a serial killer just getting to know his victim's routine," Jacob said to Christian.
"Wow! You're really good at this," Jose exclaimed grinning widely. "Where did you learn this from?" he asked excitedly.
EVERYONE in the room turned to stare at the boy in disbelieve. Jacob gave Jose an amused smile and said, "I am really good. After all... that's what I used to do before killing those couples,"
Jose froze and paled instantly. "Right, sorry. I forgot," he replied blushing. He had honestly forgotten about that for a moment.
Carrick blinked at Jacob's unashamed confession. It startled him. He didn't know how criminals think, but he thought at least he would show some remorse after spending 25 years in jail.
"William, will you be able to look for black SUVs in the CCTV footage outside of the club where Ana went missing and also the other CCTV footage in the surrounding the area. Also you need to look through the CCTVs at the entrance of the building. maybe we will find some clues. You'll also need to find Ana's phone's last GPS location. Will you be able to do all these alone?" Jacob asked.
"It's like he is possessed by a drill sergeant," Elliot whispered to his brother. "By the way, did you notice he called everyone by name, but he called you 'boy'?" he snickered. Christian glared at his brother. He didn't find it amusing, because he did notice that Jacob didn't say his name once.
"Did you know that... he only endures me because I'm Ana's dad?" the brothers hadn't noticed that Ray had joined them. At their questioning look, Ray added, "I know for sure if Carla didn't see him as her brother and he didn't love her like his little sister, he wouldn't have hesitated to take Ana and Carla. Ana had been his from the very beginning. The bond got stronger when Ana went to visit him in Jail for the first time,"
By then, Carrick had also joined them. "I never thought about how criminals feel about their family,"
"No, Carrick. Jacob was a criminal when he hurt those innocent people. Right now, he's not a criminal. He's a bear whose cub was taken from him. If I'm protective about my little girl, then he is much, much more. I don't like him, but I know he is the only person I would leave my family with. They will be the safest with him. You know, the only way to get on his bad side is by attempting to hurt anyone he loves. Do that and you will be quite finished. I fear for anyone that tries to harm something he loves," Ray snorted.
"Does he really love Ana THAT much?" Carrick asked.
"He does. For him, Ana and Carla are his family. If Ana wasn't kidnapped right now, you would've been in trouble," Ray said to Christian.
"I can't express how sorry I am," Christian whispered.
"Is there a reason you guys are standing around like morons? Did I or did I not give you some things to do?" Jacob's cold voice made all four men flinch. "Boy, ask your special person Welch and Barney here and tell them to bring few monitors with them as well. William will need them," he added.
Everyone went to do what they were asked to do. They didn't want to anger Jacob. "Caleb? You and Liam work with Ana closely for the book store, right?" Jacob inquired.
"How did you know? And... how do you know our names so well?" Liam asked curiously.
"Ana. She always came back with stories about you guys. She loves and respects you guys so much," Jacob said with a kind smile.
"Ana was always sensitive about you. Even though she shared about you, she never forced us to meet you or interact with you. We're sorry that we're meeting in this situation. And yes, Liam and I work directly with Ana. The book store/Library is Ana's baby. Even though she works at the restaurant and retail store sometimes, The library was all hers," Caleb informed proudly.
"I heard about you guys so much that I feel like I already know you all personally. Anyways, I need you to give me information about all the new publication houses and clients you got in the library/book store in the last 1 year. Try to remember if she said anything negative about any of them," Jacob ordered.
"On it," and both boys went back downstairs to get the info.
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An intense pain woke her up. She screamed as the pain continued. She felt like her eyes were glues shut but she felt like that every time she drank. Last thing she remembered was being in a bar and drinking a lot. That would explain her headache, but she couldn't figure out where the other pain was coming from. She forced her eyes to open enough to find someone sitting beside her with his back to her, holding one of her hands. That's where the pain was coming form. At first, Ana thought he was breaking her fingers, but then she realized that he was pulling out her nails... one by one.
"OW! NO! LET GO!" she screamed trying to get her hand free of the man, but he held on tightly. She noticed that she was also bound to the bed she was laying on, so her movements were limited.
The man tutted at her. "Don't move or you'll ruin it," he scolded. As if pulling someone's nail off was a totally normal thing to do.
For some reason, his voice sounded familiar. "W-who are y-you? Wh-whyy are you doing this? AAHH!" she screamed as he pulled out another nail.
"And... all done. You've been a good girl," the man said before turning around, giving Ana the shock of her life.
"M-Mr. Hyde? Jack? W-what?" she was so confused. She always thought he was a little creepy but she had never even dreamed him like this. She clutched her hand close to her chest and stared at him in disbelieve.
"I know it's a little hard to digest, but you have to accept it as... you're not going anywhere from here," Jack smiled bashfully.
"What do you mean? Why am I here? I don't understand..." Ana trailed off as she tried to get up and failed, "Why am I bound to the bed like this?" she demanded.
"I don't want you to ruin my master piece. That's why you're bound there," Jack pouted.
"What 'master piece'? What are you talking about?" Ana asked as dread filled her insides.
"You see... I love sex. It's the best thing ever!" Jack exclaimed grinning widely as he started pacing in front of the bed. "But... I don't like it when my partners move or make noises. It's irritating," he grumbled with his hands on his waist as he turned to look at Ana.
"So... you like to have sex with sex dolls. How does that involve me being locked up here?" Ana asked, confused.
"You see I like to have sex with dolls, but only with the ones that I specially make. That's why you're here. You're perfect for my doll collection. You will be my master piece," he explained proudly.
"Doll collection? What the fuck are you talking about, Jack Hyde? I'm a human. How can I be part of a doll collection? And let go of me!" Ana growled angrily.
Jack rolled his eyes. "No need for shouting. I'm going to show you and explain more," he said before going to the other side of the room. There was a large, tall case type something covered with orange silk sheet. When he pulled the sheet off, Ana felt like her heart was going to run away from her body. There were 6 girls, all dress in a mix of cute and sexy modern short Lolita outfits, in a large glass display case. They all had same hair color and were petite. They looked like normal girls, but none of them were moving... or blinking.
"J-Jack?" the question was clear in Ana tone.
"Ana, I present you my special sex dolls. I made them myself," Jack informed proudly.
"So... you make life like dolls and then... have sex with them?" Ana asked, hoping that's what this was.
"What? NO!" Jack laughed. "I find beautiful girls with unmarred pale skin, brown hair and petite body shape. I always make sure when I bring them, I left no mark on them. That's why I always restrain them with silk," he beamed, "Then after I collect my trophies," he said pointing at the small tray where Ana's bloody nails were placed, "I fill them with liquid polymer. After they harden, I wash them, change them into those cute clothes and then I make love to them. Again and again," he finished with a serene smile on his face.
Ana felt her body freeze in terror. It wasn't a man standing in front of her... it was a heinous monster. "You turn those innocent girls into your sick version of taxidermy and then, as if that's not awful enough, you rape them?" Ana asked in disbelieve.
"Don't be rude! What I do with my dolls is not rape. They are mine to do whatever I want with them," Jack huffed. "Did you know at one point I almost decided to move on from you and find someone else... but then you came to California! It was like Universe brought you to me! Isn't it amazing?" He was almost glowing with joy.
"When did you decide that... I would be..." Ana trailed off.
"My master piece?! My final piece?!"Jack finished. Ana nodded hesitantly. "The very first day we met. You were beautiful in that yellow maxi skirt. I wondered if you were wearing panties under that. That was the moment when I imagined you as one of my dolls. My final doll," he looked really happy, excited.
"What the..." Ana trailed off. She couldn't digest the thought that this man had been after her for so long and she didn't even know. Her uncle had always told her to be alert. Ana was regretting not following his instructions. She had been a complete moron.
"You wanna know a secret?" Jack asked breaking Ana from her thoughts, "None of my sweet dolls have any underwear on. I can fuck them whenever I want," his smile was taking a scary turn.
"When are you going to kill me?" Ana asked. she wanted to know how much time she had to attempt to escape.
"Not kill, turn you. In three to four days. I want the wounds on your fingers to heel a little. I won't be able to attach fake nails on them otherwise," Jack shrugged with a grimace like a little boy who broke his toy.
Ana continued to stared at him in complete disbelieve.
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"Mr. Williams?" Kate approached Jacob who was sharpening something. As she rounded the corner, she found that he was sharpening a Boker Magnum spike Karambit fixed Blade. It looked like a bird claw.
"Yes, Kate?"
"Caleb told me if any of us remembered Ana telling us anyone strange about any our clients or business partners, we should tell you. I just remembered something," she said, "But... can I ask you something first?"
Jacob turned his head to look at the young woman. "Yes?"
"Is... is this the same knife you used to... kill all those..." Kate didn't finish the sentence, but Jacob understood her question.
"No, it's not. I bought this one specially for the person who took my child," he said admiring the shine of the blade, "When I'm satisfied with its sharpness, I'm going to coat it with poison. He deserves the most painful death after all," his smile sent a chill down Kate's back. "I answered your question. Now tell me what you came to say," he ordered.
Seeing Kate talking to Jacob, Elliot approached them. He also dragged Christian with him. "When we first approached the Grey publication, it was not bought by Christian yet. It was SIP... Seattle Independent Publications," they heard her say.
Frowning, Christian asked, "What's going on, Kate?"
Giving him only a glance, Kate continued, "That day we met 3 people there; Anthony Billings, the CEO of SIP, Elizabeth Morgan, head of Finances, and Jack Hyde, Acquisitions Editor. The meeting had gone nicely, but Ana seemed a little disturbed after it. When I asked about, she had shaken her head and said and I quote 'Why are there so many perverts? A woman can't go anywhere without encountering them.' end quote,"
"She called someone in that meeting 'pervert'. That mean one of those two men was the pervert," Elliot concluded.
"Can you arrange a meeting with these two men?" Jacob asked Christian.
"On it," Christian said before heading towards Ana's guest room where William, Welch and Barney had set up their computers. After ordering Welch to find Anthony Billings and Jack Hyde, Christian called Taylor. "Taylor, do whatever you have to do, but find me Anthony Billings and Jack Hyde," he ordered.
"Make sure to ask them to find their phone's GPS locations in the last few days. That would reveal a lot of things," Nicolas told Christian. He had followed Christian when he saw him going to Ana's guest room. He heard what Christian had ordered. "By the way, who are these two people?" he asked.
"Ana made a negative comment about one of these two man," Christian informed.
"Are these the only ones?" Nicolas asked with a frown.
"So far," Christian shrugged.
A few hours later.
Welch approached Christian. All of them were gathered in the living room, updating on their progress to Jacob. "I have some NEWS," Welch announced.
"Did you find those men?" Christian asked.
"I found one of them, Anthony Billings. He had moved to Greece with his whole family after selling SIP. Jack Hyde, on the other hand, now that guy is a little strange. He stayed in Seattle for a while... before he got a job as VP in one of the companies in California, but then he returned to Seattle after quitting his well-paying job. He changed his number soon after returning, and strangely... we didn't find his new address. It's like he vanished after coming back to Seattle," Welch informed with a troubled frown.
"What do you mean 'he vanished'?" Christian growled at him.
"There's no online trail of him," Welch clarified hesitantly.
"Then we will search for him the old fashion way. My instinct says we'll find Ana's clue from this guy," Jacob stated thoughtfully.
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A/N: So? Do you think Ana's family with find her before it's too late? Or will they find a plastic doll instead?
Don't forget that I love reviews. *Wink*