Eve's heart raced as she felt the weight of the moment upon her now as she, Chris, Kevin and Jack stood outside DV's apartment. Despite Chris's many protests about her coming along with them on this journey, she refused to back down when they'd come so far. If she was going to find Sarah, then she wanted to be there the moment it happened as so much was riding on her being reunited with her daughter. As if sensing her apprehension and concerns about the situation, Chris stepped up beside her touching her shoulder gently.
"Eve, whatever happens, I just want you to know that one way or another we're all going to be a family again," Chris promised thinking about what the receptionist had said down at the desk about a man fitting Henry's description having been there the day before with a small child. He only prayed that Henry hadn't been one step ahead of them as his daughter's life was on the line. Even now he'd felt fear unlike anything he'd ever known as he tried to force himself to be strong for Eve. The last place he wanted her was near where Henry could be, but she'd been so stubborn and strong willed refusing to back down on the search for their daughter.
"On the count of three," Kevin mouthed doing a silent count and knocking on the door only do discover no answer on the other side. Without waiting for any other thoughts or suggestions, he bust the door in marching inside with Chris close behind him as they searched the apartment.
Eve followed the group as she noticed the living room before her with toys scattered on the carpeting and in that instant she noticed Sarah's favorite story book on the floor. Kneeling down as the book lay face down and open on the carpet, Eve reached out to it feeling the tears building behind her eyes as the men searched the rest of the apartment coming up empty.
"Nothing," Jack announced coming out of one of the rooms as he exchanged poignant glances with Chris, "No one's in here."
"No one's in here either," Kevin offered up with a frown.
"They were here not too long ago," Eve spoke up choked up on emotion as she hugged the book to her chest, "He had Sarah here and now they're gone. Now we've lost our only lead on our daughter…"
"No we haven't," Chris replied desperately seeking out some clue that Henry could've left in the apartment as the phone on the desk began to ring causing everyone in the room to stop mid-movement as Eve exchanged knowing glances with Chris.
"Should we answer it," Jack questioned in confusion as Chris headed over towards the phone.
"It's for me," Chris announced pulling the phone up off of the base as he heard a laugh on the other end of the line.
"Well son, I see you're still always one step behind, aren't you," Henry's voice taunted on the other end of the line, "Did you honestly think you would be able to run a con over an old pro like myself considering that you have something that belongs to me?"
"Where are you, you son of a bitch," Chris cursed as his finger clenched around the phone, "What have you done with my daughter?"
"Nothing yet, but you on the other hand have been a very naughty boy," Henry taunted him in a mocking tone, "I see you've caught up with my wife and it seems that you're having a good old time with your step-mother while I'm tending to my daughter…"
"You lie," Chris snapped back at him, "Henry, I'm not in the mood for games. Where is Sarah?"
"She's safe," Henry added cryptically, "but she misses her mother and I'd like to have a word with Eve if you don't mind as I know she's there."
"You're not getting a word with her," Chris cut back sharply, "Not until you let me speak with Sarah."
"Chris, you're nothing to my daughter. Putting you on the phone with her would only confuse her," Henry explained simply, "so now do us both a favor and let me talk to my wife…"
"She's not your…" Chris argued with him as Eve managed to pull herself up off of the floor, a desperation filling her eyes as she stepped in closer to Chris offering up her hand.
"Put me on the phone, Ramsey," she begged of him, "please…let me talk to him…"
"Eve, it's not…" Chris started as tears swirled in her eyes.
"See Chris, she's missing me already," Henry remarked sharply, "put her on the phone or else I swear to you the next time anyone will be seeing Sarah it'll be face down in a river…"
Chris remained silent handing the phone over to Eve despite his initial concerns as Henry's words filled his head. Could it be possible that Eve had married Henry? That she'd somehow given in to his every demand after he'd threatened her and now she was married to the monster that had managed to destroy their lives? To the man who'd ultimately taken her and Sarah away from him? As he watched her on the phone with Henry, his heart raced in his chest as fear consumed him.
"I'm here, you bastard," Eve spoke evenly as her tear filled eyes fell upon Chris seeing the confusion and concern set in over his features, "Yes…yes I…please…just let me see her…let me…" she paused choked up on emotion, "Henry…alright…yes…I will…" she dropped the phone holding it out to Chris as tears consumed her, "He wants to speak with you."
Chris accepted the phone watching Eve rush down a hallway overcome by tears as he heard Henry speak smoothly into the line, "My wife's having an emotional week there I see now that you fished her out of the river there. You see Eve and I were having a spat, but now that she's thought it over, she's agreed to come back home to Sarah and I. She's decided that it's in her best interested to be a nice, obedient wife as she is rather good at that…"
"She's not your wife," Chris shot back at him, "and as for you, why don't you come out of hiding and show yourself you coward?"
"Such strong words Chris," Henry chuckled overcome with laughter, "and here I'd thought you'd wizened up over the years boy, but then again you always did have a problem in dipping into my spoils, but with Eve, well I don't know what you felt you had with her, but she's mine and that isn't changing. In fact, the way I see it, if you want to do something to make her happy, you'll see to it that she is where I asked her to be for my next phone call…"
"I'm not taking her anywhere and you can just…"
"Watch it boy because one wrong word and Sarah just might not wind up having a good day after all," Henry warned in a sinister tone, "and as for Eve, well you'll find I left you both something special in the VCR. Talk to you later son…"
"Henry you…" Chris was met by a dial tone as he exchanged glances with Kevin and Jack.
"What just happened?" Jack asked in confusion.
"He's playing games with us," Chris answered flatly trying to stay calm despite the fire of rage burning inside of him, "He's instructed Eve to be somewhere when he makes contact again and I have a feeling he's going to strike soon…"
"Then we'll be ready for him," Kevin announced in a dark tone, "because I'm not going to let someone like that hurt her again."
"Neither am I," Chris paused thinking about Henry's last comment, "but right now she's upset and I think I need to have a few words with her myself…"
"I'll get working on seeing where that call came from," Jack announced turning to Kevin, "Didn't you say your father had sources here in New York City?"
"I called some of them before we arrived and they should be downstairs as we speak," Kevin offered with a quick nod, "We should go check in on them…"
"Alright," Jack agreed eyeing Chris closely, "Will you and Eve be okay up here for a few minutes alone?"
"We should be fine," Chris nodded in response watching them leave the room as he turned his eyes in the direction Eve had headed off in. While he'd wanted to talk to her more than anything, something about the way Henry's voice had taunted him about what was waiting in the VCR had him on edge as he couldn't help but be drawn over to it. He took in a slow breath trying to talk himself out of playing into his father's games, but as his curiosity got the best of him, he pushed play ready to face what was waiting from Henry.
"Chris don't," Eve pleaded stepping out into the living room as her tear stained features caused him to look away from the television, "Don't watch that…"
"Eve, what's going on," Chris questioned hearing the familiar sounds of a chilling intimate moment happening onscreen as his eyes fell upon his father in bed with Eve.
"Chris please…" she rushed over to stand in front of the television set trying to turn it off as her voice grew tight with emotion, "Don't watch this…"
"Eve," he spoke up trying to come to grips with what was happening as he heard Henry coaching Eve on the television.
"Say it Eve…" Henry cajoled her as Eve's cries could be heard in the background, "Say it…"
"I…" she was broken up by what sounded like tears as Chris could catch images of Henry having sex with her, "I…"
"Say it…" Henry demanded as another whimper rose up inside of Eve's strangled voice on the television set.
"I love you, my husband…." she cried out as Eve sank down in front of the television revealing the degrading scene that was taking place behind her as Henry had forced her to be with him, pushing her past her limits as he'd trapped her into the situation that Chris now took in with obvious horror behind his eyes as he reached out to stop the tape pulling it out of the VCR as it was labeled, HONEYMOON.
"So it's true," Chris sank down on the floor beside her as Eve brought her knees up to her chest and buried her head so he couldn't see her face as tears of shame consumed her.
"Chris, I was desperate," she began choked up on emotion unwilling to face him as her heart broke with the thought of what she'd done, "I was so afraid and…"
"And he gave you no other choice," he half questioned as she began to shake at the horrible memory that filled her.
She nodded still refusing to meet his eyes as she could only imagine the way he must've hated her for allowing Henry to get the best of her, "Chris, he said he'd find a way to destroy you…that he'd make sure you went to jail for the rest of your life and after he'd raped me," she forced herself to face him as her tears consumed her, "I didn't think that it could get any worse…"
"Eve, honey…" he reached out to her his heart breaking into a million pieces at the way Henry had caused her to crumble with that tape he'd left for them.
"Chris, I never wanted to do any of that, but he'd threatened me with you and with Sarah," she sobbed harder, "that night when he'd forced me to marry him…it was the last thing I wanted, but Chris, I was terrified and then…"
"Then he made you feel like you had no other alternative," he reached out to her unable to mask the pain that struck at his heart at the thought of what was happening, but more so at the sound of Eve's voice on the tape, of the way she'd looked with Henry on top of her pounding away at her as he'd hoped the tape would prove something about Eve's lack of loyalty, but instead Chris thought to the way she'd been so desperate to hold on to him, to how she'd begged him to make love to her, to save her and in that instant he realized what their love had done to her as it had been turned against her transformed into a tool of torture that Henry would use on her again and again over those years they'd been apart.
"Eve, it's okay," Chris hugged her in his arms, "Baby, this tape doesn't change anything…"
"Yes it does," Eve cried out unable to contain herself as she fell into his chest, "I never wanted you to know about the wedding…about what happened with Henry and I when I let him make love to me…"
"Eve, I know you didn't let him do anything," he reached out to her chin urging her to meet his eyes, "I know that wasn't making love as Henry doesn't know the meaning of the word. He only knows how to hurt…"
"Chris, he told me if I'm not there when he calls…if I don't come back to him and behave like a good wife should, that he's going to kill Sarah," her lip trembled with the words, "I can't let him hurt her."
"I'm not going to give you back to him either," Chris pulled her into his lap more completely, "He's not going to do any more to you than he already has…"
"But Sarah…" Eve began desperately, "Chris, he said if I don't come back then…"
"There has to be another way," Chris reached out to her wiping at her tears.
"I'm his wife and he feels I belong to him and if I don't go back," Eve stammered swept up in a world of shame and misery, "If I don't do what he wants…"
"Eve, you're not his. You were never a possession that he could control and you still aren't," he offered up solemnly, "When you married him, you were just trying to save our daughter and I know in my heart that whatever happened, it wasn't because you loved him or felt anything other than contempt…"
"Still, I should've been stronger…I should've fought harder," she shivered at the memory, "The first time, I tried to pretend that I was with you…that I could keep faking it, but then he got more aggressive…he was more brutal and then the sex wasn't enough. He was consumed with the idea of controlling me in every sense of the word and when he pushed the marriage on me…"
"The marriage isn't legal. It can't be…" Chris tried to argue with her.
"Chris, he went through the proper channels," Eve answered painfully, "and in the eyes of the law…"
"To hell with that. There's no court out there that would say what he's done to you was legal," Chris saw the defeat behind her eyes as he touched her face, "Eve, he can't break you…he can't take your spirit and he won't win this…"
"He already has Sarah," Eve explained as her dark eyes connected with his, "and if I don't go back to him…"
"If you go back to him, he'll kill you and I won't allow that to happen. I've waited too long and wished too hard for you to come back into my life and I refuse to let Henry take that from us. He might think he's got the upper hand right now, but I won't let him keep our daughter from us…"
"Chris, but…"
"But nothing. Eve, I love you and I don't care what Henry did or said as you need to get this through your head from this moment on. I've always loved you and this changes nothing," he tried to assure her as his voice cracked with emotion, "I know he was trying to make you believe that seeing this tape or learning about the marriage would somehow make me think less of what we have with one another, but Eve it doesn't change a thing."
"Chris I…" she began again.
"Lambert, get this through your head and try to remember it," he cupped her face in his hands struggling to reach that part of her that Henry had used to tear down her defenses and attack her spirit over the years, "You're my once in a lifetime and I don't care how long it takes or what we have to do to make this right, but we will because the way I see it the only place for you in this world is with me and together, well together we'll find a way to beat all of this…"
"But Henry's so strong and he swore that if I didn't come back to him that he'd…" Eve cried out in horror as the thought of being near Henry again made her shudder.
"He's not going to do a damn thing to you and Sarah. Kevin's working with us and I'll use whatever it takes to bring Henry down and our daughter back home again," he vowed holding her as he'd never let go as he decided from this moment on whatever happened, as soon as he found his father, Henry Ramsey was a dead man. That much he was sure of.
"Eve, whatever happens, I just want you to know that one way or another we're all going to be a family again," Chris promised thinking about what the receptionist had said down at the desk about a man fitting Henry's description having been there the day before with a small child. He only prayed that Henry hadn't been one step ahead of them as his daughter's life was on the line. Even now he'd felt fear unlike anything he'd ever known as he tried to force himself to be strong for Eve. The last place he wanted her was near where Henry could be, but she'd been so stubborn and strong willed refusing to back down on the search for their daughter.
"On the count of three," Kevin mouthed doing a silent count and knocking on the door only do discover no answer on the other side. Without waiting for any other thoughts or suggestions, he bust the door in marching inside with Chris close behind him as they searched the apartment.
Eve followed the group as she noticed the living room before her with toys scattered on the carpeting and in that instant she noticed Sarah's favorite story book on the floor. Kneeling down as the book lay face down and open on the carpet, Eve reached out to it feeling the tears building behind her eyes as the men searched the rest of the apartment coming up empty.
"Nothing," Jack announced coming out of one of the rooms as he exchanged poignant glances with Chris, "No one's in here."
"No one's in here either," Kevin offered up with a frown.
"They were here not too long ago," Eve spoke up choked up on emotion as she hugged the book to her chest, "He had Sarah here and now they're gone. Now we've lost our only lead on our daughter…"
"No we haven't," Chris replied desperately seeking out some clue that Henry could've left in the apartment as the phone on the desk began to ring causing everyone in the room to stop mid-movement as Eve exchanged knowing glances with Chris.
"Should we answer it," Jack questioned in confusion as Chris headed over towards the phone.
"It's for me," Chris announced pulling the phone up off of the base as he heard a laugh on the other end of the line.
"Well son, I see you're still always one step behind, aren't you," Henry's voice taunted on the other end of the line, "Did you honestly think you would be able to run a con over an old pro like myself considering that you have something that belongs to me?"
"Where are you, you son of a bitch," Chris cursed as his finger clenched around the phone, "What have you done with my daughter?"
"Nothing yet, but you on the other hand have been a very naughty boy," Henry taunted him in a mocking tone, "I see you've caught up with my wife and it seems that you're having a good old time with your step-mother while I'm tending to my daughter…"
"You lie," Chris snapped back at him, "Henry, I'm not in the mood for games. Where is Sarah?"
"She's safe," Henry added cryptically, "but she misses her mother and I'd like to have a word with Eve if you don't mind as I know she's there."
"You're not getting a word with her," Chris cut back sharply, "Not until you let me speak with Sarah."
"Chris, you're nothing to my daughter. Putting you on the phone with her would only confuse her," Henry explained simply, "so now do us both a favor and let me talk to my wife…"
"She's not your…" Chris argued with him as Eve managed to pull herself up off of the floor, a desperation filling her eyes as she stepped in closer to Chris offering up her hand.
"Put me on the phone, Ramsey," she begged of him, "please…let me talk to him…"
"Eve, it's not…" Chris started as tears swirled in her eyes.
"See Chris, she's missing me already," Henry remarked sharply, "put her on the phone or else I swear to you the next time anyone will be seeing Sarah it'll be face down in a river…"
Chris remained silent handing the phone over to Eve despite his initial concerns as Henry's words filled his head. Could it be possible that Eve had married Henry? That she'd somehow given in to his every demand after he'd threatened her and now she was married to the monster that had managed to destroy their lives? To the man who'd ultimately taken her and Sarah away from him? As he watched her on the phone with Henry, his heart raced in his chest as fear consumed him.
"I'm here, you bastard," Eve spoke evenly as her tear filled eyes fell upon Chris seeing the confusion and concern set in over his features, "Yes…yes I…please…just let me see her…let me…" she paused choked up on emotion, "Henry…alright…yes…I will…" she dropped the phone holding it out to Chris as tears consumed her, "He wants to speak with you."
Chris accepted the phone watching Eve rush down a hallway overcome by tears as he heard Henry speak smoothly into the line, "My wife's having an emotional week there I see now that you fished her out of the river there. You see Eve and I were having a spat, but now that she's thought it over, she's agreed to come back home to Sarah and I. She's decided that it's in her best interested to be a nice, obedient wife as she is rather good at that…"
"She's not your wife," Chris shot back at him, "and as for you, why don't you come out of hiding and show yourself you coward?"
"Such strong words Chris," Henry chuckled overcome with laughter, "and here I'd thought you'd wizened up over the years boy, but then again you always did have a problem in dipping into my spoils, but with Eve, well I don't know what you felt you had with her, but she's mine and that isn't changing. In fact, the way I see it, if you want to do something to make her happy, you'll see to it that she is where I asked her to be for my next phone call…"
"I'm not taking her anywhere and you can just…"
"Watch it boy because one wrong word and Sarah just might not wind up having a good day after all," Henry warned in a sinister tone, "and as for Eve, well you'll find I left you both something special in the VCR. Talk to you later son…"
"Henry you…" Chris was met by a dial tone as he exchanged glances with Kevin and Jack.
"What just happened?" Jack asked in confusion.
"He's playing games with us," Chris answered flatly trying to stay calm despite the fire of rage burning inside of him, "He's instructed Eve to be somewhere when he makes contact again and I have a feeling he's going to strike soon…"
"Then we'll be ready for him," Kevin announced in a dark tone, "because I'm not going to let someone like that hurt her again."
"Neither am I," Chris paused thinking about Henry's last comment, "but right now she's upset and I think I need to have a few words with her myself…"
"I'll get working on seeing where that call came from," Jack announced turning to Kevin, "Didn't you say your father had sources here in New York City?"
"I called some of them before we arrived and they should be downstairs as we speak," Kevin offered with a quick nod, "We should go check in on them…"
"Alright," Jack agreed eyeing Chris closely, "Will you and Eve be okay up here for a few minutes alone?"
"We should be fine," Chris nodded in response watching them leave the room as he turned his eyes in the direction Eve had headed off in. While he'd wanted to talk to her more than anything, something about the way Henry's voice had taunted him about what was waiting in the VCR had him on edge as he couldn't help but be drawn over to it. He took in a slow breath trying to talk himself out of playing into his father's games, but as his curiosity got the best of him, he pushed play ready to face what was waiting from Henry.
"Chris don't," Eve pleaded stepping out into the living room as her tear stained features caused him to look away from the television, "Don't watch that…"
"Eve, what's going on," Chris questioned hearing the familiar sounds of a chilling intimate moment happening onscreen as his eyes fell upon his father in bed with Eve.
"Chris please…" she rushed over to stand in front of the television set trying to turn it off as her voice grew tight with emotion, "Don't watch this…"
"Eve," he spoke up trying to come to grips with what was happening as he heard Henry coaching Eve on the television.
"Say it Eve…" Henry cajoled her as Eve's cries could be heard in the background, "Say it…"
"I…" she was broken up by what sounded like tears as Chris could catch images of Henry having sex with her, "I…"
"Say it…" Henry demanded as another whimper rose up inside of Eve's strangled voice on the television set.
"I love you, my husband…." she cried out as Eve sank down in front of the television revealing the degrading scene that was taking place behind her as Henry had forced her to be with him, pushing her past her limits as he'd trapped her into the situation that Chris now took in with obvious horror behind his eyes as he reached out to stop the tape pulling it out of the VCR as it was labeled, HONEYMOON.
"So it's true," Chris sank down on the floor beside her as Eve brought her knees up to her chest and buried her head so he couldn't see her face as tears of shame consumed her.
"Chris, I was desperate," she began choked up on emotion unwilling to face him as her heart broke with the thought of what she'd done, "I was so afraid and…"
"And he gave you no other choice," he half questioned as she began to shake at the horrible memory that filled her.
She nodded still refusing to meet his eyes as she could only imagine the way he must've hated her for allowing Henry to get the best of her, "Chris, he said he'd find a way to destroy you…that he'd make sure you went to jail for the rest of your life and after he'd raped me," she forced herself to face him as her tears consumed her, "I didn't think that it could get any worse…"
"Eve, honey…" he reached out to her his heart breaking into a million pieces at the way Henry had caused her to crumble with that tape he'd left for them.
"Chris, I never wanted to do any of that, but he'd threatened me with you and with Sarah," she sobbed harder, "that night when he'd forced me to marry him…it was the last thing I wanted, but Chris, I was terrified and then…"
"Then he made you feel like you had no other alternative," he reached out to her unable to mask the pain that struck at his heart at the thought of what was happening, but more so at the sound of Eve's voice on the tape, of the way she'd looked with Henry on top of her pounding away at her as he'd hoped the tape would prove something about Eve's lack of loyalty, but instead Chris thought to the way she'd been so desperate to hold on to him, to how she'd begged him to make love to her, to save her and in that instant he realized what their love had done to her as it had been turned against her transformed into a tool of torture that Henry would use on her again and again over those years they'd been apart.
"Eve, it's okay," Chris hugged her in his arms, "Baby, this tape doesn't change anything…"
"Yes it does," Eve cried out unable to contain herself as she fell into his chest, "I never wanted you to know about the wedding…about what happened with Henry and I when I let him make love to me…"
"Eve, I know you didn't let him do anything," he reached out to her chin urging her to meet his eyes, "I know that wasn't making love as Henry doesn't know the meaning of the word. He only knows how to hurt…"
"Chris, he told me if I'm not there when he calls…if I don't come back to him and behave like a good wife should, that he's going to kill Sarah," her lip trembled with the words, "I can't let him hurt her."
"I'm not going to give you back to him either," Chris pulled her into his lap more completely, "He's not going to do any more to you than he already has…"
"But Sarah…" Eve began desperately, "Chris, he said if I don't come back then…"
"There has to be another way," Chris reached out to her wiping at her tears.
"I'm his wife and he feels I belong to him and if I don't go back," Eve stammered swept up in a world of shame and misery, "If I don't do what he wants…"
"Eve, you're not his. You were never a possession that he could control and you still aren't," he offered up solemnly, "When you married him, you were just trying to save our daughter and I know in my heart that whatever happened, it wasn't because you loved him or felt anything other than contempt…"
"Still, I should've been stronger…I should've fought harder," she shivered at the memory, "The first time, I tried to pretend that I was with you…that I could keep faking it, but then he got more aggressive…he was more brutal and then the sex wasn't enough. He was consumed with the idea of controlling me in every sense of the word and when he pushed the marriage on me…"
"The marriage isn't legal. It can't be…" Chris tried to argue with her.
"Chris, he went through the proper channels," Eve answered painfully, "and in the eyes of the law…"
"To hell with that. There's no court out there that would say what he's done to you was legal," Chris saw the defeat behind her eyes as he touched her face, "Eve, he can't break you…he can't take your spirit and he won't win this…"
"He already has Sarah," Eve explained as her dark eyes connected with his, "and if I don't go back to him…"
"If you go back to him, he'll kill you and I won't allow that to happen. I've waited too long and wished too hard for you to come back into my life and I refuse to let Henry take that from us. He might think he's got the upper hand right now, but I won't let him keep our daughter from us…"
"Chris, but…"
"But nothing. Eve, I love you and I don't care what Henry did or said as you need to get this through your head from this moment on. I've always loved you and this changes nothing," he tried to assure her as his voice cracked with emotion, "I know he was trying to make you believe that seeing this tape or learning about the marriage would somehow make me think less of what we have with one another, but Eve it doesn't change a thing."
"Chris I…" she began again.
"Lambert, get this through your head and try to remember it," he cupped her face in his hands struggling to reach that part of her that Henry had used to tear down her defenses and attack her spirit over the years, "You're my once in a lifetime and I don't care how long it takes or what we have to do to make this right, but we will because the way I see it the only place for you in this world is with me and together, well together we'll find a way to beat all of this…"
"But Henry's so strong and he swore that if I didn't come back to him that he'd…" Eve cried out in horror as the thought of being near Henry again made her shudder.
"He's not going to do a damn thing to you and Sarah. Kevin's working with us and I'll use whatever it takes to bring Henry down and our daughter back home again," he vowed holding her as he'd never let go as he decided from this moment on whatever happened, as soon as he found his father, Henry Ramsey was a dead man. That much he was sure of.