When the plane landed, Darien and Serena got off as quickly as
possible, bypassing security and luggage check. When they were seated in
the limo, Darien's cell phone began to ring and the couple looked at each
other for a bit before he answered.
"Darien, they're at your house now. Mina says that they've kept them there for hours, and they don't know how much longer they'll stay. Where else might Anya want to go that Paolo and Sofia don't know about?" Andrew's breathless and hurried voice was quick on the phone.
"Drew, tell Mina to ask Anya if she's seen Mya lately. She'll want to see her best friend, for sure." Darien waited for Andrew's quick reply.
"Sure, great. I'll text her right now. Bye." Andrew hung up and shortly after so did Darien. Serena reached for his hand and took it in her own, trying to comfort him.
"Are they still there? How long will it take for us to reach her?" Serena's blue eyes were misty with tears and it seemed as though the thought of Anya was her last breath of life. She waited, silent, for Darien's reply.
"Not long, I told the girls to ask Anya if she wanted to see her best friend. We're headed to our house first, in case they don't leave right away. Don't worry; I swear we'll find her." He reached his arm around her waist and pulled her head to his shoulder, planting small, delicate kisses on her forehead.
They reached the hotel in only a half hour, in which Serena had been sure that the group would've left. They walked into the foyer and Darien walked right up to the front desk and asked for all the receptionists to see him. One by one he asked them all if they'd seen Paolo, Sofia or Anya leave the building, showing them pictures as he said their names.
Finally, a small brunette stepped forward and tried to look him in the eye, her courage failing her; she lowered her head and told him shakily what she saw.
"Sir, I – I saw them leave. Ten minutes ago, in a dirty old car. They had another girl in the car too; she had long blonde hair and blue eyes. I never caught her name, but I heard the little girl say something about another girl named Mya. She sounded quite excited."
Darien's eyes lit up and he grabbed the girl by the shoulders.
"How long have you been working here?"
"Not long, sir, only a few months."
"Tell your manager that Mr. Shields said to give you a big bonus this paycheck!"
"W – well, thank you, s – sir." She stuttered in disbelief before he turned on his heel and left, Serena's hand in his and tears streaming down her face.
They got into the nearest cab and drove off in the direction of Mya's house, hoping that by chance they would find the dirty old car the young woman had been talking about.
Paolo and Sofia exchanged worried glances as they followed the careful directions of Mina, who was sitting in the back seat with Anya. She'd put up quite a fight before they'd left, with Anya screaming that she needed to see her friend and Mina calmly telling her that they'd go see Mya right away. And so, off they'd gone, and Paolo had desperately tried to rid them of Mina's presence. Every once and a while her phone would ring, but she'd tell him that it was no one and she'd call them back. Sofia turned around and smiled at Mina sweetly.
"Mina, I'm afraid once we go to Mya's we won't be able to drive you back. We're already late for our trip, and we really must be going quickly."
Mina merely smiled in reply and answered in an obviously fake tone.
"Oh, dear, have I made you late? Well, I'm sure it won't take you too long to get to your next destination. Where are you headed?"
"Oh, well, we're trying to get to California as soon as possible, so we wanted to drive rather far tonight." Paolo answered, cutting off his wife's reply. Mina smiled, but in her mind she was disgusted. 'How dare he kidnap Anya and try to escape from me? Well, he's not getting far!'
"Oh, California is very pretty this time of year. I used to live there. Oh, turn right here. It's the fifth house down." Paolo parked and motioned for Mina to get out first, but she was too smart for him and opened the door for Anya. The young girl jumped out and ran towards the house, calling her friend's name loudly.
"Anya? Is that you?" A small voice called, and soon it was followed by a young girl. She ran out and her curly brown hair bounced around her shoulders, her emerald eyes aglow with happiness and surprise. "Anya, it is you! Mum, dad! Come quick, Anya's here!" Her parent's rushed outside and over to the two girls, who were hugging fiercely.
"Anya? Oh, we missed you so much! It's so good to see you!" Mya's parents, Tom and Emma, called out to Anya, and then engulfed her in a hug themselves.
"I can't stay for long, but I just had to come see you! Mina, come here!" Anya called, and she and Mya ran into the house. Mina took the parents inside and was followed closely by Paolo and Sofia.
"This is Paolo, and this is Sofia. They're Serena's friends from Italy, and they're taking Anya on a trip around the world." She put emphasis on 'taking' and gave Emma a dark look, hoping she might catch her drift. With a simple half nod of Emma's head, Mina's heart lightened and she smiled brightly.
"Well, then, let's go have some tea, shall we? I'm sure it's been a long trip for you both." They tried to object, but they were lead into the living room where the two girls were playing. The group of adults sat there and talked, uneasily, for a few minutes before a knock was heard on the door.
"Oh, I'll get it, Emma. After all, I practically live here." The two women shared a quick laugh and then a low voice growled out a quick message.
"Hello, Miss. My name is Chief Watson, of the NYPD. I've got a warrant here to search this house for a couple of people. May I come in?" He stood there, unmoving, before Mina opened the door wider and ushered him in with her hand.
"Yes, of course, Chief. The only people in here are in the living room, so I'll direct you there first." She could almost hear the pounding of Paolo and Sofia's worried hearts.
"Sir, Ma'am, I have a warrant here for your arrests. If you'll come with me, please." The two hung their heads slowly, but snapped them back up at the sound of a familiar voice.
"Chief, you've found them?" In walked the thing they were running from; Serena Moriarti.
Wow, this was short. Well, I must say, you lot have helped me immensely with all the nice comments on my story! My Story, the other fic I have been working on, will be up for a bit longer. If you haven't read it, please do. It's short, but it's quite important to me. Thanks, please read and review!
"Darien, they're at your house now. Mina says that they've kept them there for hours, and they don't know how much longer they'll stay. Where else might Anya want to go that Paolo and Sofia don't know about?" Andrew's breathless and hurried voice was quick on the phone.
"Drew, tell Mina to ask Anya if she's seen Mya lately. She'll want to see her best friend, for sure." Darien waited for Andrew's quick reply.
"Sure, great. I'll text her right now. Bye." Andrew hung up and shortly after so did Darien. Serena reached for his hand and took it in her own, trying to comfort him.
"Are they still there? How long will it take for us to reach her?" Serena's blue eyes were misty with tears and it seemed as though the thought of Anya was her last breath of life. She waited, silent, for Darien's reply.
"Not long, I told the girls to ask Anya if she wanted to see her best friend. We're headed to our house first, in case they don't leave right away. Don't worry; I swear we'll find her." He reached his arm around her waist and pulled her head to his shoulder, planting small, delicate kisses on her forehead.
They reached the hotel in only a half hour, in which Serena had been sure that the group would've left. They walked into the foyer and Darien walked right up to the front desk and asked for all the receptionists to see him. One by one he asked them all if they'd seen Paolo, Sofia or Anya leave the building, showing them pictures as he said their names.
Finally, a small brunette stepped forward and tried to look him in the eye, her courage failing her; she lowered her head and told him shakily what she saw.
"Sir, I – I saw them leave. Ten minutes ago, in a dirty old car. They had another girl in the car too; she had long blonde hair and blue eyes. I never caught her name, but I heard the little girl say something about another girl named Mya. She sounded quite excited."
Darien's eyes lit up and he grabbed the girl by the shoulders.
"How long have you been working here?"
"Not long, sir, only a few months."
"Tell your manager that Mr. Shields said to give you a big bonus this paycheck!"
"W – well, thank you, s – sir." She stuttered in disbelief before he turned on his heel and left, Serena's hand in his and tears streaming down her face.
They got into the nearest cab and drove off in the direction of Mya's house, hoping that by chance they would find the dirty old car the young woman had been talking about.
Paolo and Sofia exchanged worried glances as they followed the careful directions of Mina, who was sitting in the back seat with Anya. She'd put up quite a fight before they'd left, with Anya screaming that she needed to see her friend and Mina calmly telling her that they'd go see Mya right away. And so, off they'd gone, and Paolo had desperately tried to rid them of Mina's presence. Every once and a while her phone would ring, but she'd tell him that it was no one and she'd call them back. Sofia turned around and smiled at Mina sweetly.
"Mina, I'm afraid once we go to Mya's we won't be able to drive you back. We're already late for our trip, and we really must be going quickly."
Mina merely smiled in reply and answered in an obviously fake tone.
"Oh, dear, have I made you late? Well, I'm sure it won't take you too long to get to your next destination. Where are you headed?"
"Oh, well, we're trying to get to California as soon as possible, so we wanted to drive rather far tonight." Paolo answered, cutting off his wife's reply. Mina smiled, but in her mind she was disgusted. 'How dare he kidnap Anya and try to escape from me? Well, he's not getting far!'
"Oh, California is very pretty this time of year. I used to live there. Oh, turn right here. It's the fifth house down." Paolo parked and motioned for Mina to get out first, but she was too smart for him and opened the door for Anya. The young girl jumped out and ran towards the house, calling her friend's name loudly.
"Anya? Is that you?" A small voice called, and soon it was followed by a young girl. She ran out and her curly brown hair bounced around her shoulders, her emerald eyes aglow with happiness and surprise. "Anya, it is you! Mum, dad! Come quick, Anya's here!" Her parent's rushed outside and over to the two girls, who were hugging fiercely.
"Anya? Oh, we missed you so much! It's so good to see you!" Mya's parents, Tom and Emma, called out to Anya, and then engulfed her in a hug themselves.
"I can't stay for long, but I just had to come see you! Mina, come here!" Anya called, and she and Mya ran into the house. Mina took the parents inside and was followed closely by Paolo and Sofia.
"This is Paolo, and this is Sofia. They're Serena's friends from Italy, and they're taking Anya on a trip around the world." She put emphasis on 'taking' and gave Emma a dark look, hoping she might catch her drift. With a simple half nod of Emma's head, Mina's heart lightened and she smiled brightly.
"Well, then, let's go have some tea, shall we? I'm sure it's been a long trip for you both." They tried to object, but they were lead into the living room where the two girls were playing. The group of adults sat there and talked, uneasily, for a few minutes before a knock was heard on the door.
"Oh, I'll get it, Emma. After all, I practically live here." The two women shared a quick laugh and then a low voice growled out a quick message.
"Hello, Miss. My name is Chief Watson, of the NYPD. I've got a warrant here to search this house for a couple of people. May I come in?" He stood there, unmoving, before Mina opened the door wider and ushered him in with her hand.
"Yes, of course, Chief. The only people in here are in the living room, so I'll direct you there first." She could almost hear the pounding of Paolo and Sofia's worried hearts.
"Sir, Ma'am, I have a warrant here for your arrests. If you'll come with me, please." The two hung their heads slowly, but snapped them back up at the sound of a familiar voice.
"Chief, you've found them?" In walked the thing they were running from; Serena Moriarti.
Wow, this was short. Well, I must say, you lot have helped me immensely with all the nice comments on my story! My Story, the other fic I have been working on, will be up for a bit longer. If you haven't read it, please do. It's short, but it's quite important to me. Thanks, please read and review!