Two chapters a day will be posted until full story is up.
Title: Shattered Soul
Author: Cindy Ryan
Story status: Complete
Summary: When Emily becomes the hostage how far will Matt go to bring her home?
Notes: Thanks to those who have stuck with and enjoyed this story. Hopefully the end will be worth the long wait.
They'd been searching hard for forty-five minutes before Matt heard a gleam of hope crackle over the radio. The LVPD helicopter that had arrived twenty minutes ago was reporting in.
"Agent Grafton."The pilot stated. "We've scanned the hills on the southern edge of the property and the largest one appears to not have the same density as the others."
"Good work. We're on our way."
Frank had long since given up on staying ahead of Matt. He'd thought that maybe if he'd stay behind Grafton and ahead of Matt he'd be able to shield Matt.
Frank didn't want to give up on Emily, but he was starting to get a bad feeling about this one.
If Emily had been here the whole time she'd been missing…..
If she hadn't had any of the essentials…..clothing, water, food….
Frank shuddered at the thought and moved once again ahead of Matt.
Matt's cell phone beeped causing him to yank it out of his right jacket pocket. He frowned when he saw that he had another text message.
"What is it?"Frank asked looking back over his shoulder as the group continued toward the hills.
"Text message."Matt replied tightly.
"Ellis?"Frank asked.
Matt quickly read the message and then closed the phone and replaced it. He wasn't sure if he was relieved or more worried that there wasn't a picture attached with this one.
"Matt?"Frank prompted as he stepped around a tree.
"Just a friendly reminder that we have six hours left to get him his money."
"Ellis has been in contact with you?"Grafton asked.
"In the last twelve hours it's all been through text message. Nothing verbal."
"Harder to trace."Grafton commented.
"This is it."Frank announced as they arrived at the southern edge of the property. Before them were three mossy hills.
To Matt they looked more like something a Hobbit would live in then something that had once housed gold.
Grafton radioed the LVPD pilot. "Which hill had the less density reading again?"
"The one closest to you. Can't get any heat readings, to indicate life signs, from it. Something in the rock is messing with the scans."
Matt was already moving, his flashlight raised high. They were standing thirty feet from the hill. Matt closed that in record time. His body was full of ad reline now which helped in keeping one foot in front of the other.
Emily was the only thing that mattered now.
She had to be here. She just had to be.
Matt reached the foot of the hill with Grafton and Frank close at his heels. Matt swept his flashlight from one side to the other and back again. He saw nothing to indicate there had ever been an opening.
"There."Grafton shouted shining his flashlight to the left of the group where an overgrown gravel path barely illuminated.
Matt followed the gravel with his light until it stopped at the base of the hill. It was only then that he saw the small opening. Rotted wood framed a hole in the hillside barely half the size of a closet door.
"Emily!"Matt shouted as he reached the opening and stepped through it.
Their promise to Grafton forgotten Frank followed close behind Matt as they crept along the narrow mine entrance
"Em?"Matt called again straining to hear any indication that she was alive. To hear any indication that she was here at all.
"Watch it!"Grafton shouted in warning as his flashlight illuminated an opening in the ground.
Too late as Matt felt his shoes start to slide on the loose gravel as he struggled to come to a stop.
Just as Matt felt himself start to fall a strong hand grabbed him by the back of the shirt and yanked him back to his feet.
The trio watched in silence as Matt's flashlight bounced and tumbled down the narrow shaft.
"You okay?"Frank asked as he let go of Matt's collar.
"Yeah,thanks."
Meanwhile Matt's flashlight had come to a rest and it was only then that the men above noticed the still form it was illuminating.
"Oh my God."Frank whispered as he took in Emily's bruised and battered body sitting up against a wall.
"Emily!!"Matt shouted as he dropped to his knees narrowly missing the same fate as before as loose rock crumbled under his hands.
Grafton grabbed his radio. "This is Grafton. I need an ambulance here ASAP, we've located Lehman."