Chapter 30
Dean had found a home in Emilia - she was his home now. But being back in Cincinnati, Ohio - his hometown - that night, he felt like he had found his way back after getting lost.
At the end of the show, Dean was standing tall and he had the entire crowd in the venue on his side. Hearing them chant his name on the top of their lungs throughout the night made him feel like he could conquer the world and it was such a delicious rush.
He headed backstage to search for Emilia. He expected to see her rushing towards him or working in the production area as usual, but she was nowhere to be found. When Dean spotted her friend Josh - who looked like he was in charge of production for the night - he walked up to him. Several members of the production team took a step back to get out of his way. Dean tapped Josh on his shoulder and the guy jumped up a bit. He took his headset off, letting it hang around his neck, and turned around.
"Yes, Mister Ambrose?"
Josh asked. His smile was a bit forced. Dean narrowed his eyes at him.
"Where's Emilia?"
Dean asked. Josh swallowed and his smile slowly disappeared.
"She left an hour ago. She said she had to go somewhere but she didn't say where."
Dean nodded once. He wanted to scream at Josh for letting Emilia go but he tried not to act out the anger that he was feeling.
He called her several times before taking a shower and changing his clothes in the men's locker room and when he was done, he was disappointed to see that Emilia didn't call him back. He was feeling paranoid, thinking what if she left him again, but he knew she wouldn't break her promise not to leave him. He loved her and she loved him.
Instead of heading to the hotel that they were staying at for the night, Dean decided to go to the house that he grew up in. It wasn't because he missed it, but he just wanted to see if it was still there because he didn't know if he'd be back in town any time soon.
It didn't take him long to get there. When he got out of the cab, he stared at the two-story house as if he hasn't seen it before. The house's admiral blue walls were covered in graffiti, the glass of most of the windows were cracked open, and there was trash everywhere on the overgrown lawn. There was also a large 'for sale' sign taped on the front door. Dean wasn't surprised at all to see the house like that - after all, his dad was in prison.
Dean walked towards the porch and sat on the dusty steps. Despite everything that happened inside the house years ago, he wanted Emilia and Levi to live there with him. All the place needed was a renovation. With the amount of money he's earning, he was sure he could afford to buy the house and have it looking good as new again.
Dean got up from the porch to try to get inside the house but just as he was about to grab the doorknob of the front door, his phone started vibrating in the pocket of his leather jacket. He took it out and felt relieved to see Emilia's name and picture.
"Emilia, where are you? I'm worried about you."
Dean said. When he heard her crying, he only felt more worried.
"D-Dean, it's Levi - he's missing."
It was almost midnight when Dean arrived at Sebastian and Daisy's house in Dayton. The married couple was out on the porch with Emilia, who was pacing back and forth with her hands on the sides of her head. She stopped what she was doing when she saw Dean and hugged him. Dean hugged her back and she started sobbing into his shirt. Dean rubbed her back to soothe her and looked at Sebastian and Daisy, who were standing by the front door.
"How long has my son been missing?"
Dean asked hostilely. He never though he'd hear himself saying 'my son'. He looked at Sebastian then at Daisy. The couple looked restless and somber.
"He's been missing for three hours now."
Sebastian answered. Dean couldn't believe what he just heard. He took a deep breath and reminded himself to stay calm.
"Why didn't anyone tell me-"
He asked in a loud voice but when he felt Emilia's hands tugging on his leather jacket, he stopped talking. He looked down at her and all the rage inside of him vanished upon seeing her water-filled and bloodshot blue eyes.
"I didn't tell you about it because I thought that the police would find him as soon as he went missing. I'm so sorry. Be mad at me, not at Bas and Daisy."
Emilia said with a nasally voice before she started crying again. The sight of the love of his life sobbing softened his hardened heart. Dean placed both of his hands on the sides of her tear-stained face and lifted her head so he could get a good look at her. He used his thumbs to wipe the tears off from under her eyes.
"I don't want to get mad at anyone, especially at you. This isn't your fault. The police are looking for him right now, aren't they? We'll see him soon."
Dean kissed Emilia on the forehead and it made her stop crying. He put his arms around her as she hugged him tight. He didn't believe any word he just told her, but she did and it was enough for him.
He was mad at Sebastian and Daisy, even though he didn't know how Levi went missing. He couldn't help but blame them because they're the ones looking after him. But then he thought that if he and Emilia weren't always on the road, their child wouldn't have been kidnapped.
After having multiple altercations with the police on several occasions, Dean didn't trust them. They were lazy and were always late. He was willing to let them do their job but if the sun rises and Levi still wasn't home, he'd find the child himself.
"It's getting cold out here. Come inside, everyone; I'll make tea for all of us."
Daisy said. She opened the front door and Sebastian followed her. Emilia pulled back and held Dean's left hand firmly before walking inside the house. She led Dean to the couch and they sat on it. Emilia placed her heavy head on top of Dean's shoulder as she stared at their clasped hands. Daisy went to the kitchen and cups and plates being set could be heard coming from the room. Sebastian sat on the armchair and massaged his temples with his fingers.
Dean untangled his hand from Emilia's and when he looked at her she looked like she was about to cry again. He saved himself by kissing her on the lips swiftly but sweet enough to last until he comes back.
"I'm just going to take a smoke."
"Okay, I thought you were leaving."
Dean shook his head before standing up from the couch. As he walked to the kitchen, he thought about how this terrible event probably broke Emilia and he hated how he wasn't doing anything about it.
When he was in the kitchen, Dean was about to head to the back door when he heard Daisy clearing her throat.
"Dean, can I have a word with you?"
Dean stopped walking to the back door and froze in place. He suddenly felt like he was back in the mental institution where he was incarcerated and it was time for his session with her.
He turned around and looked at Daisy for a few seconds. He thought that she looked different - she looks much younger than she did when she was still working at the mental institution he was in. He thought maybe it was because of how her shiny blonde hair was styled - it was short, ending just above the nape of her neck. She may look younger, but she still looked the same when she has on her look of condemnation. It was the look she always had on whenever he told her all about the bad things he's done in the past and how nasty his thoughts could get sometimes.
"Sure, Daisy. What do you want to talk about?"
Dean answered. He never that thought they'd be talking like this years later. He didn't know how he felt about it or if he preferred this setting over the one that they had before, which was in her office with him lying on the comfy chaise lounge as she sat behind her desk writing something on her notepad. He told himself to be careful of what he's going to say to her because this time, there wasn't a guarantee that whatever they talk about won't be discussed with anyone else.
"You know, this wouldn't have happened if you never met Emilia," Daisy frowned. "I thought that she'd see how obsessed you are with her the more she interacted with you in the mental institution but she thought you were just being friendly. I also thought that she'd forget about you after what you've done to her dad, Bas' dad. And she did, but you two met again, unfortunately. You just couldn't let her go."
Daisy told him in her monotone psychiatrist mode voice. Dean didn't see that coming at all and he felt very attacked and offended. He couldn't believe that she blames him for Levi going missing when she's the one who's taking care of him. He took a deep breath before answering. He shoved his hands in the pockets of his leather jacket and balled them into fists. The fury inside of him was at a boiling point but he kept it from coming out.
"She saved me Daisy, and I think I saved her, too. Both you and Bas know that. I think destiny or whatever you call it wanted us to be together."
Before Daisy could reply to Dean, Sebastian entered the room. Dean saw one of Sebastian's eyebrows rise when he saw him before turning his head to look at his wife.
"Levi's been found!"
He announced before running out of the room. Daisy followed him with Dean right behind her. When the three of them got outside on the porch, they saw a police officer was handing Levi over to Emilia, who was crying again. When the giggling child was in Emilia's arms, she thanked God in her head and the police officer verbally. The police officer tipped his hat to her. Sebastian and Daisy talked to him while Dean stood behind his girlfriend and their son.
"Is he okay?"
Dean asked he placed his right hand on Emilia's shoulder while his left hand brushed back Levi's straight hair. The child looked at him with big blue eyes and grinned. Emilia nodded at Dean's question.
"He seems to be, but I hope that he really is."
Dean was about to tell Emilia to take Levi inside the house when he noticed something in his left hand. He took his right hand off Emilia's shoulder and gently took the object from his son's little fist. Emilia watched him unfold the crumpled square piece of paper. On it was a menacing message:
Your son's not safe from the storm that's about to come, especially you two.
"What is it? Is something written on it?"
Emilia asked she rubbed the right side of her face on the sleeve of her violet hoodie, staining the light-colored fabric with her tears. Dean was stunned by what he read momentarily before he ripped the paper into tiny pieces and shoved the pieces inside the right back pocket of his jeans. He shook his head.
"Nothing, it was blank."
Emilia nodded, even though she saw the look on Dean's face as he read whatever's on the paper.
"Okay. Let's get inside and put Levi to bed."
Emilia turned around and started walking towards the front door. Dean followed her and behind him he could still hear Sebastian and Daisy talking to the police officer about what happened. As he followed his wife and their son upstairs, Dean thought about the message. Whoever took his son that night was clearly trying to play a dangerous game with them and Dean was more than willing to play because he was sure that he was going to win.
Author's note: Do any of you watch RuPaul's Drag Race? If you do, did you get the two references that I've put in there? I hope you did! If you don't watch it, well, ignore it. Anyway, has anyone seen the documentary that ESPN did about WWE NXT? I think the name of Adam Rose's son is Levi. I honestly thought that this story was going to suck and no one's going to read it but now it has thirty chapters and a lot of readers and that's all because of you! Thank you so much for the reviews, follows, and favorites! Any feedback is very much appreciated. - C x