"A-Arthur?" Gwen says slowly.
"Yes,"
Gwen's hand is shaking so hard as large waves of emotions wash over her. She knows she must try and remain calm, especially if he has the children and that poor girl, Emma Swan with him. Her stomach twists into a massive knot and she feels the need to vomit. She leans against the doorway; so, frightened and so, worried. She needs to find the strength to confront him. She grasps the doorknob to steady herself.
"How are you?" he asks.
Gwen sucks in a sharp breath, feeling anger instead of fear.
"HOW AM I?! YOU BASTARD! YOU TRIED TO KILL ME AND AN INNOCENT WOMAN! YOU'VE TAKEN OUR CHILDREN AND KIDNAPPED A WOMAN WHO HAS DONE NOTHING TO YOU! YOU SUDDENLY CALL UP AND YOU ASK HOW I AM! HOW DO YOU THINK I AM?!"
Arthur had moved the phone away from his ear as his wife screamed at him. His own stomach twisted into a thick knot, knowing that what he had done to Gwen would end their marriage no matter what. He did feel much guilt for what he had done to her, but he'd done it to give them another child, to be the perfect family… another chance.
Arthur sighs very deeply before bringing the phone back to his ear.
"I understand your anger."
"NO SHIT ARTHUR!" she screams. "YOU HAVE RUINED SO MANY LIVES!"
"I did this for you!"
"DON'T GIVE ME THAT BULLSHIT, YOU DID THIS FOR YOU AND ONLY YOU!"
"You never asked me if I didn't want to have another child!"
"YOU DON'T OWN MY LIFE ARTHUR, I CHOSE TO DO THIS BECAUSE WE DON'T NEED ANOTHER MOUTH TO FEED. WE WERE HAPPY THE WAY WE WERE!"
"I wasn't."
"OBVIOUSLY NOT!" Gwen continues to scream. She begins storming down the hall and down towards her parent's awaiting car. Both of them see how red in the face Gwen is and the tears in her eyes.
"Honey what's wrong?" her mother asks.
Gwen covers the mouthpiece of the speaker.
"Call the police, Arthur is on the phone," she says.
…
David is reading several files at his desk about the police evidence found at the King home when there is a page into his office. He picks it up on his cell phone, having both connected for certain situations.
"Lieutenant Nolan,"
"Lieutenant, a 911 call just came in involving the abduction of Emma Swan."
David nearly drops his phone as he rushes down the main hallway towards the parking lot. He grabs Jack along the way as they climb into the car and turn on the police scanner to pick up the dispatch.
"We have a white male claiming that his daughter is talking with the main suspect in the abduction of a white female." The scanner then gives the address. Both officers recognize it as the crime scene, they turn on the sirens and lights and speed out into the busy Boston streets.
David's heart is racing and he can feel the adrenaline coursing through his veins. If the woman, Gwendolyn King has Arthur on the phone, they can trace the call and identify his location. At the same time, they must do this secretly in order not to tip him off and send him on the run or risk the lives.
"Get the station on the phone," David orders Jack. "We're going to need an ANI to trace the call."
…
Gwen is trying to keep Arthur on the phone long enough for the police to arrive and hopefully trace the call.
"Gwen I know you may have a lot of questions but…"
"And I want the answers NOW!" she orders.
"I can't give them to you."
"You can and you will. Those are our children with you."
"And they're fine," Arthur says in a quiet voice. "You can talk to them right now."
Gwen hears the phone being handed off and then a bright and familiar voice comes on.
"Hi, Mommy," Megan's voice chirps happily.
Gwen swallows very hard and tries not to collapse right then and there. She is overcome with grief and guilt that tears are pouring down her face like a waterfall. Suddenly, she realizes that she can't let her children know that something is wrong, that they've been kidnapped, it would scare them, disturb them and… Arthur might do something to them. Her stomach is so tight now that it feels like she has a large weight dragging her deeper and deeper into this hell her husband has created.
"H-Hi baby, how are you?" Gwen says weakly.
"I'm fine Mommy. We're having fun with Daddy."
"Y-You are are you?"
"Uh huh, Daddy took us to a water park and we went for ice cream and the movies and…"
"That's wonderful honey."
"We miss you, Mommy,"
"I miss you too Megan. Daddy must be really treating you."
"He is Mommy, it's so much fun. Daddy said it was like the trip we took to Grandma's, only he gets to play with us."
Gwen wants to break down and cry, she holds onto her father's firm arm to prevent her collapse.
"Is Ben there?"
"Yes,"
"Can I talk to him?"
"Okay," Megan says.
Another amount of shifting is heard as Megan gives the phone to Ben. "It's Mommy!" she says excitedly.
"Hi Mommy," Ben says in an equally happy voice.
"Hi buddy, how are you."
"Good, Mommy, I went on a water slide all by myself and we saw dinosaurs and…"
"That's amazing baby, are you having fun?"
"Uh huh, so much fun."
"I can't wait for you to come home."
"Uh huh, I miss my bed and my trucks."
"I know baby, but you'll be home soon." Of course, for Gwen, this is her prayer. She doesn't know what Arthur is going to do, why he took the children and what he might do to them. She suddenly hears the sirens coming up the street. She prays that the cell is not on speakerphone and Arthur can hear it.
"What's that Mommy?" Ben asks.
"A fire truck," Gwen lies quickly. "There must be a fire truck somewhere."
"Yeah!" Ben says.
The police car pulls up with its lights flashing and the sirens blaring.
"Hold on a second baby," Gwen says before blocking the mouthpiece of the phone again. She turns to her father. "Tell the officers to turn the sirens off, I feel that if Arthur knows the police are around he might…"
Gwen's father nods and rushes over as David comes up the driveway.
"Is she on the phone with him?" David asks the man.
"She's talking to her children right now, they're both safe."
"Anything about Emma Swan yet?"
"Nothing so far, but she wants the sirens turned off so that Arthur doesn't know the police are listening."
"Right," David says. He signals for Jack to turn the lights and sirens off. He then rushes over to Gwen as she continues talking to Ben.
"That's amazing Benny," she says. She nods when she sees David, a look of slight relief floods her face, but tears continue to flow from her eyes. David can tell she's close to an emotional breakdown, understandable considering the situation involving her children. "Can I talk to Megan again to say goodbye?"
"Okay, Mommy."
"I'll say goodbye and I'll see you soon, I love you…" Gwen says, trying to mask her sadness. She's scared that this might be the last time she says this to her son.
"Bye-bye Mommy," Ben's voice says nicely.
"Bye bye sweetie," Gwen whispers.
"Hi Mommy," Megan's voice says again.
David wants to take the phone and tell Megan what to do to escape. He reaches over but Gwen shrinks away.
"Hi Baby, hold on a second."
She covers the microphone again. "What are you doing?"
"I'm going to inform your daughter on how to protect herself and her brother," David says.
"Please don't tell her anything. She's only eight and I don't want to scare her. Both of them don't know what's happening, they think it's a fun trip with their father. If you tell her, she'll likely tell him and he might…" Gwen begins to cry a bit harder at the thought.
David understood immediately and backed off, but he asks a favour.
"Please put it on speakerphone."
Gwen obeys.
"I'm back Baby," Gwen says. "I just wanted to say goodbye, I'll see you soon."
"I miss you, Mommy," Megan's sweet voice says over the speaker.
"I miss you too, but you'll be home soon. I love you."
"I love you, Mommy."
"Can I talk to Daddy again?" Gwen's face distorts with disgust when referring to her monster of a husband.
"Uh huh, Bye Mommy."
"Bye Baby," Gwen says. She swallows even more of her sadness and puts on a brave tone for her husband.
"The kids do miss you, Gwen," Arthur's voice says.
David clenches his fists. He wants very badly to find this man and rip him limb from limb. After what he must be putting Emma through if he hasn't already killed her or… He bites his tongue to keep himself quiet.
"Arthur, why did you call me?" Gwen squeaks.
"I want to set up a rendezvous," he says. Arthur goes out into the hallway of the motel room he's staying at and keeps the door closed to prevent his children from listening in.
All individuals' listening jaws drop and eyes widen in shock. David's heart swells with the hope that the man is going to release the children and Emma.
"Where?" Gwen asks.
"I'm not sure yet, but I'm going to give the kids to you."
"What about the woman?"
"What about her?" Arthur asks in an almost obnoxious voice. David grinds his teeth together.
"Will she be with them?"
"Possibly," is the vague answer.
There is a long silence on Arthur's end of the phone. David's heart pounds loudly. Many thoughts rush through his mind, has he already killed Emma? Will he hand her over with the children to go into hiding? Is he lying? Is this all just some big distraction? What if he kills the children and Emma? What if…?
Suddenly, Arthur's voice resurfaces.
"I have to go Gwen; I'll call you with the location. Just so you know it will be out of state."
"But Arthur…"
The line suddenly goes dead and there's nothing but silence. David is so enraged that he wants to take the phone and throw it against the wall. However, he tries to remain professional and begins pacing back and forth to try and calm himself. This fails miserably because he's so angry by this bastard's so-called cat and mouse game that he's playing and with children's and Emma's life on the line, it's almost too much for him to bear.
He grinds his teeth together and then bites his lip hard enough to bleed. He fights back any tears that he has and begins to think things through.
"Son of a bitch," Gwen says as if reading David's mind.
"We're going to need to take your phone back for tracing Mrs. King."
"I know that Officer, but if we let Arthur know that the police are tracking him… he might harm Megan, Ben, and Emma…"
"I know…" David growls under his breath. "We need to find a way to trace the call and get the police to set up a road block to prevent him from escaping."
Gwen's heart is pounding against her rib cage.
"We need to take you back to the station Mrs. King. You need to be the one to take that call… Jack?" David calls out for the young officer who is on the phone to the police station.
"Yes, sir?"
"I want all the nearby states on high alert for the potential release of the hostages."
"Yes Lieutenant," he says, before dialing a new number.
"Mrs. King," David says. "We need you to come to the station. There we can hook up your phone and hopefully get a signal to track down your husband."
"He's not my husband anymore," Gwen says, swallowing hard. "He's my ex and a wanted man."
Will Arthur really release the children? What is going to happen next? Thank you to my readers and hopefully, I will have a new chapter up again this weekend.