Chapter 43 – Rescue

William

It had been two days, two very long days. Everyone was frantic trying to work out where they had taken Harmoni. Mia hadn’t slept a wink, and we all just walked by her office making sure her coffee cup was refilled.

I remember waking up to the sound of sirens blaring; my head hurt, but what hurt the most was finding the seat beside me vacant. I screamed for her, tried getting out of the car only to crumble to the floor from the loss of blood. The next time I woke up, I was in the hospital. Harmoni was nowhere to be found.

I left the hospital immediately without bothering to hear what the doctors had to say. I needed to find her. My girl needed me, and I would be damned if I didn’t find her.

James was frantically making phone calls with the phone I had only seen him use once or twice. At this point, I didn’t care who he was calling. If whoever was on the other line could get my girl back to me safe, I would be fine with it.

“I got it!” Mia finally yelled, bringing everyone’s attention to her.

“Assemble the tac team,” I immediately ordered before Mia could even start to explain. I could hear the man scurry and shuffle to get ready while Mia spoke.

“It took me some time to comb through all the particles found on the car and the road, but I noticed some sand particles which didn’t belong. I cross-checked it with the area and found two matches. When I checked the different houses from the Diamond crew, there are two in that area. I’m trying to narrow it down for you, but for now, CCTV shows a car parked in front and movements going in and out from both houses,” she explained.

The dark circles under her eyes were visible, but the smile on her face as she deciphered each clue made me once again grateful to have her on my team. I would never forget everything she did, even if some might say she was just doing her job.

“We have enough men to hit two houses,” I quickly explained, before kissing the top of her head and heading out with my men, praying she should be there, and safe.

When my team finally made it to the house we were assigned to, I was baffled by what lay in front of me. I was expecting a silent area with perhaps a few guards patrolling, yet what I found was a lot of people I had never seen before, most of them armed, while Harmoni was standing in the middle of them, facing a brunette. I couldn't tell who she was from her back; I didn't recall meeting this person before.

Near the entrance of the building, a man was being treated by paramedics for what appeared to be a gunshot wound, but seeing as it was in the leg, I did not doubt in my mind he would be just fine.

What in the world was happening?

I cautiously stepped out of my car, still confused by what I was looking at. When I turned to check behind me, I could see on my team's faces that I wasn't the only one caught off guard.

"What is going on?" Cayden asked, voicing all of our thoughts.

"I have no idea, but I'll find out. In the meantime, don't let anyone leave the scene,” I instructed. They all nodded before I started to make my way towards Harmoni. She looked frail and battered; I could see her eyes swollen, but I was glad to see her alive and standing.

As if sensing my presence, Harmoni's eyes left the woman she was facing to meet mine. Without hesitating, she pushed past the woman, rudely bumping into her shoulder. As the woman turned around, I was stunned to see it was none other than Susan Pearson, her mother.

Yet, my attention swiftly went back to Harmoni who was now running towards me. I braced myself for impact as she threw herself in my arms, wrapping her legs around my waist and burying her face in the crook of my neck. Although I had one arm in a sling, I needed to feel her close to me as much as she did. I noticed her grabbing me only with one arm while the other remained weak.

My grip tightened around her as the stress and fear that had overcome me these past few days finally found their way out of my skin. Harmoni was alive and in my arms.

"I thought you were dead," she cried. "I watched you bleed out.”

"I'm okay, princess. The paramedics got there in time,” I explained calmly as she lifted her head, looking at me with unshed tears.

I didn’t hesitate to lean forward, grabbing her lips in my own. The kiss was filled with love and passion, both of us pouring out the relief we felt at being back in each other’s arms.

“I love you so much, Princess. I would have never forgiven myself if you weren’t okay,” I admitted truthfully. The guilt of her kidnapping had been eating me alive since I had woken up in the hospital.

“None of this was your fault,” she reassured as her eyes displayed the honesty behind her words. She pecked my lips once more before realizing she was still wrapped around me while I was injured myself.

Letting herself down gently, I made sure she wasn’t more than an arm’s reach away, not that she even tried to leave my side. I was about to ask her how she escaped when someone cleared their voice beside us.

Turning my head, I noticed Harmoni’s mother looking at us curiously.

“Speaking of fault, you’re looking right at the person responsible,” Harmoni said with venom, as she crossed her arms around her chest.

“Ms. Pearson,” I greeted, politely yet cautiously. I still hadn’t determined whether she was on our side or not. “What are you doing here?” I asked, wanting to get to the bottom of this situation. Harmoni looked at me in surprise, probably wondering how I recognized her mother so easily.

“Doing your job apparently,” she answered harshly. Well, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, I thought as I recalled Harmoni’s temper when we had first met.

“Wait, you two know each other?” Harmoni asked, confused, yet I noticed the hurt she tried to hide. I didn’t actually know Susan Pearson, I had only recognized her from the picture Mia had shown us in the tech room the other day. I was about to say just that when a familiar voice interrupted us.

“Susan!” James yelled as he got out of his car, stomping towards us. He looked furious, yet that wasn’t what caught my attention.

“I’ll be right back,” I told Harmoni. She nodded in response, her eyes not leaving the man storming towards them.

James’s rushed movement caught my attention, but what kept it was the blond woman standing just a few meters from the now parked car, staring at me.

I couldn’t believe my eyes, it was her, there was no doubt about it. Stella was standing only a few steps from me. My heart pounded in my chest as I walked closer to her. Could this be a hallucination?

Once I was only a few feet away from her, my arm unconsciously reached out, gently grabbing onto her arm.

“You’re here. You’re really here,” I said as the shock wave passed through my entire body. Without thinking, I grabbed her into a tight hug. After so many years, my sister was finally back. There was no way I would let her disappear from my life again. That is a promise I made in that instant. She returned my hug just as vigorously.

“I missed you so much,” she voiced, as I felt the wetness of her tears reach my cheek. Detaching myself from her hug, I slowly cupped her face, wiping away her tears with my thumbs.

“You have so much to tell me, but for now let me just enjoy the fact that you are here right now,” I said truthfully. I needed to know more about why she left and what she had done with her life, but at this moment I just wanted to rejoice in the fact that I was seeing my sister again after so many years. That she wasn’t dead, or kidnapped, or harmed in any kind of way. She was standing right here in my arms, safe and sound.

Speaking of which, I turned around to search for Harmoni, only to see her walking towards me, her cheeks filled with fresh tears.

What did I miss?

Opening my arms for her, I didn’t hesitate to embrace her. I couldn’t believe how this day turned out. The two most precious women in my life were back and they were both safe.

“Please take me home,” Harmoni managed to say in between sobs. My heart jumped at the fact that she had referred to my little apartment as home, making the corner of my lip reach up into a smile. I eyed my sister, who had been watching us curiously.

“There are a few things I need to sort out first, but I'll call you and we can grab some lunch or something?” she asked, unsure.

“I would like nothing more,” I answered, smiling widely. I handed her one of my cards before walking Harmoni to my car and driving back home. I called their family doctor on my way to make sure he met us there and examined Harmoni properly. If he said she needed to go to the hospital, I would take her there in a heartbeat.

I couldn't help but wonder if I would be waking up any time soon. This all just seemed too good to be true. Harmoni was back in my arms safe and sound, the Diamond crew was being arrested as we spoke, and my sister was back.

Harmoni

“You said this had nothing to do with you,” my father yelled, waving his arms in the air as his face turned red from anger.

“When you called, I didn't know. So how could I possibly have told you about something I had no clue about?” the woman I recognized as my mother retorted, crossing her arms in front of her and rolling her eyes at my father.

“You—” my father started again, probably ready to curse her down to hell, but I interrupted.

“I can't believe this,” my voice was low, a whisper at most, but both of them heard me, giving me their attention. My father seemed to realize for the first time since he had jumped out of his car that I was standing within ear range. His eyes widened as guilt crossed his eyes. “All this time, all this time you knew?” I asked, looking at the man I had trusted all my life, as the scene in front of me drew on me.

“Honey, let me explain—” he tried, unsuccessfully, to justify himself, yet all I could feel at the moment was the hurt and the betrayal. I didn't let him finish his sentence before my own anger flared up.

“How could you?! All this time you knew?!” I screamed as I couldn't hold onto the tears of anger that rolled down my face anymore. “You knew where she was, you knew why she left, and you still let me believe my mother abandoned me.”

“Sweetie,” he began again.

“Save it for someone who cares,” I said, pushing past both of them as I searched for the only person I could trust.

William was speaking with a blond girl I didn't recognize, yet with all the emotions coursing through my body at that moment, I couldn't care any less. This was all too much.

Between the kidnapping, the escape, and now the emotional rollercoaster, all I wanted to do was lock myself in a room and wait for it to all go away.

How could this be happening?