Elizabeth said right away, "I have Benjamin Gomez's number. I'll call him."

She pulled out her phone and dialed Benjamin, tapping the speaker button and holding it between herself and Tristan.

Her lip trembled as she bit down, breaths coming fast, her face turning pale.

Tristan looked worse than she'd ever seen. It was like a storm cloud hovered over him, his eyes glued to the phone.

The call just kept ringing. The dull tone went on and on, but Benjamin never picked up. Eventually, the call ended on its own.

Elizabeth could feel the tension coming off Tristan in waves. She frowned and tried calling Benjamin again.

The call disconnected immediately.

Elizabeth's face was even whiter now. She pressed her lips together and tried to steady her breathing, but it was no use.

Tristan glanced up and noticed the driver holding Emily Blair's phone.

He walked over and took it without a word.

Emily's phone was still unlocked. Tristan had used it before and quickly found Benjamin Gomez's number in her contacts. He hit call.

Still, there was no answer.

A muscle in Tristan's jaw twitched as he gripped the phone so tightly his knuckles turned white. Elizabeth could actually hear him mutter a curse under his breath, which was shocking coming from someone so composed.

Elizabeth clenched her fists, anxiety bubbling up inside her.

Tristan's face was set and cold as he kept calling Benjamin, over and over. It didn't matter. Every call went unanswered.

Elizabeth tried to calm him. "Don't panic. Benjamin's doing this to force us to help Isabella Austin. Let's wait a little longer. He won't hurt Emily before we say yes."

Tristan closed his eyes, refusing to answer, but his fingers never stopped. He kept redialing, desperate for any sign on the other end.

The driver sat quietly on the ground, clearly in pain, but didn't say a word. The whole car felt frozen in stress.

It took Elizabeth a second to notice the driver's pale, sweaty face. She crouched down next to him. "Are you alright?"

His arms hung uselessly at his sides. He shook his head, his voice weak. "Both my arms are broken. I can't move."

"You don't need to stay here. Let's get you to the hospital."

She stood up and called for an ambulance.

It took about half an hour before it arrived. Elizabeth helped the paramedics get the driver onto the stretcher and watched the ambulance disappear down the road.

She turned back, shaking off the chill, and got into the back seat of Emily's car.

She glanced over and saw Tristan still hunched over Emily's phone, calling

Benjamin again and again.

Nothing. No answer. Not once.

Elizabeth's heart felt like it was

sinking. She watched as Tristanet

clutched the phone dropped his

and dragged his hands

his hair in raw frustration.

Then he looked up at the ceiling, breathing hard.

His eyes were empty, his voice rough. "We can't call the police. He won't answer his phone. What are we supposed to do?"

Elizabeth's hands tightened into fists as that hopeless feeling washed over her.

Just then, a black van sped up and parked right next to Emily's car.

The door slid open and three men jumped out. Through the window, Elizabeth could hear them shouting

instructions as they started

unloading computers and

equipment

FindNovel.net

Tristan opened the car door. The three men hurried over and set up their gear at his side.

He climbed out and spoke in a low, urgent voice. "They left down this road. Start searching now."