Page 32 of Protected By Him

I made it in and locked the doors. I immediately turned the alarm off then reset it tostay. I had known the code since Leo bought the house, although I couldn't really think of any other time I had ever had to punch it in.

Two seconds later, I heard my text notification.

Leo.Did you set the alarm?

I replied,Yes Leo, it is set.

I knew he suggested taking a bath, and as good as that sounded, all I could think about was Harvey and Wilkins. I made my way to the guest room, dropped my things on the bed, and pulled out my writing pad and pen.

I needed to write down everything I knew. Piece it together and outline what I would say in the article.

I pulled up the recording of my meeting with Holston that I had sent myself from Leo’s phone on the way home and pressed play.

But before anything came from the speaker, my phone suddenly rang. I smiled when I saw Emily’s name on the caller ID.

"Hey, girl," I answered. “I’m sorry I haven’t had a chance to call you—"

I’m suddenly cut off by an unknown voice. "You don't know when to back down, do you?" The voice was hard, filled with venomous rage.

I was pretty sure my heart was physically outside of my chest at that point, fear gripped every part of my body, and I found myself unable to move.

"Who is this?" I finally managed to spit out.

"I know what you’ve been doing and who you’ve been talking to. Harvey warned you, but you didn’t listen." The voice sounded muffled, like someone used a cloth to cover the phone or a device to disguise it.

“Why do you have Emily’s phone? Where is she?” I demanded in a shaky voice.

“Your friend is going to help me show you what happens when you stick your nose where it doesn’t belong. You have thirty minutes to get to Prime Media with every shred of evidence you’ve collected. Come alone and be on time, or your friend will pay the price for your mistakes.”

“Let me talk to Emily! I’m not doing anything until I know you haven’t hurt her,” I cried.

“L-Laura?” came Emily’s scared, quiet voice. The sound wrenched a sob from my throat.

“Emily, are you okay? I’m so, so sorry,” I told her.

“I’m okay. They haven’t done anything, but, Laura, they have gun—”

Her voice suddenly cut off, and I screamed her name into the phone, terrified that whoever this person was, they’d hurt her.

“Thirty minutes, Ms. Anderson. Don’t be late,” the unknown voice said, then there was a beep as the call ended.

It would take me almost the entire thirty minutes just to get to Prime Media’s building from Leo’s house. I didn’t have time to call for a car, so without another thought, I rushed to Leo’s garage, snagging the keys for Brandon’s car off the hook by the door and saying a silent thanks to my brother for asking Leo to drive it occasionally while he was gone as I climbed behind the wheel.

Twenty-five minutes later, I pulled into a spot outside the Prime Media building and burst through the doors, only vaguely registering surprise at finding them unlocked. I raced to the elevator and headed for my old floor. The caller hadn’t specified where we to meet him, but I assumed that was the right place. As I stepped off the elevator, still out of sight from the rest of the floor, I slipped into the bathroom next to the reception desk. I had two minutes left. I quickly pulled out my phone and dialed Leo’s number. I’d gone back and forth about calling him on my way over, but one thought had stopped me. Ella. I knew that if I called, Leo would race over here. With no idea what I was walking into, I couldn’t risk his safety. I’d also decided to heed Holston’s advice and not trust the police, either.

I silenced the sound on my phone and slid it into my bra, just as I’d done earlier before speaking with Holston. Then, I hurried out of the bathroom and onto the main floor. In the middle of the sea of desks, a familiar figure held a gun to my best friend’s head as tears streamed down her cheeks.

“Laura, I’m so sorry,” she cried when she saw me. The man made a show of looking at his wrist, though he couldn’t see his watch while holding the gun.

“Thirty seconds to spare, Ms. Anderson. You cut it close.” The dim lighting of the room and the cap he wore made it impossible to see the man’s face, but I recognized his voice immediately.

“Sergeant Holston,” I said, bewilderment lacing my tone.

“Not who you expected?” he asked. “Why don’t you come over here and join us. I’ll tell you a story. I’ll even promise to be honest this time.”

I walked over to them, keeping my focus on the gun still pressed to Emily’s temple. When I was several feet away, Holston lowered the gun slightly and pushed Emily toward me. I caught her as she stumbled and hugged her close. She wrapped her arms around my waist and sobbed into my neck.

“Bind her hands and feet to that chair,” Holston said, tossing a bag of zip ties at my feet.

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