Chapter 32

Chase Jacobs

POV

I answer the phone as soon as I step into my office.

I didn’t expect to hear back from him so soon. But I should have expected it.

Amelia’s threat about me regretting it played in the back of my mind.

I just knew it had something to do with her.

"What’s going on?" I asked as soon as I answered.

"Amelia plans to file an emergency protective order against you. She wants Stella out of your custody. She claims you’ve been abusing her and Stella for years..."

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. Just as I expected Amelia had done something stupid. This time my lawyer didn’t have good news for me. No the news this time was far worse than I had initially thought.

"Do we have a way of preventing Stella from being in her custody?" I ask him.

"Right now we need to prove that Amelia is doing this not because she wants custody of Stella but because she wants to get back at you for the divorce." He says.

"That’s easy right? Its been two days since our divorce was finalized and she was filing now? She is crazy." This was the last thing I needed right now.

I stared out the office window while my lawyer explained the details and what they needed from me.

Not only was Amelia claiming Stella was was living in an unsafe environment because I’ve been abusing her, but that I’d exposed Stella to dangerous individuals.

Claiming Carly was a threat who not only hurt her when Amelia tried to save Stella but who’d hurt Stella as well. A woman with unknown origins.

Amelia was always finding new ways to make my life a living hell. If expected me to sit back and let her ruin mine and my daughter’s life she had another thing coming.

"Okay let’s say Carly isn’t a woman from unknown origins what are our chances?" I ask.

"It depends. How is she related to you? Is she Stella’s nanny?" He asks.

I sigh. "She’s Stella’s biological mother..." I confess.

"Well that depends. Her lawyers might argue Carly is unstable and that her coming back into Stella’s life might be traumatizing to Stella. Honestly this could go both ways."

I explain Carly’s past and how she’d lost her memories and that’s why she hadn’t shown up until now.

"That might work in our favour. I’ll stop by in a few hours to go over everything with you. I’ll fight this with everything I have. I won’t let the she devil take your daughter from you Chase..." He says softly.

I nod. "Thank you..."

We talk a bit more before we hang up with him promising to come to me. He told me he’ll get here before the police arrive.

I let out a breath. She wants to take my daughter away from me? I would never let her... Amelia thought I was making a joke when I told her I’d make her life a living hell if she did anything to Stella? She finding out just how much of a joke I was making.

I dial Michael’s number when I remembered he was busy.

With the thought of Michael being unreachable for the next couple of weeks made me uneasy. With all of this going on I would have liked him around to investigate Amelia.

I didn’t want her to know I was watching her. Someone needed to keep an eye on Koah’s ex as well.

I sigh calling Brianna Maxwell. She was a friend from when I was in the air force. She now owned a private security company. I didn’t trust anyone right now. She was the only one I trusted to keep this to themselves.

"Well it seems like it’s going to rain. A phone call from Chase Jacobs is rain worthy..."

"I need your help." I ignored her comment.

"Sure. What do you need?" she asks realizing I was being serious.

"Help me keep an eye on two people. One’s in New York while the other here in Chicago..." I tell her.

"Sure text me the names and I’ll have my people look into it." she says.

"Thanks..." I thank her before hanging up.

I text her all the information I have on Koah’s ex and Amelia.

I was glad I had someone I could trust. The things about Carly couldn’t be spoken to with anyone but Michael. It wasn’t just about trust, it was about fearing for their lives.

I didn’t want to talk to anyone else about what’s happening with Carly. Her remembering her past has been an upside yes. But I wasn’t sure how much of her past she’d remember.

Her saving my life and then later my daughters. I was grateful.

I didn’t remember any of the times Carly and I met. It was weird. I didn’t have a habit of forgetting anything but I didn’t remember Carly at all.

When I think about the night Stella was conceived I can’t even remember a single one of her features.

Was I relieved that Carly wasn’t out to get me or that she was plotting something back then? Yes of course. But a part of me was never worried about that.

I was worried about something else entirely. I was worried that Carly had brought danger to my doorstep. What life had Carly walked away from exactly?

The way she explained the memory it reminded me of someone who had just walked away from the pits of hell. Was the fact that she was constantly in danger the reason she brought Stella to me? Was it to protect Stella?

I want to believe that truly I do.

========

Austin

POV

Dammit I hit the steering wheel. The police won’t look for her.

She couldn’t have gotten far, I’ve spoken to Lily and Hannah. They haven’t spoken to her in weeks. They had no idea where the bitch was.

I was a fucking set to be a pastor and she did this shit. Do you know embarrasing it is? She ran away from home like a little kid throwing a damn tantrum.

Koah didn’t have money, I checked all our joint accounts before she locked me out, she didn’t have any friends nearby. She didn’t speak to people unless I told her it was okay.

We were supposed to get married so I could get the damn money to pay the Bianco’s off. But had to fucking run away like a damn child.

I climbed out and straightened my jacket before walking inside the police station for the tenth time this week.

The officer behind the front desk looked up.

"Can I help you?" He asks.

"I’d like to file a missing person’s report for my girlfriend."

The officer nods and immediately reached for a form.

"How long has she been missing?" he asks.

"A few weeks."

"Name?"

"Koah Harbor."

The officer looks at me before scribbling it down.

"When was the last time you saw her?" he asks.

I clenched my jaw. "She went missing while I was away on a missionary trip with a couple of church members."

"And were there any disagreements before you left?" he asks.

I shake my head. "No. Before I left I proposed to her. She was so excited and didn’t want to wait." I tell him.

The officer frowns and looks at me for a long second. "Does Ms. Harbor have family?" he asks.

I shake my head. "No. Her parents passed away recently." I tell him.

"Friends?" he asks.

I shake my head. "No. Yes. Hannah and Lily. But I called them. They haven’t spoken to her." I tell him.

I answered every question anxiously as a concerned boyfriend. Koah could forget ever getting rid of me. Not until I had the money.

I was the good worried boyfriend, I played the role very well.

The officer finally nodded. "We’ll circulate her information." He says typing the information into the computer.

He frowns. "There’s a note on this..."He says.

I frown. "I’ve tried to file a report before. But no one took me seriously." I tell him as I force out tears. "Please. I just need to find my girlfriend. Koah was my entire world. I am nothing without her..." I wasn’t lying without that money I would be dead. The Bianco family didn’t mess around with people who owed them money.

The officer gave me a sympathetic smile. "I’ll do everything we can. But with the family lawyer saying she’s not missing but on a vacation with a hand written letter from her. There’s nothing I can do right now..."

For fuck sakes. I come at least twice a week to get past one officer who would fall for my act and look for the bitch but none of them are looking for her.

Koah thought of everything. It was hard to get past the lawyer. The man worked for the Harbor family for years. I should have insisted Koah get a new lawyer when those fools died. But she was under my thumb.

I never should have gone on that damn trip. But Melissa was having a hard time with her pregnancy so I had to take her on a trip to brighten her mood.

I went home after having no luck with the police.

The house was silent when I walked through the front door, I was used to the quiet, Koah would never make a noise when she was home. I trained her to be that way...

I was proud of it.

Her shoes were still by the door. Her coat still hung by the door.

She didn’t take anything from the house.

When I got home I didn’t even realize she wasn’t home for a good few hours.

She’d planned this for when I was out of town.

I went into the kitchen and grabbed a cup of coffee. I walked into the messy living room.

The uncleaned living room made angry. "You ungrateful bitch..." I threw the coffee cup across the room. The cup smashed into the wall. The white wall stained brown from the coffee.

I grabbed the dinning chair and hurled it across the room. It landed against the tv. The screen shattered and the chair splintered.

By the time my anger subsided I was panting.

"I gave you everything you fucking bitch!"

I made sure everyone knew she was going to be my God damn wife. She was going to be a pastors wife.

While Melissa was going to give me a son. But she wasn’t as special as Koah.

Glass coffee table laid shattered on the carpet

My chest heaved. I looked around the living room and the living room looked like a tornado had ripped through it.

I was angry all over again.

Where the fuck was she? She had to clean this damn mess.

It wasn’t enough.

A loud knock echoed through the house.

Was that the police? Did they find Koah?

I rush to the door opening it.

Five men stood in front of me.

All dressed in leather jackets and jeans.

Their expressions had my hair stand on end.

The man standing in front smiled at me.

"Mr. Austin Reed." He smiled.

A chill ran down my spine.

"I think you have the wrong house." I try to close the door.

He put his foot in the door before pushing the door sending me backward. "I don’t." He stepped inside without waiting for me to say anything.

The four behind him followed him in.

I stood up closing the door before I followed them in.

He looked around at the destroyed living room. "Well someone was having fun weren’t they..." He looked at me smiling coldly.

"What do you want?" I asked.

He dusted an invisible speck from his sleeve. "My name is Angelo." his eyes scared the living shit out of me.

"I’m from the Bianco family."

My face paled.

No, no, no. No... Already? I thought I still had two weeks before I had to pay them back...

"We’ve been trying to reach you but you’ve been avoiding our calls. My brother sent me here personally to come and collect..."

"I’ve been meaning to call..." I tried to explain but he cut me off.

He held up one finger. "You see Austin, you owe the Bianco family 5 million dollars plus interest. And a late fee of course..."

"I just need more some more time. I’ll give you every penny I owe I promise..."

"You see we’ve already given you a week Austin. You’ve already had more than enough time to pay us back but you ghosted us. We don’t do to well when we get ghosted Austin." he says, his Italian accent thick.

"I-I can pay. I can pay. I promise I can pay you."

"When?" He asks walking closer to me.

I take a step back until my back hits the wall I threw the coffee cup against the shattered cup crunched under my feet.

"Soon. I promise soon."

"How soon?" he stands so close I fear he might hit me.

I opened my mouth, but no words come out.

He scoffs. "I thought so."

I let out a sigh of relief.

When his fists crashed into my stomach.

I double over, dropping to my knees gasping for air. Fuck that hurt.

Then he kicked me in the ribs sending me flying a few feet away from him.

Another kick got me on my shoulder.

I tried to crawl away but the four men kept kicking me.

One of the men grabbed my shirt and held me upright and turned me to look at Angelo.

Angelo struck me across the face.

I felt and heard my nose break.

I felt the blood run from my nose. I was sure it was broken now.

"You borrowed money from the wrong people." he warned.

I tasted blood.

"I’ll pay..." I promised.

He punched me in the stomach again.

"I swear..." I begged.

The man let go of me. Angelo bent down to me. His voice was so cold it sent a shiver down my spine.

"Listen carefully." he held my chin his hand. "If you don’t have our five million within one week, we’ll collect another way."

I stared at him confused.

"We’ll remove your organs one by one until your debt is settled."

My breathing stopped.

"They sell surprisingly well on the market..."

My eyes widened.

"You remember the medical tests you took before you got the money? That was to make sure you were healthy." he winked at me before patting my cheek almost affectionately.

"I wonder if we could sell your corneas too." he laughs.

I was scared shitless. I couldn’t stop myself.

I shit myself.

It only caused Angelo to laugh even harder as he stood. "You don’t want us coming back Austin..." he smiled.

It wasn’t long before both he and his men were gone. Like they never came.

I only relaxed when I was sure they were gone.

This was all Koah’s fault!

My vision started to blur before I lost consciousness.