Page 75 of Tainted Love
I try not to make a sound as I crouch down to see what is going on. A skinny guy, roughly around the same age as Elias, is pacing back and forth on the second-floor landing. Elias is standing on the bottom step. His back is to me, but even from here, I can see his muscles are tense. I realise he is blocking the staircase, and my stomach drops. Is this guy dangerous? Shit, my phone is in my purse in Elias’s bedroom.
“How do you know it was them?”
My brow furrows because, despite his questions, Elias doesn’t really seem surprised by what Benny is saying. Who is this guy? Is it his dealer?
I contemplate sneaking back upstairs to call the police. Before I can move, I see Benny pull out his phone and shoves it at Elias. I can’t make out the screen from this distance, but whatever he sees causes him to slam his hand into the wall with a curse.
“How did they get to her?”
Too panicked to answer Elias’s question, Benny resumes his pacing. “You gotta help me, E. They’re not fucking taking anyone else from me. We’ve gotta get her back. She’s only three.”
I can’t stop the gasp that escapes me, and while I quickly clamp my hand over my mouth, it’s too late.
Elias glances over his shoulder, eyes narrowing when he spots me, and he discreetly motions with his head for me to go back upstairs. But I don’t move quick enough, and Benny appears next to him, staring up at me.
“What the fuck, man? Is that?—?”
“No.” Elias’s tone is firm as he grips his friend by the arm, stopping him from getting anywhere near me. “Bea, go back upstairs.”
I shake my head, climbing to my feet. “What’s going on? Who’s missing?”
“Holy shit,” Benny mutters to himself as I make my way down the stairs towards them. My legs shake but I steel my shoulders and force myself to keep going. “She looks just like her.”
His words make me falter, and I glance at Elias. Who is he talking about? Who do I look like?
Benny shakes his head. “How is it possible?”
Elias puts his hand out to stop me from getting any closer. “What did I say?” he grits out. “I told you to fucking stay upstairs.”
I wince at the harshness of his tone, but I don’t stop until I’m level with them. “Who’s missing?” I repeat.
My question sets off Benny’s pacing again. “My daughter,” he groans. “They took her. We need to get her back.”
“Of course, we will,” I tell him, taking another step closer to Elias. “We’ll call the cops, and?—”
“No!” Elias and Benny both shout, and I flinch.
“No cops.”
I stare at Elias with wide eyes. “What are you talking about? They’ve got his daughter, whoever ‘they’ are. We need to help him.”
He rubs the back of his neck. “Go back to bed, Bea. I’ll deal with this.”
Crossing my arms over my chest, I stare him down. “I’m not going to bed when a little girl has been kidnapped and you’re refusing to go to the cops. Why won’t you tell me what’s going on, Eli? Because it sounds like you already know who has her.”
“We’re wasting time,” Benny says, clutching at Elias’s arm. “Please, man, you’ve gotta help me. There’s only one place they would’ve taken her. I can’t get her back on my own.”
Elias glances at me before answering Benny. “Go downstairs and wait for me. I’ll be there in a minute.”
He looks like he wants to argue, but eventually he nods and leaves. Elias turns to face me, but I cut him off before he can speak.
“I’m coming with you.”
Chapter 42
Elias
“NO. YOU’RE NOT.” I push past Bea, heading back upstairs to my bedroom, and she follows close behind me.
