Chapter One

Tyler's POV

Four days. They've been gone four days.

I sit staring at Jerry's mini bar in his home office. I can't believe Callum talked me into coming here. I can't believe I gave in.

"What do you mean my son and your girlfriend have been missing for four days? Four days. Are you serious Callum?.... Tyler?".

"Four days" I repeat Callum's words with venom.

"Why are you only coming to me now?" Neither of us defend our decision to wait. We waited because we thought, we hoped maybe we would find them before hand but we haven't and we're running out of ideas. Jerry walks up to me kneeling down in front of me. His hand on my leg squeezing as he talks.

"Your not touching it" I take my eyes off the bottles sat in front of me. Who is he to tell me I can't?.

"We we're hoping they decided to go off grid for alone time. Or a ransom would be sent. Fuck I don't know why we waited we just did" Callum speaks over us. Lies, we didn't come here because I refused.

"Did you know Henry skipped his bail check in a for the last four days? He's gone off the face of the earth" yeah that bastard has the both of them. I know it. And the probability of them not being in this country is high. They can't be. There's not been one sighting. All of Henry's houses are empty and have been for weeks.

"We did" Callum agrees.

"And you didn't think that is a coincidence? Jesus christ your both idiots".

"In all due respect sir Officer Kind has known since we have. They have been looking for them as well. A missing person report was filed. We just didn't tell you" Callum explains our hand sheepishly.

"Why?" Jerry looks at me as he asks that and I laugh at him though it comes out more like a sad and frustrated mock.

"Because Zach wouldn't want your help" I tell him truthfully. Zach would murder me knowing I've come here now after only four days but we've used all of Callum's contacts with no success other than hear say that they were smuggled out of the country with Henry or by Henry. Zach hates that his mother always forces him to accept help from his father. Now would be no different.

"They could be anywhere by now Tyler. Whether my son hates me or not you should have came to me sooner. I could have had all the airports locked down including privately owned ones. Now where do we start searching huh? Because they could be anywhere and we have no clue where to start" He sighs as he straightens walking to use his office phone.

He dials a number whilst I sit and watch him. Maybe he's right. Maybe me refusing to come here really has cost us time, cost them time. They could be anywhere, Henry owns homes all over the world. London, Paris, Italy, South Africa, Australia even. Anything could have happened to them. To him. To Zach. If Henry has Violet I know what has happened to her. I have no doubts he took her because he wants her.

"Mark, it's Jerry I need a favour or four. My son and his girlfriend have been abducted. They've been gone for four days. Henry Camber has been missing four days also it seems..... mhm. No I don't think it's coincidence. I need your best investigators to find out every plane, boat or car exiting our state from December second.... I didn't find out until today... I know, I know how long it's been... no money doesn't matter. Whatever it takes I'll pay... yes I do believe Henry is responsible.... His trial is supposed to start January fourth..... if there isn't already I'll make sure there is a warrant out for his arrest..... yes. I'll send you my knowledge of where he owns homes or has contacts. Thank you" he slams the phone down. Muttering under his breath before turning to us again.

"You will never wait this long again do you understand? Four fucking days. Do you know what people can do in four fucking days?" He shouts at the both of us making me jump. It reminds me of those days when we were teenagers and Zach had been up to no good again.

'I'm very disappointed in the both of you'

'You always are dad.. so there's no change there' Mr Henderson's looking at Zach in that way again, the one Zach hates. The look he's told me mean it's time for his next beating. He's an idiot answering him back he knows where it will lead him yet he does it every time. It's like he wants the pain.

'Go home Tyler I need to have a word with my son...

alone'

'It was me, I stole the bottle' I lie. Maybe Mr Henderson will go lightly if he knows it was me. Maybe he won't touch Zach at all.

'Go home Tyler' Zach says to sternly for me to ignore and I know I have no choice. He doesn't want me here so I stand up walking to Zach taking him in my arms.

'I'll be in the loft' I whisper to him. I hang off his body cuddling him in my arms pulling his still body to mine. He never cuddles me back in front of Mr Henderson. I wish he would I need his warmth right now, I need to know he's okay. With that I exit the the office shutting the door behind me. Leaning against it. Even though I know I should leave. I hear the first smack he gives Zach. Thump thump thump. Follow after. Zach's as silent as a mouse making no sounds. He never makes a sound. He should, maybe Mrs Henderson would stop what's happening if she knew.

'I'm fucking disappointed in you son, letting your friend take the blame for your wrong doings'

'Boyfriend'

'Friend he will be nothing more than a friend I won't condone it under my roof'

'Tough' I wince as Mr Henderson's hand slaps against Zach's skin. The sound echoing into the hallway curdling Mrs Henderson dinner in my stomach.

'I have not raised a gay son. God does not agree with it. Do you understand Zachary? He'll be looking down disgraced, your mother and I will be punished for your sins'

'Loving Tyler is not a sin' Mr Henderson laugh chills my bones, it's so loud, so menacing I hate it.

'You are fifteen son, you won't know what love is for years to come and by then you'll see yourself as a fool for pretending to love your best friend'

'I love Tyler'

'You loved him so much that even after he came out three years ago you fucked the whole school of girls before settling for him' I swallow the truth. The truth that Zach has fucked every girl in our school. I walk away from the door then not wanting to hear another word.

"What happened to Zach's tracker chip?" I snap out the memory looking at Jerry stood in front of me again. My mouth dry from the sudden flash back to our teenage years.

"I don't know, mines working" I show him the app. He takes the phone from my hand gingerly. Zach's circle is an offline grey little dot with a cross through it whereas mine is green and showing my precise location here at the Henderson's. Though neither him or I have turn't it off, his is off and the last known location was two roads down from the hotel.

"Have you checked his work laptop to see if Zach turn't it off manually" it's Callum that answers Jerry.

"I've checked his personal laptop, his work, Tyler's and both of their assistants. Not one of them has ever even logged into that app. And for that matter no one had logged into the tracking app for over three years prior" Jerry looks between the two of us sensing the lack of explanation as to why, I had already discussed this with Callum. Zach had used the app to track me when I cheated with Sophie so we both decided not to use the app again unless we had a reason to. And this is fucking reason too.

"Do I need to know the information you are withholding?" Jerry asks the both of us. We both shake our heads mutely. He doesn't need to know he tracked me to find out where I was playing with Sophie.

"So Zach's tracker hasn't been seen in working order for over three years?"

"Three years nine months and twenty eight days ago was the last log in. But the tracker has time stamped the location every thirty minutes over those years as instructed by their requests. The last known location was logged four minutes before he supposedly barged into Violet's appointment with Dr Greene." Callum explains.

"Supposedly?"

"The cctv in and around her office shows Violet turning up but not Zach and it most definitely shows Violet entering Dr Greenes consultation room but never leaving" Callum says glumly.

"I want to see"

"I'll just go get my laptop"

"No, no log in to your email on mine. Yours may not be safe to use"

"I assure you sir—." Callum's affronted. He doesn't like being told what to do. I lean back in the chair again staring at the offending bottles of alcohol. I want to fucking smash them as Zach had all those months ago in our living room. They are calling to me and I don't want to drink them. I don't want to slip down that path again.

"I said use mine" I watch Callum count to ten reigning in his anger before doing as he's told. He logs into his private email bringing up the cctv he showed me.

"Do you mind?" Jerry asks standing next to Callum. I watch disinterested as Jerry downloads the cctv files onto his pc. Callum's stands then letting him sit at the desk. He sits there for a good while watching things over and over. Clicking and zooming. Scrutinising whatever part of the footage he's chosen to look at.

"These files are corrupted" he announces.

"What do you mean?" Callum whispers leaning down to the desk now more interested in what Jerry is doing.

"Look at the time stamp. It's jumping and only changes for three minutes between 12.06 and 12.09. Look see it's starts again jumping back to 12.06" I'm up on my feet then walking to the table. Watching it three times jump back three minutes. Is it looping the same video feed?

"What does this mean Jerry?" I ask unable to control

my anger any longer. How did we not notice this? We should have noticed this.

"The cctv is doctored. We need to get hold of the original files" doctored?

"How the fuck didn't you notice this Callum. It's your fucking job to notice things like this" My anger boils over the rim of my mouth. He's supposed to be head of security now. He should have noticed this.

"It's so slight. I don't normally look at cctv. Im sorry Tyler"

"For fuck sake. Get Annie on the phone I want access to her cctv room today. We need to get someone professional in there" I yell at him pacing away from the desk. How the fuck has this gone a miss? Four days we've been sitting on this information.

"Mark. Yeah. We have a problem the cctv from my daughter in laws obstetrician has been doctored. I need someone there to recover the original files.... Sure I'll send over the address right away"