86 The Darkness
"President Zhou, the jewelry has been found! It was in a cleaning closet." One of the workers hurried to tell Gordon.
"Great. Have you seen my wife?" Gordon asked, distracted. She had yet to return from the washroom.
"No, sir." The worker said.
Gordon walked away. He saw one of the models walking down the hallway, so he stopped her and asked that she check the women's washroom for Charlotte.
A few moments later the model informed him that there was no one in the women's washroom.
Gordon couldn't explain it, but he felt uneasy. As though something dark was ominously approaching. He realized he may be overreacting but he called his security detail and gave the command to secure and search the premises for Charlotte. He couldn't shake the feeling in his gut.
Some twenty minutes later and the event hall had been searched with no sign of Charlotte. Worse yet, they suspected that the missing jewelry might be a ruse. Someone knew the security footage would be pulled to search for the jewelry while the actual target, Charlotte, was removed while the cameras weren't in order.
Gordon felt sick with terror and anger.
"Mr. President, this woman said she noticed a middle aged man carrying a pregnant woman out a side door." One of the body guards approached with a young woman.
"Charlotte was wearing a red dress." Gordon said.
"Yes, this woman was wearing a red dress too. She looked unconscious. The man said she wasn't feeling well and that he was taking her to the hospital." The woman shared.
"Call the hospitals! Lock this place down and talk with everyone about what they've seen! I have to have her back safe!" Gordon yelled.
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Charlotte felt light headed and could faintly smell something sickeningly sweet.
The handkerchief! It had smelled like that!
Where was she? And why was it so dark? She tried to move but her feet and arms were bound. She seemed to be lying on a dirty mattress in a warehouse maybe? Or some kind of abandoned place. Her first urge was to scream, but she feared drawing attention to herself. She needed to think clearly and not panic, as she was attempting not to do.
Slowly, her eyes adjusted to her surroundings. It seemed to be some kind of abandoned factory. She attempted to loose her hands but they were tied tightly.
She could feel her baby gently kicking and was relieved he was alright so far. She wanted to cry. She just wanted to see Gordon and rest in his arms and have a good cry.
Did Gordon know she was in danger? Did he know she had been taken? Or was he distracted by the day's event? Would she even see her husband again?
Her last memory before losing consciousness had been of Penny, mocking her. How could Penny have come up with such a hellish plot? She knew Penny was jealous and manipulative but she had no idea she'd do something criminal.
Would Charlotte ever escape, or would the darkness of this place consume her?
