Chapter 44: Raven's Peak

Ericka's POV

I walked down the stairs, the savory aroma of bacon and eggs wafted through the air, drawing me in. I caught a glimpse of Jared setting the table and couldn't help but quicken my pace. By the time I reached the last step, I was eager to get to the breakfast he had prepared.

"Good morning," I said, greeting him with a smile.

Jared looked up at me and smiled, his eyes crinkling at the corners. "Hey, baby, good morning," he replied.

I walked over to him and stood beside him, taking in the spread before us. "Can we eat now?" I asked, my eyes fixed on the delicious food.

Jared chuckled and wrapped his arms around me. "Kiss me first," he said, his voice low and playful.

"Nope!" I said firmly, covering my mouth with my hand. "I have a morning breath," I mumbled, my voice muffled by my hand.

"Stop, you know I don't care," Jared said, his voice low and playful, as he gently removed my hands from my mouth.

He then leaned in and kissed me, the kiss slow and gentle. I wrapped my arms around his neck, enjoying the moment, but eventually pulled back.

"Your making my food wait," I said.

Jared chuckled and pulled back.

"What? It's OUR food," he said, emphasizing the word.

I thought for a moment, then shrugged.

"Fine! You're the one who cooked it, so... yes, I'll share it," I said, a smile spreading across my face.

I pulled out a chair and sat down, gesturing for Jared to join me.

Few minutes later

"Mmm, this is so good," I said, my mouth full.

Jared grinned, pleased that I was enjoying his cooking.

"Glad you like it," he said, taking a bite of his own breakfast.

We ate in comfortable silence for a few minutes, enjoying our meal. Then, Jared spoke up.

"So, what's on your agenda for today?" he asked, his eyes curious.

I paused to take a sip of water, clearing my mouth before speaking. "I'm going back to the police and see if they've gotten any leads on where Anna and Marco might be," I said.

Jared nodded sympathetically. "Okay, baby, just don't stress yourself too much, okay? You don't want to get wrinkles," he said, attempting to lighten the mood.

"I'll try to keep that in mind," I said, smiling.

Jared reached out and took my hand, his fingers intertwining with mine.

"You're going to do great, okay? And I'll be here, supporting you every step of the way," he said, his eyes filled with reassurance.

I felt a surge of gratitude towards him, knowing that he was always there for me, no matter what.

"Thanks, Jared," I said, my voice filled with emotion.

"Oh, yes! I almost forgot," I said to Jared, a sudden realization hitting me. "My friend Jackson is going to accompany me today. You know, the one I told you about who got attacked?"

"Oh, yes, I remember that one," he said, his expression turning serious.

When we finally finished eating, I decided to get up and wash my hands, feeling a bit grimy from the meal.

As I made my way to the bathroom, my phone suddenly rang, breaking the silence. I froze for a moment, wondering who could be calling, and then I saw Jackson's name on the screen.

I answered it quickly "Hey, what's up?"

"Hey, I just got a call from the police," Jackson said, his voice sounding serious. "They want to talk to us about something important."

"What do you think it is?" I asked.

"Maybe they found a lead but I'm not entirely sure," Jackson replied. "But they said it's urgent and that we need to go down to the station right away."

At the station

When I arrived at the station, I spotted Jackson waiting for me outside.

We walked into the station together. The sound of fluorescent lights humming and the murmur of hushed conversations filled the air. We walked to the front desk, where a uniformed officer greeted us. "Can I help you?" he asked

"We're here to see the officer who wanted to speak with us. We received a call saying it was urgent."

"Right this way," he said, leading us down a corridor lined with offices. We walked in silence, the only sound being our footsteps echoing off the walls.

As we walked, I couldn't help but think about what could be going on. What did the police want to tell us? Was it something good or something bad? My mind was racing with all sorts of possibilities.

We entered an office, I was surprised to see the same officer who had called us yesterday. He was sitting at a desk, surrounded by files and papers. Jackson and I exchanged a glance, and he nodded slightly before taking the two spare chairs in front of the officer's table. I thanked the other officer who had brought us in, and then turned my attention back to the officer who had called us.

"We are able to track Miss Anna's phone"

I felt my body tense up, my eyes snapping towards the officer.

"Then what the hell are you all still doing here?" I blurted out, my voice shaking with anger and frustration.

The officer and Jackson both flinched at my outburst, and I felt a surge of mortification as I realized what I had just done. I took a deep breath and tried to calm down, my hands trembling as I spoke. "I'm sorry," I whispered, my head hung in shame.

Jackson's voice was gentle as he spoke up. "Ericka, calm down," he said. "Let's focus on getting the information we need."

I nodded slowly, trying to compose myself. It was clear that Jackson was trying to keep me from escalating the situation, but I couldn't help feeling like time was ticking away. Every second we wasted was another opportunity for whoever was behind this to get away scot-free.

The officer with a stern expression, was trying to explain something about the phone and the location, but I couldn't shake off the feeling that it was all a trap.

"...and it seems like the culprit is trying to get tracked," he said, his eyes fixed on us. "We're not sure what their motives are, but we don't want to take any chances."

I felt a surge of anxiety. "Where's the exact location?" I demanded getting to worked up again but still trying to keep my voice steady. "I need to know where Anna is."

The officer hesitated, his expression unreadable. "I'm sorry, Ericka. I can't disclose that information right now. We need to keep certain details confidential until we're sure it's safe."

I felt a wave of frustration wash over me. "But what about Anna? She's in danger. Can't you just tell me where she is?"

"I understand your concern, but I'm afraid I can't reveal that information. We'll do everything we can to keep her safe, but we need to be careful not to compromise our investigation."

I felt a sense of desperation creeping in. I had to know where Anna was, had to make sure she was okay. I leaned forward, trying to appeal to the officer's sense of empathy.

"Please," I said, my voice barely above a whisper. "Just tell me where she is. I'll do anything to get her back safely."

"No ericka, it's their job to go there not you, you'll just going to put yourself in danger too"

I looked at Jackson, his words dripping with concern. But I couldn't shake off the feeling that he was wrong, that we should be doing something more to get Anna back.

"But they clearly are not doing anything right now," I said, my voice trembling with anger and worry. "Why can't we just go there and get her ourselves?"

"No, Ericka. It's not a good idea. The officers are trained to handle situations like this, they have the resources and the expertise to keep her safe. If we go there ourselves, we'll just put ourselves in danger too."

I felt a lump form in my throat as I looked at him, my mind racing with thoughts of what could happen if we didn't take action. But I knew Jackson was right, that it wasn't worth the risk.

I felt a sense of defeat wash over me as my eyes fixed on the floor. I knew that waiting was the only option, but it was hard to sit back and do nothing when Anna was out there, in danger.

"Excuse me" I said excusing myself to go to the restroom.

A minute later

I took a deep breath and tried to calm myself down as I walked out of the restroom, feeling a sense of relief wash over me as I washed my hands and face. I looked at my reflection in the mirror, trying to shake off the exhaustion and worry that had been weighing me down. I needed to stay focused, for Anna's sake.

As I walked back to the office, I couldn't help but notice the two officers standing in the hallway, talking in hushed tones. My ears perked up as I caught snippets of their conversation.

"...Place called 'Raven's Peak'..." one of them said.

"...Yeah, been getting a lot of reports about abductions and strange occurrences in that area..." the other officer replied.

My heart skipped a beat as I froze, my eyes fixed on the officers. Raven's Peak? Is that the name of the building where Anna was being held? I felt a surge of adrenaline course through my veins as I realized that they must be talking about her.

I didn't even think twice before I burst out of the office, my adrenaline pumping like crazy. I could feel my heart racing in my chest as I made a beeline for the door. The officers looked up at me in surprise as I stormed out of the station.

I didn't care about anything except getting to Anna. I knew that Raven's Peak was the place where she was being held, and I was going to get her back no matter what it took.

"I'm coming motherfucker"