My Great Escape Led Me to You (Emily Blair) novel Chapter 1261

Elizabeth ran her fingers through her hair as she paced, her thoughts racing. She kept trying to figure out what she could possibly do, but no matter how hard she tried, nothing came to mind. There was just no way she could track down Emily.

Calling the police was useless. Someone like Benjamin Gomez always followed through on his threats. If they involved the cops, Emily would be in real danger. Right now, all they could do was count on the people Tristan had brought with him.

The night air was icy. After only a few minutes out in the wind, Elizabeth was shivering so badly her hands and feet felt numb. She couldn’t stand it anymore and climbed back into the car. The moment she sat down, she noticed Tristan getting up.

“What’s wrong?” she asked.

Tristan’s voice was low and tense. “Benjamin sent a message.”

Elizabeth’s heart skipped a beat. She jumped out and hurried to his side to look. The text was from a number she didn’t recognize, sent straight to Emily’s phone.

[What’s the rush? I’ll contact you again in half an hour.]

“This has to be from Benjamin,” Tristan said.

Finally, they had something, but Elizabeth didn’t feel even a little better. Her nerves were stretched tight.

Tristan stared at the screen for a few seconds, his expression unreadable. He handed Emily’s phone to one of the men. “See if you can trace the IP address. Keep pulling up surveillance footage.”

Elizabeth went back to the car. It was already one in the morning, but she didn’t feel tired. If anything, her mind was running even faster.

Half an hour crawled by as the team tracked every bit of footage they could find. They’d followed Benjamin’s van for nearly a hundred kilometers, spotting it on camera again and again.

One of the men finally spoke up, his voice grim. “Tristan, they’re heading out to the countryside. They turned onto a rural road with no cameras. We’ve lost them. The phone’s IP is coming from overseas. We haven’t broken through yet, but we’re working on it.”

Tristan nodded, eyes glued to the phone. He was still waiting for Benjamin to contact them again.

When the half hour was up, Tristan picked up Emily’s phone to call Benjamin. As the call rang, he told the others, “Let’s get moving.”

The three men nodded and quickly gathered their things, loading them into the black van. Tristan and Elizabeth got in too, wanting to stay close. The van was big enough that no one felt crowded.

Sitting in the very back with Tristan, Elizabeth watched as he tried calling Benjamin again. The call was disconnected right away.

A heavy feeling settled in Elizabeth’s stomach. The time Benjamin had promised had already passed, but he still hadn’t reached out.

Tristan didn’t give up. He dialed again, but just like before, the call was cut off automatically.

Elizabeth slammed her fist against the seat, jaw clenched. “What is Benjamin Gomez playing at? Is he just messing with us?”

Tristan’s hands tightened into fists, his breathing harsh. He closed his eyes for a moment, working to steady himself and push back the frustration that threatened to boil over.

A minute later, another text arrived from a different number. [Don’t be impatient. Wait another half hour.]

Elizabeth couldn’t hold back a curse. Tristan grabbed the phone, leaned back, and swallowed hard. His voice was raw. “We wait. We just… wait.”

He picked up his phone and tried calling her, but ever since he sent her the diamond earrings, Emily had blocked his number. The call wouldn’t even go through.

That didn’t discourage him. After thinking for a bit, he decided to try calling her assistant, Sadie. Sadie had gossiped about him and Emily before, and she was probably nervous these days. She’d definitely be eager to tell him where Emily was.

It didn’t take long to find Sadie’s number. He dialed, and even though it was late, she picked up quickly.

“Hello, who is this?”

Andrew kept it brief. “It’s me.”

There was a pause, then he heard the sound of her sharp inhale.

Sadie probably thought he was calling to scold her. She lowered her voice. “Mr. Lane, what can I do for you?”

Andrew got right to the point. “Where is your boss right now?”

Sadie hesitated, probably wondering if he planned to go confront Emily. Her voice shook a little. “Mr. Lane, why do you need to know?”

Andrew didn’t miss a beat. “There’s something urgent I need to discuss with her, but she’s not picking up. You’re the only one I can reach.”

Sadie sounded nervous. “What kind of urgent matter?”