Chapter 34

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Jason's P.O.V

Tick tock Tick tock

We are all listening to the clock impatiently whilst sitting up straight with a million thoughts flying around our minds, waiting for the most important phone call we have ever waited for.

The investigator of Amber's case was due to call us any minute.

All the family are sat down rigid and tense on the couch and staring at the phone that laid innocently on the table. We were all staring in complete silence and barely breathing, only the clock ticking was heard in the entire house. It was so silent you could hear a pin drop all the way from the back of the house.

My back was tense and rock solid, staring intently at the small plastic phone on the table and praying for it to ring, confirming our angel's whereabouts or anything about her at all.

Our staring was interrupted by the front door ringing, breaking each of our trances and staring at one another with frowns set on our confused faces. "Who could that be?" Mom murmured whilst walking to the door. We watch her every step like obedient lost puppies until we hear her gasp. We all shot up and out our seats, bolting to the door.

Standing tall and professional was the lead investigator Mr Johnson of Amber's case, the one person we were waiting for a call from.

"I know I told you I was going to call but with the news I have, I think you should follow me and we can talk about it in person." He said in a serious tone, a hard and stern expression was on his face but cracked a little when he saw mom's heartbroken face and teary eyes.

This is the fifth day Amber has been missing and it has destroyed us all even worse than I thought possible. Everyone has completely stopped working due to the depression. We have stopped our family meals and barely eat anything because it doesn't feel right eating without Amber there with us. Mom cries herself asleep and awake every day and sneaks away to the bathroom so she can unleash her tears in private, rather than upsetting me and my brothers. We all prey together at night, praying to a higher power to look down on her and protect her. It's probably weak and stupid to many people but we're desperate. Desperate for the one girl that makes all our lives complete.

Overall, we're barely functioning and all lost and depressed without our princess.

The house isn't a home without her.

We all leave and lock up the house, following the investigator to the police van that's parked outside our house. He slides to door open and we climb in, it's very spacious inside and holds a lot of people so its perfect for us.

The investigator turns the driver's seat around and sits on it, facing us with his hands gripping onto files and paperwork. Next to him is a middle-aged man with a huge laptop with a flashing map on the screen. He greets us and gives us a friendly smile, each of us does the same and look back to Mr Johnson with hopeful eyes, praying that all the information and ways to find Amber have worked and we can finally have a location.

"We have found her." The tracker says with a small smile on his face. My mom's eyes bulge out her head and she starts crying again for the millionth time this week. We all start freaking out and smiling brightly at one another, hugging and kissing each other and thanking the higher power for protecting our princess.

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go get her!" Dad shouts at the officers impatiently. I have to agree with dad, why the heck were we not on the road already? Clearly, there is more to this case than we all thought.

"Before we go to your daughter, I want to talk to you about a few things that I want to prepare you for before you see her for yourselves." This stopped all our celebrations and a deadly silence fell in the van, all the family looking at one another with worried looks. We all held each other's hands and to most people, this would be embarrassing, but to us, it's the only way we can get through this.

As a family.

"I don't want to sugar-coat this so I'm going to be very blunt about it..." he said and looked at each of us, we silently nod our heads and my heart starts racing to its highest speed humanly possible, racing because of all the things that could've happened to her whilst she was gone.

She could've hurt herself, scraped her knee, food poisoning or loneliness. All these things make me want to cry just from thinking about them briefly.

"Here goes...What our spy's and research has told us is that she was not alone, she has run away with her boyfriend Finnick Beck Jones. A 19-year-old man with previous criminal activity." The investigator said in a monotone voice. I look away from him and hung my head low and squeezed my eyes shut, trying to contain my tears and the whimpering from our mother beside me.

"OUR DAUGHTER HAS A CRIMINAL BOYFRIEND?!" Dad roars and shakes the van with the stomping of his boots and the animalistic roar that vibrated from his lips. He was not the only one pissed about Amber having a boyfriend, I was livid.

"My photographer..." Dylan mumbles sadly, shaking his head in disbelief and letting out shaky breaths. "I should've known..." he whispered quietly but enough for me to hear, I shuffle over and squeeze his hand reassuringly, whispering things like "You couldn't have known." And "It's not your fault bro."

Just the simple thought of Amber with that boy made me want to pull my hair out and stuff it in the kid's mouth and make him choke on it slowly. And the fact that he was an adult and Amber is still a vulnerable minor, being preyed by this sick bastard makes my blood run cold.

Everyone calms down a bit and waits for the rest of the news, hoping it doesn't get any worse than this.

But we couldn't be more wrong...

"Amber has been seen from CCTV at a tattoo parlour, getting a tattoo with her boyfriend, then she was seen leaving the parlour...and walking into the forest with the man...." The investigator kept trailing off and staring at us worriedly, probably scared of how we're going to react when he tells us the next part.

"WHAT. HAPPENED. NEXT." Isaac and dad both gritted out their teeth like it was venom. All of us looked at the tracker and investigator with sharp daggers in our eyes, prepared to lash out at any moment. I was guessing the tracker was sensing our aggression and intentions to lash out if it gets any worse because I sneakily saw him slide a pair of handcuffs into his hand and place it behind his back at the ready.

"Well your daughter was seen entering the woods with the man, then the next morning they both returned in less clothing. Amber was wearing his large t-shirt only while Finnick was only wearing jeans. We suspect they both had intercourse." Just as he said the last word I lost it...completely lost it.

I stormed out the van and punched the brick wall outside the house, repeatedly punching to lash out my anger and sadness.

Why did she have to do that? Why would you give your precious virginity to a criminal you barely met?

So many unanswered questions where spinning in my head and I desperately needed to know more. I climbed back in the van and the scene before me was heart-clenching.

Instead of dad lashing out, he was crying hysterically in mom's arms, both crying together for their daughter. Issac, Grey and Dylan were sobbing and holding each other together, wrapping their arms around each other's shoulders, embracing as brothers. Grey gestured for me to sit next to him and I did, I sat down and was immediately hugged by Dylan tightly whilst he sobbed loudly into my shoulder, saying incoherent words and whining for his sister.

We all looked at the tracker and investigator with tears in our eyes and begged him for some hope, our eyes shining with shed tears. The tracer and investigator looked at one another and then continued.

"Yesterday at midnight there was an explosion at a gas station, 40 miles north. It wasn't an accident and was purposely done, somebody broke into the shop, robbed two thousand five hundred dollars from the cash register, killed a woman, poured gas and lit up the place to destroy the evidence. And from the DNA we have collected and from the CCTV footage. Finnick was the one to cause this explosion and your daughter was an accessory." He said then started passing us photos, photos of Amber and a man in a car, it was a bit blurry but I could tell she looked panicked because I have seen that expression countless times before. There was a photo of them putting on masks and coats, photos of Finnick assaulting that woman, Photos of him pouring gas everywhere whilst Amber was standing blankly beside him, then the last photo showed the explosion and that bastard hovering over my angel's body, protecting her from the fire.

I was emotionless and empty whilst looking at those photos, tears were falling from my red tired eyes and splattering onto the laminated pictures.

"There is one more thing I should tell you before we drive off..." The tracker said whilst looking at some files and looking up at us fearfully. Everyone's puffy eyes looked at the tracker emotionless, all our minds had turned themselves off and shut down completely, all this news has brought us all to breaking point and if we continued to feel this low and depressed...Our minds will go insane.

"It seems they had stolen a car and drove it to the gas station. When investigators were searching the place, we found some interesting things inside the car..." he said and stopped to see our reactions. We were on the edge of our seats and holding each other tighter together, preparing ourselves for what is about to be said.

"We found cigarettes belonging to Finnick...but we also found used needles containing heroin, used by your daughter..."

That is the moment we all finally lost it.

*****

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