"Fetal what?"

"Fetal abduction. It's when a person harshly cuts a pregnant woman open and take her babies from the womb," Ryan briefed me but I only frowned deeply.

"That's what you think Marilyn's done to Harley?" My voice thinned out as I spoke.

"Not yet," he says and I furrow my eyebrows. "How far is Harley?" He asked.

"She's almost seven months. In a couple of days, she'll be seven months pregnant," I quickly answered.

"And from what I know, women pregnant with more than more one baby don't usually carry full term," I sighed heavily.

"So we have to find her before the 28th of January?" That was Harley's due date, Marilyn claimed it was her's too but I didn't believe her.

Now looking back on the sudden change of information concern Marilyn's pregnancy, she was using Harley's information.

"Sooner," he said. "Usually they use oxytocin to make the mother go into labour."

"What? We need to call the police," I pulled my phone out. "Where's Marilyn?" Ryan asked me.

"She said she was going home but I know for a fact that she's lying. Her family never spend s Christmas home," I dialled the police chief's numbers.

"What if she's gone to Harley?" I paused and looked at Ryan for a moment.

The chief answered with a, "Hello."

I snapped out of my fear and answered the phone. "Chief Thomspon, my PI's found a lead."

When we got the police station we gave Chief Thompson all the evidence that pointed Harley's disappearance to Marilyn. Ryan explained to the Chief that Marilyn could be planning to take the babies from Harley's womb.

The Chief said he'd get his men to bring her in and that he'd call me when they do.

---×

A week later...

"Valentino, Harley's been missing for over a week! I thought you said you knew who took her!" Micah hysterically yelled as he barged into my house.

"I do know who took her, we just haven't found her yet—"

"Bullshit! You were the last person to see this Marilyn bitch! Why didn't to arrest when you had her?" He continued his hysteria.

Honestly, I was too exhausted and drained to deal with Micah's frustration. I told him everything I knew when he came to New York the day I last saw Marilyn. The day she disappeared.

"At that time we didn't know she was her abductor. But the police have got her face all over the news. If anyone sees her, the police will get a call and get her."

"You don't care, do you?" He burst out and suddenly I wasn't monotonous anymore.

"I don't care?" I raised my eyebrows at him and he nodded. "Do you seriously think that all I do is sit here all day and feel sorry for myself?" My voice was rising as I spoke. "I am out there, day and night, searching the most and least obvious places in the city! We've found so many missing people but none of them is her...none of them is...her..." tears began to spew done my face.

I'd been holding them for so long and I just couldn't anymore. Micah led me to the couch so I could cry in more comfort. "None of them are...here. I'm losing hope but I don't want to give up on her. On our babies, our family," I shed the tears I'd been holding for too long.

"You know, I've been where you are. You feel like you've failed your part of being her partner because you couldn't protect her," he said. "Unlike me, your babies are still alive, so is Harley. I'm sorry for coming onto to you like that, I'm just hurt."

"With each day that passes, it feels like she's losing hope that she'll be found and I'm losing hope that we'll find her," I let out a small sob.

My heart just ached so much. I felt useless like I was a sack of potatoes just sitting and waiting.

I thought I'd experienced heartbreak when my father died but this was far beyond the pain I felt for my father's death.

This felt like someone ripped my heart right out of my chest and stabbed it and shot it before returning it to my chest.

"Where are you, Harley?" I cried out with my last tears.

---×

The count down to the new year was horrible. I could hear the joyous celebration of the city from my home.

By the time, the new year had arrived Micah and I was drunk to a point where we could fall asleep but our minds wouldn't let us, knowing that Harley wasn't safe.

Micah eventually fell asleep but I couldn't. Not while knowing that Harley and the babies aren't fine.

Their days are numbered and with each passing day of us not having found them, they're nearing their doom.

A buzz that indicated that someone was at the gate rang throughout the room.
With a loud sigh, I got up to see who was at the gate.

The man looked oddly familiar but I couldn't quite make out who it was.
"Can I help you?" I couldn't work up the strength to be 'nice'.

"Ah, yeah. Is this Valentino Princely's house?" The man asked. "Yes, what do you want?"

"My sister to be found and saved from whatever hell she's in," he replied and I furrowed my eyebrows before raising in realisation.

"Daniel?"