Hope

Chapter 5

   Hope was numb, Lina was dead. Anne was missing and no one knew what was happening  or who was behind all of this. "Hope," Heath started but Hope couldn't talk, she couldn't think a girl who's already been through hell in her short life was gone, vanished in thin air and that's not even possible. The person doing this knows all the going on's in the city, knew when the streets would be clear this person had to be a native of the city or highly intelligent and could easily cut into the cities system and turn off the street cameras. Hope ran a shaking hand through her hair her heart racing when her phone began to ring showing her Lina's picture. Hope stared down at the phone it was impossible, Lina was dead. "Are you going to answer it?" Heath asked Hope. "It's Lina. Well it's her phone, I don't, what do I do?" Hope asked panicked. Heath grabbed his own phone placing in a call nodding his head at Hope who answered placing it on speaker. "Hello?" Hope said holding her breath as she listened to the heavy breathing on the other line but that was it. Just heavy breathing then a slow manic laugh. Hope looked at her phone her hand sweating and her breathing labored and the phone cut off with a sharp click. Hope stared at Heath who was clenching his teeth a slow tic form in his jaw. This wasn't good, Hope could already feel it.  

  Heath pulled up at Hope's apartment building but she didn't move. Her blonde hair was hanging loosely in front of her face her green eyes were haunted not that he could blame her, she was clearly distraught. She saw a friend of hers dead and a child she cared about was missing, not to mention that disturbing phone call. Heath had his mean tracing the call to see where it came from, it had to be the killer because it was too close together with the woman's death. "Hope," Heath said but Hope didn't move, her gaze was focused on her building as if she had no desire to go home. Not that Heath blamed her. "Do you think that Lina's wife had her phone?" Hope finally asked her voice small. Heath sighed because he knew damn well that it wasn't Lina's partner and Hope knew  it too. "Yeah, I didn't think so either. What does that mean for me? Am I in danger or something?" Hope asked. Heath didn't answer, but he knew that he would have cops outside watching over the building. "I will figure this out. I have my men tracking the call but until then I want you to have my number. I will figure this out now come on let me walk you to your apartment." Hope nodded and climbed out of the car walking up to the apartment building and opening the door. "This doesn't have a certain code to use to get in?" Heath demanded as they walked in and up the stairs. "No. I guess when the building was made they didn't think a mad man would be on the loose." Hope said sarcasm dripping in her tone. They stopped at the last apartment and Hope went to unlock it but Heath stopped her taking the keys from her. He unlocked it and walked in placing his hand on his gun that he always carried on his hip. When he saw no one in the small rooms he nodded for Hope to come in. "I'm going to check the windows and door locks," Heath said. After that call he wasn't going to chance her safety, he promised his friend her brother that he wouldn't let anything happen to his sister and he would see to it that she was safe. When he was finished checking the locks and the apartment one last he went to the living room and saw Hope sitting on the couch her knees pulled up to her chest her arms wrapping around her body. She looked small and vulnerable. "You should think about going home, visit your parents or something. Just get out of town." Hope was already shaking her head adamantly. "Then they would never let me come back to finish my education. For all we know it could be a prank call," Heath scoffed, she knew better than to think that. "Look, I've got to go fill out some paper work, I'll call you later to see if you're okay. Lock the door and don't leave understood?" Hope nodded and walked him out shutting the door after him. Heath waited until he heard the locks before he left grabbing his phone and making some calls. "I want squad cars on the apartment building, I want her protected at all cost. Three girls have already gone missing and one killed. We don't have time for this shit, those girls could be next. I'm not risking this, I want that phone tracked and all the street cameras from the last month and a half reviewed again and we need to start questioning the locals because this isn't adding up." Heath said into his phone. He knew that Kison would kill him if something happened to his little sister, hell he'd hand his friend the knife he wasn't going to let anything happen to Hope. Even if he had to die protecting her.