THE CODE THAT LINKS US ©

Chapter Eighteen

GEORGINA

Part of the staff from the Control Centre goes up and down again and again on the house's stairs looking for any kind of evidence that Madison could have left. For any clue to tell them why she could have done what she did.

The key was destroyed. The phone is off at Levy's house. There's no way they could track her.

"There's no sign of the girl in Las Vegas," I hear one of them say to Wen who is on the edge of a nervous collapse on the sofa. From his appearance, I can tell he hasn't closed his eyes in the past days. He is paled and has bags under his eyes. He has let his beard grow, and his look, well, he is literally tracking every movement in the house. Like a cat chasing a light.

"Have you talk with Madison's friends?" A short woman asks me. I gulp and shake my head.

"They must be as concerned as we are," my voice cracks.

"She will be okay Mrs. Wrestler, we are going to find her," tells me the same woman while she palms my shoulder and I just nod.

I have been doing this since they found out about the girl's disappearance. I haven't stop acting like a worried mother whose daughter ran away. Eighty percent of me is pretty sure that Madison is and will be okay, but the rest of me fears every minute that goes by. I cry four times a day (minimum) and the rest of the time I spend it arguing with Sean about how we ended up this way. He's as worried as Wen. But they don't worry about Madison, not even for the girl. They worry about the future and what they've built during all these years.

"Let's send more people," Wen stands up and immediately everyone looks at him. "I want people all over California, everyone registering every single city, town, and community. Talk to whoever you need to talk with discretion. I want hourly updates about the situation.

"She's not in California," I dare to say and my voice comes out stronger than what I expected. Wen looks at me cautiously and approaches me.

"Gina, we are trying our best to find your daughter -"

"You know pretty well that you are not looking for my daughter. You don't care about her," I interrupt and he crosses his arms. "You only care for your little experiment."

"You are right, your daughter is worth nothing to me-"

"Doctor Hoffman!" warns the woman next to me. I stare at him deeply into his eyes.

"However, the girl she took with her is worth millions of dollars and all our jobs depend on her." He makes a gesture with his hands showing me all of the presents. He gets closer without taking his eyes from mine.

"You are not going to sell that child," I reproach crossing my arms.

"Oh, that could be a better idea, Georgina," he smiles and I frown. "But you and I know that is not what your daughter is planning on doing. Is it?"

I froze on the inside even though I do my best effort to stay still. "It wouldn't be a surprise if you end up being part of this," he threatens me in a low voice, but catches everyone's attention, especially Sean's.

"You are right," I say looking at him and he nods showing me a satisfied smile. "I asked my only child, who hates me because of you -"

"She wouldn't be alive if it weren't for me." My blood boils.

"Alive thanks to whoever you want, she hates us, all of us. And she has all the right to do so. She has enough reason to do it. We gave her those reasons." As I talk, real tears fall from my eyes. No matter what I told Madison or the fact that she agreed to help me, the guilt builds inside me. We messed with her childhood, her life. "So, yes, I compelled her to run away with that child even though she didn't want to do it. Does it make sense? I am risking my daughter's life in order to save a child that doesn't have anything destined for her."