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“You must be out of your mind! Do you hear me? You’re raving mad! I’ll find you, I promise! And it’ll be the last anyone would hear of you!” Hudson challenged in a fit of rage.
“I see. Ten million dollars it is, then. Good luck on finding me.”
The call dropped before I could say another word. Hudson kicked the stool beside one of the couches, turning over its contents—a glass of water and a tray that Maria had helped me get. I shrieked in shock, tears rolling down my cheeks all over again without control.
Amy urged, “Get a grip, Hudson! Calm down!”
“Tell your psychopath of a boyfriend not to mess with my daughter! Or I swear to you, he will not like the outcome!” He shrugged off Amy’s hands and stormed out of the room.
My heart felt heavy. I felt a sharp pain cutting through my chest. This felt like a nightmare. I slowly sat on the couch and held my hands over my head, pondering what to do next.
Chapter 17
Madison
For the rest of the day, Hudson locked himself up in his room and wouldn’t talk to anyone, not even Amy. We could hear fits of tantrums initially until we couldn’t hear anything anymore. He hadn’t had anything to eat.
He only came out late into the evening. Amy had already left by then. He had walked straight to the bar right opposite where I sat. I got up and followed after him.
“Should I get your food now? I left it in the microwave,” I asked.
He didn’t say a word to me. He just picked up a bottle of tequila and walked past me. I turned around and grabbed his hand before he could move too far from my reach.
“Please talk to me. I’m sorry. I didn’t think things would get to this. I never imagined he would go this far.”
He had paused to listen to me without caring to look me in the face. He pulled his hand away from me and continued in his slow steps into his room. He locked the door again, and that was it for the night. I sat on the sofa and cried my eyes out.
The next morning, Amy was back in the house very early. I had come out of my room to receive her.
“Has he come out yet?” she asked, her countenance quite grim.
“Just one time last night. He had taken a bottle of tequila in there with him and didn’t bother to take a glass.”
“The full bottle?” Amy queried, her eyes opening in shock.
“The full bottle,” I confirmed.
While we still spoke, his door came open. He paid no attention to Amy and me as he began to walk toward the door, his car keys in his palm. His steps were weak, and he held his right palm over his head like he was having a migraine. As he opened the door, he squinted his eyes at the harsh sun rays.
“Where are you going?” Amy asked, walking behind him.
“I’m going to look for my daughter.”
“But how? You don’t even know where she is.”
“Well, I’ve got to do something! I can’t just sit here and pretend like everything’s all right while she’s God-knows-where! Who knows what they’re doing to her right now? What if they’re not even feeding her well? What if her allergies come up again? Maybe she’s even refusing to eat anything. I can’t stop thinking of all the heartbreaking possibilities.”
“We don’t know where they took her, Hudson. You’ll just be going on a wild goose chase. And I’m pretty sure they would make sure she’s alive and healthy. The ransom money they requested will be on the line if they don’t.”
“I’ll just drive around the city for a while then. I need to clear my head. I’m slowly going insane.”
“Not in that state, you can’t. Have you taken a look at yourself? I’m sure you’re still hungover from all the alcohol you consumed last night.” Amy had gone ahead to retrieve the keys from him and held him by the arm with both her hands.
Hudson said, “Drive me then. Just take me anywhere but here. I just really need to clear my head and think straight. My mind feels so clogged. I need a breath of fresh air, please.”
“All right. But you’ll have to eat something first. You haven’t eaten in twenty-four hours. Maybe that’s why you can’t even think straight.”
“We’ll grab something during the drive. Let’s just go, please.”
