My Parents Are Kidnapped, and My Cop Brother Refuses to Help, Now He’s Losing His Mind in Regret

Chapter 3

As the two officers stepped into the room, Ryan wasted no time walking over, flashing a tight smile and extending his hand.

"We're all colleagues here," he said, trying to sound casual. "I'm just here to check on Jason's sister."

That's when I noticed he was in plain clothes, likely trying to blend in and avoid drawing attention. He made a beeline for the door, but the officers blocked him, standing firm in his path.

I didn't waste any time. Stepping forward, I met their eyes and said, my voice steady but urgent, "Officers, my parents really have been kidnapped. I have a recording to prove it."

I pulled out my phone, playing the recording of the kidnapper's call. Ryan's face drained of color as the voice echoed through the room.

"But... Jason said it was just... actors," he stammered. "He said you were staging all this."

I couldn't help the bitter laugh that escaped my lips. There was no point in explaining further.

Instead, I slowly unfolded the crumpled paper in my hands, my mind working overtime to piece together the fragments of my past life. I could still remember those details, faint though they were. My thoughts raced, and I focused, refusing to let panic overtake me.

"Officers," I continued, pushing through the tension. "I can give you more information. I've seen these men near my house before. The voice... it sounds so familiar. They even asked me for directions once, but I didn't think anything of it then."

A sketch artist was quickly brought in, and the police set up listening equipment. I described the two kidnappers as best as I could, piecing together details I'd remembered from my previous life.

Soon, the police were running facial recognition and checking known offenders. After a brief search, they found matches. Both kidnappers had criminal records for robbery, and one of them had rented a house under his real name. Within minutes, the police had coordinated a rescue operation.

I sank into the couch, my body trembling. It felt like I'd just been dragged out of ice-cold water, the cold sweat soaking through my clothes. My heart hammered in my chest, but for the first time in hours, I felt a flicker of hope.

Twenty minutes later, the officer with me received an update. His face was grim as he turned to me.

"I'm sorry, Emily," he said, voice soft. "We didn't find your parents at the location."

My stomach lurched. The fear I had buried deep down clawed its way back up.

"But we did find something else," the officer continued, holding up a series of photos.

I stared at the images, shots of my parents, but also of me. The kidnappers had been spying on us for a while, and now, it was clear they'd been keeping close tabs.

"They've been staking out your house," the officer said. "Don't worry, these two won't get away. We've got them in our sights."

I couldn't breathe. The thing I had feared most had happened. The kidnappers had moved. They'd changed locations, and all the clues we had were worthless now.

I heard Ryan make a call to Jason nearby, his voice low but not low enough to hide from me.

"It's real. We've got suspects. You need to come back..."

I could hear Jason's laugh through the line, his words deliberately loud enough for me to catch.

"Give it up, Emily. The more you make of this, the harder you'll fall. When Mom and Dad disown you and lose all their dignity, don't come crying to me."

Anger burned through me. He was laughing. Jason, my brother, the one person who should have been by my side, was mocking me. All the love and care they had given him, all the years they'd spent raising him, and he was throwing it all away for Chloe.

My brother didn't just disbelieve me, he was betraying our parents, too. If they knew how he was acting, I couldn't even imagine how devastated they would be.

Tears welled up in my eyes, but I wiped them away, forcing myself to focus. I couldn't let myself break now.

Just as I tried to steady my nerves, the phone rang again, the landline this time, cutting through the silence.

The officer watching the phones gave me a quick look. I could see the tension in his eyes.

It was them. The kidnappers were calling again.