Chapter 488 - Missing (2)

Hunter's mind was working a million thoughts a second. "I will inform the pilot to get the jet ready. Mia will also join, and I will see if Q and Bri will come as well. Mia's people are in Portland, they can be in Vegas before us and join Daniel to help him find clues." Hunter saw that Max closed his eyes and the muscle of his jaw twitched. Hunter patted Max's shoulder. "Don't worry, Max. We will find her."

Max opened his eyes and looked at Hunter. "She is missing for two hours already. What if it's too late? What if they harvested her organs? What if…?"

"You can't think like that!", Hunter interrupted Max. "This was not random. If it were, they would not elude Daniel and his team. Someone knew that Liz was being watched and they managed to snatch her under our noses. With this level of skill and planning, if they wanted to kill Liz, there would be no need for this mysterious disappearance. Keep your phone powered on and wait for a call to hear their demands. In the meantime, let's go to Vegas and find Liz."

"I will call Dr. Snow. He saw her last…", Max said and wondered how to find Dr. Snow's number. He can call Rhonda from the Franciscan Medical Center, since Dr. Snow was an ex-employee, she should have his number on file.

"Don't!", Hunter stopped Max and explained: "You said that he was interested in Liz, and at this point, everyone is a suspect. If he is not involved, there is no point in talking to him. But if he is involved, you will only tip him off and he might leave Vegas or cover up his tracks before we reach there."

Max thought how Hunter's words made sense, but… "What if he already left? He is from Portland."

"Excellent. If he is not in Vegas, Mia's men will get him easily."

Max took a deep breath. He was too upset to think logically. "Thanks, Hunter."

Hunter nodded in acknowledgment. "Talk to Ian and instruct him what to look for while I make other calls and let's head to the airport…"

…

Max, Hunter, Mia, Quentin, and Brianna were in the jet heading for Las Vegas.

They were looking at the reports from Daniel and Ian.

Daniel lost Liz's trail in the mall, and that is where her cell phone's GPS locator pinged the last time before it went offline at 1:42 PM, which is the time when Liz was in the restroom.

"My men met with Daniel. They are coordinating now…", Mia informed others when she got off the phone.

Max buried his face in his palms and took deep breaths repeatedly. But no matter how much he inhaled, there was not enough oxygen.

He wondered, how could everything go wrong so quickly? That same morning, he was holding Liz in his arms, in their villa which overlooked Las Vegas and they were talking about their future. He headed to Seattle, giddy from the fact that they are engaged, and his mind was full of ideas on how to make that evening special when Liz sees the apartment remodel and he tells her that they own the whole floor. And now, he had no idea where she was and if she was OK. The importance of the villa and the apartments merging and the future faded away because nothing made sense without Liz.

Liz would not disappear on her own. This was obviously kidnapping but who would do such a thing?

Max could not prevent guilt eating him up because he felt that this was his fault. He has many ex-es who might go crazy with news that he got engaged, and there were business partners which didn't like the deal that the Alpha group offered, and then business competitors who lost their piece of the market because of the Alpha group, and even if it's none of those, the fact was that Max had his men stationed to watch over Liz, and they failed. He failed.

He wanted to call Isaac, but Mia and Brianna advised him against it and said that he should call once they have some information. Isaac lost his wife, and Liz is his only remaining blood relative. It will be devastating for Isaac if he hears that Liz is missing and they have no other information.

Max understood that sentiment because he was in agony from the moment Daniel called him.

The only thing that was holding Max back from plunging into madness of desperation was the fact that this was done cleanly and swiftly, and it hinted that Max should get a phone call with a demand for ransom or maybe some conditions.

Mia agreed with this, and she said that it's highly likely that the kidnappers will wait for several hours, maybe a day, so that Max realizes that he can't find Elizabeth. That will make him more likely to succumb to their demands.

What the kidnappers didn't know was that Max would give them whatever they wanted right now, just to get Liz safely from her current predicament.

~ Las Vegas, the Bellagio hotel ~

Dr. Snow was sitting on a chair and staring blankly at the Las Vegas strip below.

He would occasionally check the time and wonder why Max didn't call. Surely, by now his men told him that Liz is missing and that she had lunch with Dr. Snow. Does Max even care that Liz is missing?

Dr. Snow came up with all kinds of scenarios. From the one where something happened to Max, to the one where Max is celebrating his engagement with a few ladies. After all, Max has a reputation as a playboy, and celebrating with ladies of loose moral values is something he would do.

Dr. Snow was concerned about Liz. That woman (aka Irene) was full of hatred toward Max, and there was a probability that the woman might release her anger on Liz. Dr. Snow shook his head, dismissing that idea. The woman promised that Liz will not be harmed and that she is captured only as a lure for Max. And it makes sense for Dr. Snow to stay away so that he can appear not to be involved in the whole kidnapping thing.

However, will Max be lured with Liz missing? Does he care about her?

Dr. Snow was getting impatient. He wanted to go to that warehouse and fetch Liz, but he can't do that until Max contacts him… and maybe the police. Why is Max not calling him? If Liz is his fiancée, Dr. Snow would flip Heaven and Hell to find her, and Max… what is Max doing?

Dr. Snow was pulled out of his thoughts when he heard a knock on his door. He opened the door and paused. It took him a moment to compose himself.

"Max? To what do I owe this pleasure?"

Max closed his eyes and exhaled slowly while reminding himself that Dr. Snow is not an enemy. "Can I come in?"

Dr. Snow moved to the side, silently allowing Max to enter.

"You look horrible.", Dr. Snow said when he closed the door behind Max. He didn't expect that Max will be so dispirited. 

"Elizabeth is missing.", Max went straight to the point.

"Missing?", Dr. Snow's voice cracked. He wondered why Max was here. Well, Max should know that Dr. Snow and Liz met for lunch in White Orchid, but did Max know more than that? "And why are you here? Shouldn't you be looking for her? Or do you think that I'm hiding Liz in my room?"

Max shoved his hand in his hair. "I don't know where to look. I am aware that you had lunch with her and after that, she went to the mall, and then… she disappeared."

Dr. Snow sneered. "And you think that I had something to do with it?"

Max shook his head. "No. I know that you wouldn't hurt her. But I hope that she told you something that I can use to find her."

Dr. Snow pressed his lips into a line, feeling guilty that despite their differences, Max believed that Dr. Snow will not hurt Liz. He wondered how he would behave if their roles were swapped.

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