Chapter 19: The Chase
647 Words
The morning sun had barely risen when Ethan started the engine of his car.
Amara’s farewell letter lay on the passenger seat beside him.
He had read it so many times that the edges of the paper were beginning to crease.
Daniel climbed into the passenger seat.
“Any news?” Ethan asked.
Daniel opened his laptop.
“I tracked the last signal from Amara’s phone. It was active for a few minutes on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway before it was switched off.”
“So she’s trying to disappear.”
Daniel nodded.
“She doesn’t want you to find her.”
Ethan looked straight ahead.
“Maybe not.”
He started the car.
“But I need her to know she’s not alone.”
Several kilometers away, Amara sat quietly on the bus with Lily asleep against her shoulder.
She stared out the window as buildings gave way to green fields.
Her phone remained switched off.
She couldn’t bear to read Ethan’s messages.
Every vibration reminded her of the life she had left behind.
“Mommy…”
Lily rubbed her eyes.
“Are we there yet?”
“Not yet, sweetheart.”
“Where are we going?”
Amara smiled gently.
“To a place where we can rest for a while.”
Lily nodded.
“As long as we’re together.”
Those words made Amara’s heart ache.
A few cars behind the bus, Sophia’s black SUV maintained its distance.
Her assistant glanced through binoculars.
“They’re still on the bus.”
Sophia smiled.
“Good.”
“Should we stop them now?”
“No.”
“I want Amara to believe she’s safe.”
She looked through the windshield.
“Then I’ll remind her that no matter where she runs… I can always find her.”
Meanwhile, Ethan stopped at a roadside filling station.
Daniel stepped out to buy water while Ethan studied a map.
An elderly woman approached him.
“Excuse me, young man.”
“Yes, ma’am?”
“I couldn’t help noticing the picture you’re holding.”
She pointed to the photograph of Amara and Lily tucked inside the letter.
“I saw that little girl this morning.”
Ethan’s eyes widened.
“Where?”
“At the bus terminal in Ibadan.”
“Are you certain?”
The woman smiled.
“I remember her because she thanked me after I helped pick up her teddy bear.”
Hope returned to Ethan’s face.
He thanked the woman and quickly drove toward Ibadan.
At the terminal, Amara and Lily stepped off the bus.
The air was cooler, and the crowd was smaller than in Lagos.
Lily stretched her arms.
“I’m hungry, Mommy.”
Amara laughed softly.
“I know.”
She spotted a small restaurant across the street.
“Let’s eat first.”
As they walked away, neither of them noticed the black SUV parked at the far end of the terminal.
Sophia watched through the tinted window.
“They’re here.”
Her assistant looked uneasy.
“Ma’am… maybe we should stop.”
Sophia turned to him.
“Do you know why I always win?”
He shook his head.
“Because I never stop halfway.”
She opened the car door.
“It’s time to meet Amara… properly.”
Just as Amara and Lily sat down in the restaurant, the bell above the door rang.
A woman walked in wearing a cream-colored dress and dark sunglasses.
She removed them slowly.
“Good afternoon, Amara.”
Amara froze.
“Sophia…”
Sophia smiled politely.
“May I join you?”
Before Amara could answer, another car screeched to a halt outside.
Ethan jumped out and ran toward the restaurant.
Through the glass window, he saw Sophia sitting across from Amara.
His heart pounded.
He knew one thing.
If he was even a minute too late…
Everything could change.
End of Chapter Nineteen
- Writer
