CHAPTER 18: HELD HOSTAGE

Victoria's POV
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Recap:
As I opened the fridge door to get a bottle of milk, I felt something round and hard pressed against my skull.

"Stop!"

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When I heard the menacing voice behind me, my limbs froze on the spot. I couldn't think and I couldn't move.

Stay calm. Stay calm.

I keep repeating to myself in my head.

"Now come with me and give me your money." The voice spoke again, before grabbing my arm and leading me back to the front of the store.

There wasn't just one masked robber but two. The other robber held Bill at gun point and the one that was leading me threw me behind the counter.

He holds his palm towards me, I pull out my money and hand it over. He gives me a evil smirk before he turns around and walks away.

"Now stay there and don't move, we'll only be a sec." The other guy says before he opens the cash register. The one who grabbed me was throwing all kinds of snacks into a big black bag.

"Hey, the boss said he only wanted the money not snacks!" The guy at the cash register screams at the other guy.

"What? I'm hungry!" The other guy screams back.

Bill noticed that they were occupied by other things and tried to reach for the alarm but the guy at the cash register saw his movements. He pointed his gun towards Bill and shot him.

Time stood still as the bullet wheezed past me and embedded itself above Bill's stomach. A scream fills the air and it was only a second later that I realized it was me screaming.

The robbers grabbed their stolen goods and made a run for it. I quickly pressed the alarm before rushing to Bill's side. I pressed both my hands on his wounds trying to stop the bleeding.

I kept murmuring words of encouragement and told him to hang on for a while because the ambulance was on its way.

"Vic...Vic..." he tries to speak but I told him not to talk.

"Be still, you shouldn't speak." I try to keep him from speaking.

"No...I....ha....have....t...to...ask...yo....you..this..."

"What is it?" I ask as I look up at him.

"Ple....please...tell....Susan...I...I......love....her and that...I....always...will." he says.

"No you have to tell her yourself, please Bill she needs you. Ami and John need their father and..and there is another tiny person who is also going to need you..." I sob as I see his eyes slowly closing, his breath hitches before it comes to an ubrupt stop.

I scream at him to wake up but nothing happens his eyes are still shut and the shop is filled with dead silence.

I stare at Bill, his lifeless form, how could they kill such a kind sweet guy. I think about how his wife was going to have to raise three children by herself. This was just unfair, four peoples lives were ruined because of a small amount of money. Money can be replaced but a life, never.

My body was shaking with shock and I was so wrapped up in my own thoughts that I didn't even hear the police officers enter. I felt two hands help me up, I stood up slowly with my eyes focused on the body infront of me.

I was led outside, my eyes fell on the ambulance that stood in the parking lot. When did they get here? The police officer leads me to the ambulance and the paramedics starts to clean me up.
Someone clears their throat and when I look up to see who it is, I see Sally, one of the detectives that works with my dad.

"Victoria, I'm going to need to ask you a few questions." She says and I nod. I answer all her questions and give her my statement.

"Should I call your dad?" She asks.

"No." I say, even though I know how much I need someone to comfort me I can't let them call my dad. If they knew what happened with me they'll just be worried about me the whole night. And I didn't want to ruin their last night at the convention.

"Okay, should I take you home?" She asks softly and I give her another nod.

When I look up I see Susan running towards the ambulance where I'm sitting. She engulfs me in a big hug and we both cry together. I whisper the words he told me to her, and give her another squeeze before letting go.

She smiles at me weakly before walking back to the shop with a police officer's assistants. I walk into the opposite direction towards Sally's car.

The car ride was quiet and I couldn't speak. I thank Sally and beg her not to call my father, she reluctantly agrees before finally driving off after a lot of persuasion.

I lock the door behind me and sit down on the couch, and that's when I start to cry.

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Shadow's POV

I opened the study window as quietly as I could. I wanted to surprise Victoria again but more gently then last time.

I close the window behind me and start to walk towards Victoria's room. When I pass the living room I hear a small sob and I immediately stop in my tracks.

I retrace my steps back to the living room and peek around the door. That's when I see the lone figure in the dark, it takes me a second to realise that the lone figure is actually Victoria.

I run to her and kneel infront of her, making myself eye level with her.

"Hey what's wrong?" I ask as I wipe away some tears with my thump, caressing her cheek.

"He...he's....de...dead" she says between sobs.

"Who?" I ask gently still caressing her cheek soothingly.

"Th....The shopkeeper."

"What happened?"

"I went to buy some items before my parents came back and...and then they were there. T...two robbers, Bill tried to hit...th....the alarm but....but they saw him and...and shot him. Shadow...his dead." She cries further and my instincts immediately kick in.

I grab her into my arms and trace big circles on her back to calm her. I've never had much experience with crying girls but I saw my father doing this numerous times with my mother when she was upset.

We sit back down on the coach and her face is buried in my chest. I can feel the wetness seeping through my suit, but I don't care, all I care about is Victoria.

We sat like that for an hour or two, I don't even know. Victoria's breathing started to get even and I knew she was asleep.

I look down at the girl who was ever so slowly ripping out my heart to take as her own.

The usual peaceful look on her face was replaced with a frown and I didn't like it one bit. Her eyes were red and puffy from the amount of crying. All I know is what happened. Why did she have to leave her house? Couldn't she just be a good girl and stay put?

Maybe that is why her father is so against her becoming a detective, he wants to shield her from all these gruesome things.

I push myself up slowly, but Victoria doesn't budge.

"Victoria, we should get you to bed come on." I whisper.

"Don't leave me." She says softly and snuggles into my chest. This was going to be harder then it looks. I guess I have no choice but to make the couch a bed.

I scooted us over to the end of the couch. When I was in a comfortable sitting position, I gently pushed Victoria down onto the couch. She was first reluctant but then she moved downwards and placed her head in my lap, using it as a pillow.

I stared down at her and played with her hair. Minutes later my eyes started to droop and I was pulled into a deep sleep.

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Victoria's POV

My eyes open slowly as I take in my surroundings. I'm in the living room on the couch. Then all of a sudden the memories of earlier come rushing back to me.

The clock that hangs against the wall informs me that it is half past 11 in the night. The house is dark and there is only a light coming from the kitchen.

"Darn it!" I hear someone scream from the kitchen and I immediately rush towards the kitchen.

When I enter the kitchen I'm greeted with the sight of the Shadow, he is ferociously swiping at his suit with a dish cloth.

"Stupid milk." I hear him mutter under his breath.

"Ahem." I clear my throat and the Shadow turns around with such a quick speed I was almost certain he got whiplash.

"Victoria you're awake." He says with a small smile.

"Yeah, what are you up to?" I ask as I walk towards him to get a better look at what he was doing.
"I'm trying to make cocoa, but I couldn't open this milk carton and when it finally opens it spurts all over my suit." he explains and I stiffle a giggle when I take in his appearance, there is a big stain on the front of his suit.

"Where did you get the milk and cocoa anyway?" I ask curiously because I know for a fact that we didn't have cocoa and our milk is finished too.

"Oh, well I woke up an hour earlier and I struggled to fall back asleep so I thought some cocoa would help me. So I checked to see that you were still fast asleep before I quickly went back to my lair to get some cocoa and milk."

"You rode all the way back to your lair just for cocoa? Why didn't you take some of our tea?" I ask.

"You were asleep and I didn't want to take anything without your permission, because you know taking something without a person's say so is in fact stealing. Which is illegal last time I checked." He says as he looks at me.

I suddenly realise what a good guy the Shadow really is, he comforted me a few hours ago, went back to his own place to get his own stuff because he didn't want to take anything without my say so and he returned. He was definitely not you everyday thief.

"Thank you." I say as I take a seat at the island table.

"For what?" The Shadow asks as he faces me.

"For everything you've done tonight." I say with a smile.

"Oh that, don't mention it." He says with a smile, "would you like something to drink?"

"Cocoa please."

"Two cocoas coming right up." He says before he turns around and goes back to making cocoa.

A few minutes later were both seated at the table with hot cocoa in front of us. I take a long sip of mine and it is absolutely delicious, I don't think I've ever tasted cocoa this good.

"How did you sleep?" The Shadow asks.

"Fine and you?"

"That's the longest I've ever slept in a while." He says with a sigh.

"You don't sleep? Is it because of the stake out because-"

"No, I've had sleeping problems long before I've met you, I usually only sleep for two hours straight before I'm awake again."

"Oh, how long was I asleep?"

"Well if my math is correct four and a half hours, I thought you were going to sleep till morning."

"Yeah I usually do, but then yet again I'm not woken by a thief in the middle of the night who can't open a milk carton." I tease with a grin on my face.

"What it wasn't my fault they've used super glue." He says with a angry expression, well at least I think it is angry.

"I'm just kidding. You have the same luck as my dad, it always happens to him." I say with a smile as a take another sip of my cocoa.

"You see, it is definitely a guy thing."

"Yeah sure it is." I say with a smile.

A comfortable silence falls between us and it was quite relaxing.

When we were done with our cocoa the Shadow washed our cups, I was staring at the cupboard all lost in thought.

"You want to talk about it?" The Shadow asks as he takes his seat again, pulling me out of my trance.

"I don't want to, but my father told me that sometimes talking to someone makes things a bit better. So here it goes, I was at the convenient store on my way to the fridge when someone told me to stop. The guy then told me to come with him, grabbed hold of me and dragged me behind the counter next to Bill, the store keeper." I take a deep breath as the memories come back to me.

"And then the one of them started to take some of the products and the other one told him to stop for they've only came for the money and when they were in the middle of the conversation Bill saw how they were distracted and reached for the alarm. But unfortunately the one noticed and shot Bill, they both ran after that and I rushed to Bill's side to help him. There was so much blood and I tried to reassure him that everything was going to be fine, but he just told me to tell his wife he loves her and then he was gone." I say the last part softly.

"I'm sorry." He says apologetic.

"You've got nothing to be sorry for. But there has been something that the thief said that piqued my interest." I say as I recall the conversation the to scoundrels had.

"What's that?" The Shadow asks.

"Well when they were talking and the guy was busy grabbing snacks and things the other one told him that the boss only wanted the money not the snacks." I explain.

"The boss?" The Shadow asks confused.

"I know that is what I was thinking, could there possibly be a chance that they are also working for the White Hawk?" I ask the question that has been bugging me.

"There is a big chance of that, but if they are our task has just got a lot harder." He says with a exhausted sigh.

"Shadow we need to find him fast, his ruined so many lives already we have to stop him before he could ruin more."

"I know Victoria and don't worry I'm sure we'll find him, we can do this together." He says and right at that moment I knew that the Shadow was in this 100%.

And if we tried our best we can stop this tyrant of a man before he can hurt any more people. Even though I had experienced a gruesome event I was more motivated than ever. I won't rest until the White Hawk is behind bars.

You better watch out White Hawk I'm coming for you.

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Hey guys
Sorry for the wait, I would've updated earlier but this week was extremely hectic.
Please tell me what you think and happy reading ;-)
-Amorie