Where Is She?

Once the goons had run away, Matt turned back to his car, ready to call Ella and let her know that she was now safe. From his phone, he called back to the number that he had received the call from but the number was now unreachable. Grimacing, he went back towards the house and carefully stepped into the place which was now enshrouded in darkness. At least Miss Xue had been smart enough so as to turn off the lights and prevent the goons from getting easy access to the house. Once inside the door, he called out," Ella? Miss Xue?" But no one answered. He wondered if they had managed to escape and get the police to come in. It was at this moment that he also realized that the noise of the sirens had stopped. His brows creasing in a frown, he wondered why the police had not come. Had Miss Xue failed to call the police?

He turned back, ready to go and look for Ella and her mother when suddenly his foot was caught in a trap and he hopped on one foot. In the dark, he tried to see what had caught him and his hand came to a...an old fashioned mouse trap.. With great difficulty, he extracted his foot which he knew was going to have a bruise and wondered why there was a mouse trap in the way. The next step he took made him fall on his back, with his arms flailing about and he thanked the fates that the floor was carpeted and cushioned his fall. As his head banged against the floor ad he almost could hear angels singing, he realized that Miss Xue had not just made it difficult for the goons to get in but also set up various obstacles in the way. Slowly, after taking a deep breath, he stood up and this time did not move. Instead, turning on the flash light in his phone he slowly stood and turned around in place and was amazed at the place. There was upturned furniture, a puddle of what looked like oil, small pieces of toys and even some pointy nails that were used for furniture. This looked really well planned and he was amazed that Miss Xue was able to prepare so much in such a short time.

Finally, he remembered the switch board that had been on a nearby wall and walked to it with the help of his phone and then turned on the lights. Once again, he tried to make a call when he heard the sound of steps. Instantly on alert, he turned around and saw Miss Xue running towards the house with a slight limp. He frowned and tried to look for Ella when she reached him. As she panted for breath, he walked to her and asked," Miss Xue? Where is Ella? Is she at a safe place?"

Out of breath, Xue Qian Qian pointed upstairs and panted," She is upstairs."

A sudden feeling of rage ran through him as he thought that this woman had escaped leaving behind her little girl in the house that was about to be invaded by goons. How dare she! From the time it had taken for his to defeat the goons to the time she had reached here, she could have run far away! What kind of a mother was this that left behind her child while she ran to safety? And now that the goons had escaped, she had returned to safety. His temper boiling, he was about to let her know his wrath, when Qian Qian ignored him and went up the stairs.

Angrily, he followed the woman and wondered if he should file a complaint against her with the child services. He could believe that Ella had run away once when she was under her care, but this time, the woman had behaved too irresponsibly! Keeping a tight leash on his temper he was already mentally preparing to take her to court and make her give up custody when he realized that they had reached Ella's bedroom. He expected that the girl was maybe hidden under the bed or in the closet but when he saw Miss Xue open the closet door and then another hidden door, he realized that he was indeed shocked. There Ella sat quietly in a small couch cuddled in an older woman's lap. Right behind the space were a few small cylinders of oxygen and cans of food. It did not take him long to realize what it was.. This was a hidden chamber! It had been carefully concealed between the closet and the dressing room so that no one would discover that there was actually some space in between. As Ella saw her mother standing there, her eyes which had been wide with fear, suddenly narrowed in relief and she jumped into her mother's arms.

Immediately, Ella spotted Matt behind her mother and raced into his arms hugging his neck tightly. Picking up the little girl in his arms, he hugged her tightly and looked around thoughtfully.

Matt was nothing if not observant. And he knew that some how Miss Xue and Ella was in danger of some sort. The woman was too prepared. From the traps laid down stairs to this secret room, to her expression when she had seen him in the cafe..Something was fishy..And as the little girl's arms tightened around her, he knew that he had to get rid of any danger surrounding them.