Chapter 489 - Missing (3)

"Why would I help you?", Dr. Snow asked Max.

"Look, Chris…", Max said and licked his lips nervously. "I know that I was an asshole. I know that I gave you a hard time and that you have no reason to like me. I am a horrible person, and I did bad things to you and to many others. Insult me. Kick me. Do whatever you want. I will not object or retaliate. I can't expect that you will do anything for me but please, do this for Elizabeth. She is missing and I have no idea how she is doing. I need to find her and I need your help. If there are any conditions required, say it. Do you want me to kneel? To hurt myself? Money? Whatever it is, say it…"

Dr. Snow looked at Max who was a shadow of his former self. There was no confidence, no arrogance, it was just a desperate man wrapped in sorrow.

"Are you sure that she didn't leave you on her own?", Dr. Snow asked.

"Liz wouldn't do that. She is responsible and even if she wanted to leave me, she would let me know so I don't worry."

Dr. Snow agreed with this point. Liz is responsible and she would not disappear without notifying her loved ones. Dr. Snow does not know if Max loves Liz, but he was confident that Liz loves Max. Dr. Snow wanted to use this opportunity to torture Max mentally and to get back at him for all the grief Max caused him, but when he saw Max so dispirited, Dr. Snow was unable to kick him when he was down.

"Why don't you tell me what you know?", Dr. Snow suggested.

"I know that you took her for lunch to a Japanese restaurant, and she left from there on her own to a mall." Max paused before asking: "How come you didn't go with her?"

Dr. Snow lowered his gaze. "She said that she wants to buy you a present. For engagement. My presence was not welcome."

Max thought how that makes sense. Actually, Liz would not refuse Dr. Snow's company unless he acted out of line, but Max didn't want to dwell on that issue. He continued: "My men followed her through the mall, and she entered the women's restroom. From there, the trail gets cold. She didn't leave the restroom. She disappeared."

"Did you contact the police?"

Max nodded. "I know the chief of police. Officially, they can't do anything until she is missing for 24 hours. Unofficially, they are looking at faces of people who entered and exited that restroom while Liz was inside and trying to identify them, but they are not very optimistic because there is a lot of people and many are tourists so…"

Max shoved his hand in his hair and closed his eyes. "Do you remember something that she said? Anything? Did she say what she will buy or if she will meet with someone?" Max was trying to find clues even though he knew that he was grasping only air.

"No. Sorry.", Dr. Snow said in a small voice.

Max turned to the large window and stared down the street blankly. He hoped that Dr. Snow will tell him something, anything that he can use to find Liz, and this was disappointing.

Dr. Snow looked at Max's shrinking back and he thought of giving him some hints.

"Did you check your ex-es?"

Max blinked at Dr. Snow's question. "You think that a jealous woman kidnapped Liz?"

Dr. Snow shrugged. "You got engaged yesterday. That could be the trigger."

Max let out a long exhale. "My men are professional bodyguards with extensive experience, and they followed Liz without making their presence known. Whoever did this, planned well. A jealous woman who snapped and acted in the spur of a moment would show up and try to slap Liz or humiliate her somehow, and this took time to set up. I'm not saying that the person behind this might not be my ex, but she will also be a full-blown psycho who is set on harming me and Liz by making us experience being helpless while she is in control. Assuming that someone kidnapped Liz because of me, I truly hope that it's just a business competitor because they will demand money and benefits in exchange for returning Liz safely while a deranged woman will have a different agenda."

Dr. Snow's eyes flashed at Max's words, and he realized that Max was right. Max's analysis was spot on and Dr. Snow had to admire him. Unfortunately, Max being right meant that he was right about Irene hurting Liz indiscriminately as well and Dr. Snow grew restless. He felt the urgency to check on Liz and make sure she was alright, how Irene promised.

Max walked to the desk and wrote down a phone number on a page of the notepad. He tore the paper and handed it to Dr. Snow. "If you remember anything, give me a call."

"I will.", Dr. Snow said and took his phone. He typed in the number Max gave him and made a call. Max's phone rang in his pocket and he was disappointed to see that it was Dr. Snow calling him. He hoped that it's someone else with information on Liz.

"Now you have my number. Let me know if you find out something.", Dr. Snow said.

Max nodded in agreement and walked out of the room.

…

In the warehouse at the outskirts of Las Vegas…

Liz opened her eyes with difficulty and realized that she was lying on the hard and cold floor. Cement probably. The dust invaded her nostrils and the stale air made it difficult to breathe.

Liz tried moving, only to grasp that her legs are tied around the ankles, and her arms are tied at her wrists behind her back. And she was gagged.

Liz's blurry mind struggled to make sense of her current situation. Was she kidnapped? It looks like it. But who did this? And how did she reach here?

Liz frowned while trying to remember how she found herself in this dingy place. Why was her mind hazy? She was in Vegas… symposium… Max proposed to her and they got engaged… romantic evening at the villa with amazing views… With her thumb, Liz rubbed the ring on her left ring finger which confirmed that Max got down on his knee at the rooftop terrace among roses and he asked her to marry him for the second time that day. He made her breakfast the next morning and then she returned to the hotel... lunch with Dr. Snow and she couldn't remember anything else.

How did she get from a fancy Japanese restaurant to wherever this is?

With difficulty, Liz wiggled her body and managed to get into a seated position. With her legs tightly bound together, sitting was considered a success. She checked her dress. What is this silky fabric qipao? Isn't this what the servers were wearing?

Little by little, Liz connected the pieces and understood that she passed out during lunch with Dr. Snow and that somehow her clothes got swapped with these and someone brought her here. Was she drugged? It looks like it. But who would do such a thing? She is just a neurosurgeon. Or is she just a token to make someone else obey? Max and Isaac came to her mind, she is precious to both of them, and baddies would kidnap her in order to force Max and Isaac to do something.

She observed her surroundings. Liz was on the floor, in the corner of a small office. Scarce light which penetrated through the broken window of the door revealed that the place is dirty and probably not used in a very long time. There was a window on the left wall, revealing the darkness and Liz concluded that it's night outside.

The office had file cabinets lined up next to the wall on the right, a desk, two chairs, and a bench.

Liz listened carefully and noticed the silence. There were no voices, no steps, no traffic, no music… so she was definitely not near the Las Vegas strip which is bustling with noise.

Liz remembered that she reached the restaurant around 12:30 PM. They had drinks and the food was served so… she passed out close to 1 PM. If outside is night, that means that she was unconscious for at least seven or eight hours, and Max was searching for her. Her heart tightened at the thought that Max must be going crazy from worry now.

But Liz is not a girl who will just sit and wait to be rescued...

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