Escape from Mr. Whitman (Emma and Theodore) novel Chapter 466

*Who were these people? What did they want? Was this a human trafficking ring? What do I do?*

She felt like she was in the cargo hold; she could hear the scratching of rats nearby. The only other sounds were the rhythmic slap of waves against the ship. The thought of being out on the open ocean, surrounded by an endless, inky blackness, sent a wave of primal fear through her. She was terrified of the deep sea.

She had never been so scared in her life.

Curled up inside the crate, she began to kick at the walls with her bound feet, hoping to break open a seam, to find a way out. But it was useless.

Just as she was about to give up, she heard a sound from outside the crate. A soft tapping.

She froze, listening intently. There it was again. A distinct knock. Was it one of them? She didn't dare move.

The person outside knocked again. "Is someone in there?" a voice called out.

The voice was hauntingly familiar, but she couldn't believe it. It was impossible. He couldn't be here.

"Is there a person in this box?" the voice repeated.

It sounded so much like him.

Emma decided to take the risk. Anything was better than sitting here, waiting. She kicked the side of the crate.

"You're really in there? Emma, if that's you, kick three times!"

It was Theodore.

How was he here?

There was no time to question it. Freedom was all that mattered. She kicked the crate three times, hard.

He was already working on the lid, but her signal spurred him on. With a series of sharp cracks, the top of the crate splintered open.

Not knowing what else to do, Emma slid to the floor, desperate for a sense of stability. But even sitting on the deck, the ship rose and fell with the waves. The memory of her two captors filled her with a fresh wave of anxiety.

"How did you get here? How did you find me? Where are the men who kidnapped me? What is going on?" Emma was overwhelmed, the crashing of the waves amplifying her fear.

"Don't be angry when I tell you," he said.

She wasn't angry. She was too terrified to be angry. The dark sea felt like a colossal beast, its roar in the wind threatening to swallow them whole.

"I still had you on my Find My app," he said.

Emma went still. She had never changed phones. She had completely forgotten.

"Fallon realized you never came home and frantically called Latham," he explained. "Your Mr. Fairchild called everyone from the dinner party. I checked your location."