When we got closer to Emma's house, we could already see the reflections of the police lights flashing against the walls. Chad parked the car, and we ran toward the house, but there was a barrier set up and we couldn't get too close.
We spotted Brandon from a distance. He began walking toward us. When he lowered his eyes and noticed that Chad and I were holding hands, his expression fell. There were reporters and a few curious onlookers around. Brandon finally reached us. I lowered my head. That gesture alone said everything. I never wanted to hurt Brandon, but it was inevitable.
"What happened, Brandon?" Adam shouted.
"I don't know, Adam…" Brandon replied.
Adam tried to push past the barrier and run toward the house, but a few officers held him back.
"Where's Emma?" he asked desperately.
"Easy, kid," one of the officers said.
Chad stepped closer and spoke calmly. "Sir, Emma lives here. She's our friend. We're worried. Can you please tell us where she is?"
The officer sighed. "She's at the police station."
Brandon stepped forward. "Why is Emma at the station?"
The officer answered, "She's giving a statement. Her father, Derick Bennett, is being accused of large-scale financial fraud and money laundering, and…" He paused for a moment before continuing. "They were tipped off about the operation and appear to have fled, both him and his wife. The girl was alone in the house, so we took her to the station to give a statement."
Brandon immediately asked for the address of the station. Jhenna arrived at that moment, clearly worried.
"Let's go to the station," Brandon said as he headed toward his car.
"I'm going with you," Adam said.
"So am I," Jhenna added.
Brandon looked at me. "Aren't you coming?"
Chad took my hand and said, "She is, but with me."
And I went with him.
When we arrived at the police station, we entered the reception area. They asked why we were there, and everyone started talking at once. The officer raised her hand.
"I don't understand. One at a time."
Brandon then explained the situation.
"Emma Bennett?" the officer asked.
"Yes," we all answered at the same time.
"She'll be taken to a shelter. There are no close relatives, and we don't know where her parents are."
"No, she's not going to a shelter," Brandon said, pulling out his phone. "I'm calling my father."
We waited.
My phone rang. It was my dad.
"Mia, where are you?"
I broke down. "Dad… Emma…" I started crying. "Where are you?"
"Mia, I'm on my way," he said.
When Mr. Jackson arrived, he went straight to the front desk. He signed a document taking temporary responsibility for Emma until the situation was resolved.
When Emma was finally released, she looked completely shattered. We ran to hug her.
"Adam, my dad and my mom left me," she cried.
Adam held her tightly, cupped her face, and said, "Emma, you have us. I'm here. I'm not going anywhere."
Chad wrapped an arm around me. Then my dad arrived, accompanied by Ruth and Abigail. I ran to hug him.
"My girl, what a scare. Thank God you're all okay," he said.
Chad looked at my father with open contempt.
My dad spoke briefly with Mr. Jackson and the officers. At that moment, the relief was almost tangible. Emma was safe, and that was all that mattered.
Even so, the atmosphere was strange. Chad couldn't come near me. My father's presence created an invisible barrier between us. He was still angry at Brandon because of what had happened at the party, and Brandon, hurt by me, couldn't even look at my face.
No one spoke. Silence filled the space, heavy and uncomfortable. From the outside, everything seemed calm. Inside, it was anything but. It was impossible not to notice that everyone's mind was screaming, weighed down by unspoken feelings, fresh fears, and unresolved choices.
"Let's go," my father said. "Mia, Adam. Emma is going to stay at Jackson's house."
He looked at Brandon with anger, then glanced at Chad with an expression I couldn't quite understand, something tight and conflicted. Chad looked away. The contempt he felt for my father was unmistakable.
Adam and I said goodbye to everyone and left with my dad.
Inside the car, silence returned. Then my father said, "That man is worthless. It took them long enough to uncover his crimes."
"I feel sorry for Emma," Adam said. His mother put her arm around him.
Then my father asked me, "What was Chad doing there?"
"He must have found out," I said carefully. "We met at the front of Emma's house."
Adam quickly interrupted. "We all went there as soon as we heard."
My father looked at us through the rearview mirror. "Why didn't you call me? I would've gone with you. You can't go out alone this late anymore. This time I understand the desperation, but don't let it happen again."
No one replied. Only the radio filled the silence.
Then a breaking news interruption cut through the music.
"One of the twenty richest men in Florida, businessman Derick Bennett, is currently on the run after evidence of money laundering, financial fraud, and homicide was found at his residence. Bennett is being investigated as the mastermind behind the murder of Police Chief Theodore Harrington in December 2019, after Harrington began investigating the businessman's company. Bennett fled with his wife, leaving behind only his sixteen-year-old daughter, Emma Bennett."
We were all frozen in shock.
Sometimes we realize that the adult world is far more complex and dangerous than we imagine. Power and wealth can hide terrible crimes, leaving innocent people behind, vulnerable and alone. And even in the middle of fear and chaos, we learn that support, friendship, and trust are the only forces strong enough to hold us together when everything seems to fall apart.