Chapter 4 Nathan froze , and confusion flickered in his gaze . " What are you talking about ? Why would you have Rosanne's phone ? " " Nathan , we found the crime scene , and the phone's here . You should come in person . " The voice on the line hit him like a blow , his body swaying slightly . He opened his mouth , but no sound came out of it . It was as if something had lodged in his throat . Lawrence gave his sleeve an anxious tug . " Don't just stand there ! Go ! " Snapping out of it , Nathan turned to Gemma and said , " You go home . I'll come to you in a bit . " With tears brimming in her eyes , Gemma reached out to stop him , but her hands merely grabbed at air . It was my first time seeing Nathan leave her for me . As I watched him hurry away , complex emotions twisted in my chest . For a moment , it felt like I had my older brother back , the one who once doted on me . At the scene , Orson handed him my phone . " We found it in the corner . The splattered blood nearby looks like the victim dropped it while trying to escape . " Staring at the familiar pink phone case , Nathan's breathing quickened . With trembling fingers , he entered his birthday , and the screen unlocked instantly . Lawrence swallowed hard before trying to comfort him . " Maybe Rosie dropped it , and someone else picked it up . " Nathan mechanically nodded with a vacant gaze . Lawrence gave him a firm pat on the back and said , " Stay sharp . This isn't the time to fall apart . " As Nathan drew a sharp breath , he looked around , where blood stained the walls like splattered ink . A single broken chair was at the side , while a bundle of rope was discarded nearby . Scattered footprints marked the ground . I hovered close beside him , though I was now just a soul . Even now , after death , I couldn't hold back my tremors at the sight of this place . That night still felt like a nightmare . Gemma had lured me here with the excuse that Nathan was hurt . And once I arrived , they tied me down tightly . The man had terrifying strength , and I couldn't move an inch , no matter how much I struggled . Watching as I writhed on the floor , Gemma burst out laughing in delight . " Rosanne , aren't you supposed to be a cop's daughter ? Bet you never saw this coming , right ? " How does it feel to be tortured by people like us ? It must feel good , doesn't it ? " I could feel my blood run cold after hearing her words . " Who are you ? What do you want ? " I asked . She had smiled and gestured to the man beside her . " Go ahead , Jaxton . " He sneered . " If we don't make her suffer , how else can we repay Detective Roland Slade for his dedication ? " My head snapped up at the mention of my dad's name . " You're the ... Crowes ? " Five years ago , Dad helped crack a major jewelry store robbery . During the investigation , two men had stormed in and taken me and another customer hostage . 1/2 enter 4 +25 BONUS As the lead investigator , Dad negotiated with the robbers . They demanded a huge ransom and a speedboat , and only then would they let us go . Mom , as one of the city's top psychologists , came too . She offered to swap herself in as a hostage . " My daughter's with you , so let the other hostage go . You'll have more leverage with us both . " I had a rag stuffed in my mouth and could only shake my head wildly , begging her not to . She smiled gently and said , " Don't worry . Your dad's outside , so everything's going to be fine . * I looked over at Dad , who gave me a small , steady nod . So , I slowly calmed down But just as the swap was happening , the other hostage panicked and screamed Enraged , the robbers raised their guns . My instincts took over as I shoved the hostage away to protect her . And just as the gun aimed at me , Mom threw herself in front of me as the shot went off . Dad and his team rushed in seconds later , but the robbers had fled . Instead of stopping to check on us , he ran after them . After a relentless chase , he managed to tackle one of the robbers . But a gunshot rang out from the second robber lurking in the shadows , hitting him in the head He died on the spot , and Mom didn't make it to the hospital either . Just like that , Nathan and I became orphans . He couldn't accept losing both parents in a single day and blamed their deaths on me . He believed that tragedy had happened because I'd gone to that mall After venting all his rage on me , he drove me out of the house . " Get out ! This is all your fault , you goddamn jinx ! You ungrateful bitch ! You're no sister of mine ! " I tried to explain , but he wouldn't listen to a single word I said Later , he saved Gemma and took her in as family , while I became the eyesore . Gemma's dad was Alistair Crowe , the robber Dad had caught and was executed . She'd changed her name and approached us , just to avenge her dad Jaxton Crowe tortured me for two days . To humiliate my parents , he chopped off my limbs and had someone violate me When I was barely hanging on , they thought it'd be fun to call Nathan on my phone and said I could beg for help . As the phone buzzed , the agonizing and severe bleeding pulled my consciousness in and out . When the call was finally picked up , Nathan's annoyed voice came through . " What now ? " I forced my bloody mouth open and called out , " Nathan , help ... "