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"Where's Alexis, Sophie?" I ask her, tears still streaming down her face.
"Th… that man. The one with the badge. He t-took her." I fucking knew it.
"Where, Sophie? Where did he take her?" Zander asks while still soothing her.
Sophie's eyes bounce between the two of us, hesitating before she finally answers.
"Home. He said he was taking her home."
Lex
s
taring blankly out the windshield as the countryside flies by us. Jason’s in the driver’s seat, fidgeting with the radio like it even fucking matters what song is playing while I’m being kidnapped. He finally speaks first.
“Never should have ran in the first place, Alexis.” He sneers at me, glancing back and forth between me and the road. I cannot believe this mother fucker. I laugh at him and shake my head.
“Never should have beat me in the first place, Jase.” I mock, turning to look out the passenger window but my head is ripped back when he grabs a fistful of my hair and pulls me to face him, the car swerving violently with the motion.
“Watch your fucking mouth when you’re talking to me or I’ll finish you right here and leave your lifeless body on the side of the road,” his voice is so calm and cold, same as always. He shoves me away, returning his hand to the steering wheel. His fingers flex against the smooth leather of the steering wheel. I take in his features - sharp jaw, clean shaven, close cropped dark brown hair, a crooked nose from a bar fight he got into when we first started dating. Bright green eyes that I used to get lost in. I think back to the first time I met Jase. I was at a going-away-party for one of my friends from high school. He was leaving to go into the Marines. Jason was a friend of a friend of a friend. He and I started talking and he made me believe that we were perfect for each other. That I was the only girl for him. That I was special.
“Did you ever really love me?” I ask, flicking my eyes to the windshield. The rain that started to fall has turned into a steady pitter patter against the glass. He flips the wipers on and cuts his eyes to me and back out to the road.
“Of course I loved you. I still love you Alexis,” he sighs, propping his elbow up on the door and running his fingers through his short hair. I’ve been calm so far, reasonable. Honestly, I’m probably a kidnapper's dream. I haven’t really resisted much, but something inside me snaps when he says he loves me.
“Remind me Officer Crenshaw,” I spit out, still turned in my seat with my back against the door and my arms crossed over my chest, “when was it you loved me? Was it the time you threw me down the stairs because I forgot to wash your work shirt? Or was it the time I was late getting dinner on the table and you dumped scalding hot water down my leg? I still have the scars, by the way. Or is it now, finding me after letting me stay gone for four years and manipulating me to come with you?” My voice is rising, each word getting sharper and sharper. “If you loved me, we wouldn’t be in this situation now. If you loved me, I never would have left in the first place!” CRACK! He backhands me in the mouth, effectively shutting me up. I can feel blood trickling down my face, wet and sticky. I reach up to wipe it off.
“Point proven,” I whisper, shaking my head. This is not the man I fell in love with all those years ago. I’m not sure he was ever the man I thought he was.
Turning in my seat to face the windshield, I flick the glove box open, rifling for napkins to clean my face up. Slamming it shut, “so, where are we going?” I wince, pressing the cheap paper to my cracked lip.
“Back to Jersey,” he answers, settling back in his seat from his assault on my face. I don’t say anything else. I don’t have anything left to say. There was never a question when Jason showed up, saying it was me or them. I would never let him lay a finger on those kids. I would choose this life a thousand times over if it meant keeping them safe. My mind wanders, worrying what Ford must think. I hope he only knows how much I love him.
The rain is coming down harder now, slicing in sheets dancing in front of the headlights.
“Jase, you should probably slow down,” I say nervously, as he takes another corner dangerously fast, fishtailing a little coming out of the turn. He glances at me out of the corner of his eye and then back to the road. He lets off the accelerator a little. I settle in for what’s bound to be a long drive back to Jersey.
Ford
I’m pacing the length of the living room as detectives search every inch of her house. I don’t know what the fuck they’re looking for. I told them what Sophie said, that he was taking her home. Home is Jersey. Why the fuck are they searching here like they’re going to find her in a closet? Zander is talking in hushed tones to Sophie while the paramedics look her over and the detectives ask her more questions. I tug on my hair.
Detective Layne approaches me. In his hand he’s holding two phones. One belongs to Alexis and the other must be Crenshaw’s’.
“I found these on the bed in the master bedroom. Assuming one of these belongs to Alexis?” He asks, and I reach out and snag hers, powering it on. The screen comes to life and it’s a picture of all four of us, Aria on my back with her arms around my neck and Lex and Zane giving each other bunny ears at the pumpkin patch. My heart breaks more than it already has.
“This one is hers. Why the fuck are these officers all still here?” I gesture at all the nonsense happening around us, “I told you exactly what he said. He’s taking her home. Home is fucking New Jersey.” I’m so angry. Mostly angry at myself for not seeing through the whole facade she put on earlier and kicking the door in when I had the chance.
“We’ve sent a car from New Jersey State Highway Patrol to the address for Crenshaw. The couple that answered the door said they bought the house from him a few months ago. They didn’t have a forwarding address. We have detectives searching databases now trying to find any properties listed in his name. These things take time.” He says and I see red.
“We don’t have fucking time! The last time he put his hands on her he almost killed her.” My voice cracks. Zander clasps his hand on my shoulder.
; “Hey, let's take a walk,” he says, steering me out of the living room and through the front door and out into the yard. I shrug his hand off of me and huff out a breath. I can’t just sit here and do nothing and I tell Zander exactly that. He cracks a grin and slaps me on the back.
“Well big bro, why didn’t you just say so? I’ve got friends in low places.”
Lex
