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"I think so," Derik said. "There's only one way to find out."
Morgan pushed hard on the gas pedal, speeding through the city as fast as she could. Although she tried not to think about it, being alone with Derik in the car stirred up strange emotions in her. She had so many questions now. And if they were going to keep working together, she wanted answers to them.
"Why didn't you tell me you had a son?" she asked him.
Derik let out a heavy sigh. "It's complicated," he said, resting his hand on his lap. "I... I was ashamed that I decided not to be in his life. But I thought it'd be better for him. My ex and I were broken up, and I was still drinking, and as an FBI agent... I couldn't exactly be a present father."
Morgan nodded. She could understand that. "What's his name?"
"Luke," Derik answered, his voice barely above a whisper. "He's eight now."
Morgan's heart softened at the mention of Derik's son. She couldn't imagine how hard it must have been for him to stay away from his own child.
"I'm sorry," she said, placing a hand on his arm. "That must have been really difficult for you."
Derik gave her a small smile.
"It was," he admitted. "But I've learned to live with it. And now, I have something to fight for - to make the world a better place for my son and all the other kids out there."
For a second, Morgan's respect for Derik deepened. She knew what it was like to fight for something bigger than oneself, to make something good out of something bad. It was what drove her to become an FBI agent in the first place.
But Morgan quickly remembered that Derik wasn't the same partner she'd always had. Things were different now that he'd betrayed her and lied to her. She still felt there was information he was withholding, but with so many lives on the line, now wasn't the time to talk about it.
She focused on the road, driving the rest of the way in silence.
CHAPTER TWENTY SEVEN
Morgan's heart pounded in her chest as she entered the dimly lit interrogation room. She found Jessica huddled in a corner, wrapped in a gray blanket and clutching a steaming mug of hot chocolate as if it were her lifeline. The young woman's eyes darted around the room nervously, her body trembling like a leaf caught in a storm.
"Jessica?" Morgan asked gently, taking a seat across from her. She could see the raw fear etched into the girl's face and knew she had to tread carefully. Every second mattered, but they couldn't afford any missteps. "My name is Agent Cross, and this is Agent Derik. We're with the FBI, and we're here to help you."
"Please," Jessica whispered, her voice hoarse from crying. "You have to find Sarah. He's going to kill her."
"Tell me everything that happened," Morgan urged, her tone soft yet decisive. "Start from the beginning. We need every detail."
Jessica hesitated for a moment, then took a shaky breath and began to speak. "We...we met him at our AA meeting. He seemed really nice, you know? Charming. He offered to buy us dinner, so we said yes. We thought he was just being friendly." She swallowed hard, her eyes filling with tears. "But then he started acting weird. Scaring us. And before we knew it, he'd tied us up and told us he was going to drown us."
"Can you describe him? Anything that could help us identify him?"
"Dark hair, kind of tall," Jessica said, her voice steadier now. "He had a creepy smile, like he was always hiding something."
"Did he say anything about where he was taking you?" Derik asked, his brow furrowed in concentration.
"No, just that it would be somewhere far away," she replied, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. "I don't know how I managed to escape, but I just knew I had to get away and find help."
"Jessica, you're incredibly brave for coming forward," Morgan told her, her voice filled with admiration. "We'll do everything we can to find Sarah and bring her home safely."
"Can you tell me how you managed to escape?" Morgan asked gently, watching Jessica's trembling hands clutch the blanket around her shoulders.
Jessica took a deep breath and slowly began to speak. "I... I managed to loosen the ropes on my hands while he was driving. When he slowed down, I saw my chance. I opened the door and just... jumped out."
"Jumped out of a moving vehicle?" Derik questioned, both impressed and concerned.
"Y-yeah," she nodded, her voice barely audible. "I hit the ground hard, but I knew I had to keep running. I couldn't let him catch me again." Tears streamed down her face as she continued, "I feel terrible, though. I left Sarah behind." Her voice cracked, and she buried her face in her hands.
Morgan could see the guilt weighing heavy on Jessica's shoulders, and her heart went out to her. She couldn't imagine the strength it must have taken to make that decision. "You did what you had to do, Jessica. Your bravery helped lead us to your captor. Now we need to focus on finding Sarah before it's too late." Morgan leaned in closer to Jessica, her eyes full of sympathy and determination. "Jessica, I need you to think back to when you were with him. Do you have any idea where he was taking you and Sarah?"
Jessica's eyes searched the room, as if trying to find the answers hidden in the sterile walls. Her voice trembled as she replied, "I don't know exactly... We were on the outskirts of town, but everything was moving so fast. I just remember running and running until I found help."
