I stand there, shocked. Brooke spoke to me for the first time. I smile before I register what she said.
“What’s wrong, Brooke?” I sit in a daze, waiting and hoping for a response.
Brooke says nothing, and I panic even more. I look over at Gears.
“Call Ink now!” I bark.
I hear a loud bang through the phone, and then a scream. I hold my phone tighter and take in a deep breath.
“Brooke? Answer me!” I raise my voice.
I hear more screams, and I speed-walk to the door. I have no clue where they are, which kills me, but I’m not waiting around; I’m going to find her.
“Gears! Have anything?” I look over at him.
“They are at our gas station,” he says, hanging up the phone.
I run toward my bike with my phone still against my ear, trying to find out any information I can while the call is still going on.
“Oh, you aren’t getting away from me this time,” I hear through the phone, and then it goes dead.
I look at my phone and see the call has ended. I jump on my bike and ride toward the gas station, Gears following behind me.
I break all the traffic rules and get to the gas station in record time. Once we get there, Ink is pacing back and forth. I turn off my bike and rush toward him.
“What happened?” I practically yell, my nerves absolutely frayed.
“I don’t know! There is only one exit, and I saw no one enter or leave. I told her I would stay outside while she got feminine products,” he says, pulling at his hair.
“Let’s check out the place and ask the owner what he saw,” I reply, patting Ink on the shoulder.
I walk toward the entrance of the gas station, putting my hand on the door handle. I turn around to face Ink and Gears.
“One of you go check around the perimeter, and the other come with me,” I say, opening the door.
The bell goes off as the door swings open. I see Jack, the gas station owner, behind the counter. He looks up and smiles when he sees me.
“Bear! What can I help you with?” he asks, standing and walking around the counter.
I walk toward him, and we give each other a handshake.
“My girl came in here a couple of minutes ago and got snatched by someone. Is there any other exit besides the entrance?” I ask.
“I saw Brooke come in, but no one else was in the store besides us. There is another exit, but it’s locked and hasn’t been used in years,” Jack says.
“Let’s go check it out, and then the surveillance camera.” I motion for him to lead the way.
I have been to this gas station so many times and have never seen another doorway. Jack takes us over to the bathrooms. At the end of the hallway, there is a door that is closed.
“This is the door. See it’s... It’s not locked.” He opens the door.
“Let’s go check out the security camera and see what happened,” I say with a hint of anger.
He rushes past me and toward his computer behind the front counter. He types in the time that Brooke was here, and it pulls the videos up.
“All right, here is the time she walked into the store. These four screens capture the whole store, so we should be able to see where she goes and who takes her,” Jack says as he points toward the screen as Brooke walks into the store.
We watch as Brooke goes to the feminine section and starts to look through things. She turns around, scared, and backs up. A male figure walks into the frame, and Brooke runs to the women’s bathroom.
