CH 52.
Andrianne was pacing back and forth in her living room, tears streaming down her face. Jackie had her arm around her, trying to offer some comfort. They had just received the anonymous call warning them not to involve the police or risk losing Lucas.
“What are we going to do?” Andrianne cried out. “I can’t just sit here and wait for something terrible to happen to him.”
“I know, I know,” Jackie said soothingly. “We need to think of a plan, a way to get Lucas back safely.”
Andrianne sniffled, wiping her tears with the back of her hand. “But how? We don’t even know who took him or why.”
“We’ll figure it out,” Jackie said determinedly. “First, we need to stay calm and think rationally.”
Andrianne nodded, taking a deep breath to calm herself. “Okay, okay. What do we do first?”
“We need to find out who the caller was,” Jackie said. “Maybe we can trace the call or find some other clue that will lead us to Lucas.”
Andrianne nodded, feeling a glimmer of hope. “Okay, let’s do it. Let’s find out who this person is.”
Jackie took out her phone and began searching for ways to trace the call. Andrianne joined in, looking up any information that might be useful.
As they searched, they talked through their ideas and theories, bouncing thoughts off each other. Slowly but surely, they began to piece together a plan.
“We need to set a trap,” Jackie said finally. “If we can lure the kidnapper out, we might be able to get Lucas back.”
Andrianne looked at her skeptically. “But how are we going to do that?”
“We’ll use ourselves as bait,” Jackie said. “We’ll make it seem like we’re going to involve the police, but in reality, we both know that it’s very dangerous,”
As the words reeled out in Jackie’s mouth, Andrianne became more apprehensive by the second. She wanted the whole drama to be over as soon as possible.
Jackie sat on the couch, watching her friend with a worried expression. “What are we going to do, Andrianne?” she asked softly.
Andrianne shook her head. “I don’t know. I don’t know what to do.”
They sat in silence for a few minutes, lost in their thoughts. Andrianne couldn’t stop thinking about Lucas and what could have happened to him. She felt like she was going to be sick.
Suddenly, her phone rang, making her jump. She quickly answered it. “Hello?”
“It’s me,” the unknown caller said.
Andrianne’s heart skipped a beat. “What do you want?”
“I want to make a deal. Meet me at the old abandoned warehouse on 5th street at midnight tonight. Come alone.”
Andrianne’s mind raced. Should she go? What if it was a trap? But she had to do something to save Lucas. “Okay,” she said finally.
The caller hung up without another word.
Andrianne turned to Jackie, who was staring at her with a mixture of concern and confusion. “I have to go,” she said. “To the warehouse.”
“What? No way!” Jackie protested. “You can’t go there alone, it’s too dangerous.”
“I have to try, Jackie. I can’t just sit here and do nothing.”
Jackie stood up and walked over to her friend. “I’m coming with you,” she said firmly.
Andrianne nodded gratefully. “Thank you.”
They spent the rest of the day preparing for their meeting with the mysterious caller. They talked about what they might say, what they might do. Andrianne felt a little bit better with Jackie by her side, but she was still scared.
As midnight approached, they got into Jackie’s car and drove to the old warehouse. It was dark and creepy, and Andrianne’s heart was racing as they got out of the car and approached the entrance.
Suddenly, they heard a sound behind them. They turned around to see a dark figure emerging from the shadows.
Andrianne’s heart was pounding so hard she could hardly breathe. “Who are you?” she demanded, her voice trembling.
The figure stepped forward, into the light. Andrianne gasped in surprise as she recognized the face of the man standing before her.
It was Steve!
Andrianne and Jackie were both stunned when they realized that Steve was behind Lucas’ kidnapping. They had never suspected him of such an evil act.
Andrianne felt betrayed by someone she had trusted and allowed into her life. She couldn’t believe that Steve would do something so terrible to Lucas, who had been nothing but kind to him. Tears streamed down her face as she thought about what Lucas must be going through.
Jackie was equally shocked. She had known Steve for years during college and had never seen any indication that he was capable of something like this. She felt sick to her stomach as she thought about the innocent man who was suffering because of Steve’s actions.
“Surprise!” Steve smirked as he pulled out a gun from his back pocket, this was the moment of truth for him and he was going to make the most of it.
Andrianne stood frozen as Steve pointed the gun at Jackie, his eyes filled with malice and anger. Jackie, on the other hand, was ready to fight back, but Andrianne begged her to leave, to not provoke Steve any further.
“Please, Jackie, just go. I don’t want anyone else to get hurt,” Andrianne pleaded, her voice shaky.
Jackie hesitated for a moment, looking back at her friend before reluctantly making her way to the door. As she walked out, Steve signaled one of his boys to follow her and keep an eye on her.