An Unlikely Hero

Chapter Twenty

Brandon

"Where the fuck can't you find her John?" I screamed into the phone.

"You need to calm down Brandon." his voice sounded strained, and I felt bad for screaming but I didn't know what to do.

"We are going to find her." His voiced cracked. "I swear to you I won't stop until we do." he got serious. "Now are you going to help or just scream and yell?"

I wanted to scream some more. I wanted to punch someone, or something. I wanted to punch myself because I told her I would keep her safe, and I hadn't. I let her down. The woman I loved who had been let down her whole life, couldn't even count on me. 

"What can I do?" I sighed.

"Well you said you needed to head home and shower and change, I assumed you've done that so get back to Lana's and we will try and figure out the missing pieces and figure out how he got her which will help us figure out where she is now." He had a tone of determination they motivated me.

It's true I had gone home around nine in the morning.  As soon as we realized Alex was missing John had called his partner and when he and other officers arrived they did a thorough search and interviewed everyone at the party.  They had figured out that somehow he had known about the party which mean he had probably been keeping close tabs on her since the accident. They found a ladder by the bathroom window, which would have seemed suspicious to anyone passing by except the bathroom window faced the back of the house and no one was outside.  They also weren't positive, but they were thinking he had somehow drugged her water bottle.  That was the only explanation on how he could have gotten her out of the bathroom window and down a ladder without her making a noise. While they were interviewing me, they had asked if at any time I had left our drinks unattended, and after a long time I remembered we did set our drinks down to dance.  Which could only mean he was in the house and was close enough to us to drug her water bottle, and I hadn't noticed.  What kind of a person does that?  How could I not have seen him, I thought I was being so careful.  It's my fault.  He must have been one strong guy to carry an unconscious body down a ladder without making enough of a commotion to alert anyone to what he was doing.  Either that or very determined.  That thought alone made my skin crawl.  What was he doing to my sweet girl while I was sitting her not doing a damn thing to help her. I promised her I wouldn't let him hurt her again, and it killed me that I broke that promise.

"Okay I'll be there right away." I told him.

I grabbed my keys and on my way out I saw a pile of rubber bands on the counter. I knew they belonged to Alex since she was always wearing a few on her wrist. She always just shrugged when I asked her why. I picked them up and put a couple around my own wrist. I snapped them a couple times and suddenly it made sense.

"Oh Alex." I whispered. "Don't give up.  I'm going to find you."

I shook my head and wiped away a stray tear that had fallen. I just had to find her. I practically ran to my car. I drove as quickly as I could to Lana's. It was strange to think that last night I was driving over there with Alex. I remembered how nervous she was, and how every fibre of my being told me we shouldn't go, but I would have done anything she asked me. I should have listened to my gut.  It's my fault he has her. The creep tortured her and stole her childhood, and so much more and now he had her.

I pulled up and there were several police cars still parked outside Lana's house.  I suddenly felt bad for Lana, I know she was really upset, we all were, and I wasn't exactly giving her any support like I should have been.  I got out of my car and entered the house.  Lana, Michael had obviously gone back to Michael's to shower and change like I had, but John was in the same clothes and he looked like shit.  I also recognized Officer Carter and a few other officers who had been around when I had my accident.