Crossing the Lines

FOURTY

"Hannah is strong, she specializes in the knives. That means she's stealthy and clever. If she can't fight her way out of there, she'll think her fucking way out. Hannah is alive and I won't believe otherwise until I see her corpse for my fucking self. We will find her and we will find her soon.

"I know you're a broody, pessimistic, asshole but you have a heart. I know you care for Hannah and you care for Ben. We will find her and, even if theres a tiny chance he's still alive, will find Ben too. I will not give up on them, we will not give up on them. Now, go to bed, take some Advil. Do whatever the fuck you need to do. Tomorrow, we are finding them."

"He's dead Sarah."

"Have you seen his body?! Other than just a picture?!"

"A picture is worth a thousand words..."

"Not anymore. We live in the twenty first century, asshole. Do you realize how easy it is to edit photos?! Take a picture of someone and make them look paler, as if they lost blood. Put shadows over a couple wounds, making them appear deeper than they really are. Hell, edit a couple of gunshot wounds on their chest as well.

"I get that you grew up in this life. You think the only way to live it is by shutting down and being a cold, ruthless killer. I've been here for a while now, though. None of that has worked for me in the hard times. Do you wanna know what has?"

"What?"

"Hope."

Sarah left, walking back inside while I sat down, drinking the whiskey straight from the bottle. Hope? Yeah, no. We don't get hope in this life. Even if we wanted to, theres statistics. Statistics show that my best friend is probably at the bottom of the ocean and Hannah isn't far behind him.

I don't know when I fell asleep, or if I even did, but I woke up the next morning still sitting on my balcony, just with an empty bottle of whiskey. The sun was bright and the birds in the forest were chirping as I slowly stood up, rubbing my eyes.

I think that's the part that hurts the most. Someone could be dead. They could be dead and you'll feel like your world is going to come crashing down. It doesn't though. The sun still rises, the birds still sing, and the world keeps spinning.

I walked downstairs to get another bottle of something but I stopped when everyone was in the kitchen. They all looked to me, worriedly. See, this is why I always leave when I want to think. I don't have to eat, sleep, or do anything and have people worried. I can drink as much as I want and think in peace.

"We think we have a new lead." Vinnie spoke up.

I was going to answer Vinnie but we all froze. The doorbell rang. The doorbell to a safe house that nobody knows about rang. Theres no people, road, or even civilization for miles. If our door bell rings, it mean someone came looking for us.

I grabbed my gun from my waist band before walking to the foyer. Everyone trailed behind me, weapons out and ready. I looked back at all of them before carefully opening the door. I immediately pointed my gun at the person standing there.

"Annika." I look her over, trying to find any weapons or cameras she could have on her. I don't know if I trust her yet, but that doesn't mean I want her at my house.

Before Annika could say anything, I was shoved out of the way and she was tackled to the ground. Sarah was on top of her, punching, clawing, and screaming. Leo and Oliver went to go get her, but I held my hand up, stopping them.

I was trying to see what Annika would do. She's a skilled fighter, much more experience than Sarah. If she wanted, Sarah would be dead by now. She wasn't though. Annika, was blocking hits and defending herself but she wasn't fighting back.

"Okay." I nod to the boys.

Oliver and Leo run over and try to pry Sarah off of Annika. They finally get her off but she's kicking and screaming, trying to finish what she started. Sarah's never taken a life but she looks as though she could today.

"Take her to his room and keep her there." I tell them as they struggle to get her back in the house.

"Did I pass your test?" Annika asks as she sits up, wiping the blood off her bottom lip. I walk over to her and hold out a hand to help her up.

"That wasn't a test, that was just for fun." She rolls her eyes.

"Why the hell are you here?"

"Honestly, I have no idea. There were many ways I could've contacted you but I felt the need to see you in person." I was silent for a minute, studying her.

"You know where she is." It wasn't a question, it was a statement.

"She's at a compound in New York, I'll give you the address and whatever information you need."

"Is she still alive?" The question made me want to throw up as it rolled off my tongue, but I had to ask it.

"She is, she'll be okay. I've been the one torturing her so I've made her look a lot worse than she actually is. Regardless, there giving her medical care. Jack wants her alive right now."

"Why didn't you tell me this over the phone?" She immediately looks at the others, still standing behind me. I look back at them and nod my head to the house, causing them to all go back inside. Once it's just the two of us, she speaks again, almost in a whisper.

"I was going to call you but I found out more information."

"Which is?"

"Ben's alive."

I froze.

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HOLY SHIT WE REACHED 200k!!!! Thank you guys so much for all of the love and support you've shown me and this book!! I'm going to try my best to write another chapter tonight but it's kind of late here and I have more homework to do(fml). I love you guys!!! Comment and Vote!!