A Wolf's Purpose

•Chapter 9• Cannot Trust

"What do you mean?" The man questioned sternly. The woman that stood in front of them looked down at her feet. She was almost too embarrassed to look at them. No one paid attention. The three most dangerous prisoners had just walked out of prison. No alarm bells rang. Nobody saw anything. At least, no one claims to have seen anything. A few prisoners saw the young Salvini boy being dragged out of his cell. But no one dared to say anything. The Salvini's always know when you've spoken past your turn. Two bribed corrupt guards who just walked in and out. It was unbelievable. So simple. "What do you mean they ran out?" Hayden asked. The two cops couldn't believe their ears. How? "This prison is supposed to be the most secure! How did you idiots manage to let them escape like that!?" Hayden snapped at them. Donna's expression changed when he raised his voice. "And I suppose you could've done it better?" She suggested. "Yes. I wouldn't let the Salvini's escape like that!" He snapped back at her. "We've caught the men who let them out." The woman tells him. "Have they been questioned yet?" Lucas asks. She nodded. "They confessed but other than that we have no information. We don't know where they went or who offered them the money." The woman informs them. "How much money are we talking about?" Hayden asks. "Not that much. Maybe two hundred dollars." The woman answered. "They let them go for two hundred dollars?! What kind of payment do these people get?!" Lucas exclaimed, "They're criminals!" He added.

Jayden followed his brother out the door and to the vending machine. There was no one there. He looked through the window that was beside the machine. But it was dark inside but the curtains were open. There was no one inside. "You're absolutely sure it was her?" Megan asked him. Jack glared at her. "Yes," he snapped at her. Megan shot a quick glance at Jayden. He just shrugged and sneaked over to another window. "I'm just saying, you haven't seen her in a while. It would make sense if you had mistaken her for someone else. Someone who looks like her-" Megan spoke sweetly. The look in his eyes cut her sentence short. Meanwhile, Jayden peeked inside another room. At least, he tried. The lights were turned on but the curtains were shut tight. He saw three figures in the room but he couldn't see their faces. They were awfully vague. He decided to stop peeking inside before he gets caught. He walked back to his brother and Megan. "I don't see her." He said. "She was here," Jack tells his brother. Jayden shook his head. "Well, she's not inside. And you said she came that way. But I don't see her." Jayden tells him, "Maybe it wasn't Jade." He added. Jack stepped closer to his brother. "She looked like mom, Jayden." He tells. His brother was silent. Did he imagine it? He could have. His brother was always searching for their mother after she passed. There had been a time when he imagined her walking around while she wasn't there. He could've easily mistaken a woman for his sister. Parker and Jade looked a lot alike. Could this all be some misunderstanding? Is Jack's brain messing with him? "Jack-" Jayden started. "No! I know what I saw!" Jack snapped, "I'm not crazy. She was here." He tells his brother. "She's not here. She's safe. At home." he assured him. "Well," Megan spoke up. The two boys turned to the girl. "Jade hasn't exactly been home." She says. The boys furrowed their eyebrows. "She's not home?" Jayden asks her. Megan shook her head. "I have been keeping an eye on your house ever since you left. Jade hasn't been around. No one has seen her for months. The night you disappeared, she disappeared." She explained. Jayden looks at his brother. "Do you think Louis has something to do with this?" He questions. "Where else could she have run off to?" He questioned. "Your uncle?" Megan spoke up. The two boys sighed. "Uncle dearest," Jayden said. "Do you believe me now?" He asks.

Meanwhile, inside the room, Jade sat on her bed, pulling the covers over her lap. The shower was still running in the other room. Casper was taking a very long shower. Louis walked over to Jade, taking this time to have a little chat with her. Jade looked up at her uncle. "Please don't tell me you want your own sheets." Jade started. Louis shook his head as he sat on the bed standing next to hers. "Can I ask you something?" He asks. "You just did." She smiled at him. He chuckled and looked at the door of the bathroom. The shower was still running. Casper wouldn't be able to hear them. Good. "Are you sure about this?" He asks her. "About what, exactly?" Jade asks him. "About this whole thing. Going to Chesterfield. Do you think that's a good idea?" He asks her. Jade looks at him. "Why wouldn't it be a good idea?" She questions. "Well, say that they did take his body? If it is them, they must have been planning this for a long time, now. They're probably not working alone." Louis says. She raises her eyebrow. "And?" Jade asks. "There's three of us. There could be ten of them." Louis said. Jade narrowed her eyes at him. "You want to walk out while you still can?" She asks him. He quickly shook his head. "No, I want you to think this through before you make any decisions you'll regret later." He tells her calmly. Jade runs her hand through her hair and sighed. "You think I won't go through with it?" She asks. "I think you're acting a little fast." Louis started, "Your dad did that too. It didn't always end well. When he became impatient he also became reckless. I don't want you to get caught over something like this." He continued. Jade looked at him. "I don't think the police followed us all the way out here." She replied. "You never know. Please, for once, listen to me. Do not do anything irresponsible or careless. Think these things through." He said. He shot another glance at the bathroom door. "And don't get too attached." He tells her. Jade followed his glance. "He's a good kid." She said. "You can't trust everyone, Jade." He tells her sternly. "I thought we were supposed to trust one another in this group." Jade continued. "The pack is a group built of very different people who only have a few things in common. One of them is that they're all liars. They have all done horrible things and managed to stay out of prison all these years." Louis tells her sternly. He was starting to sound like her father. Jade looked down at her hands that rested on her lap. She inhaled deeply and turned back to Louis. "I trust him." She tells him. The shower was turned off in the bathroom. Louis sighed and looked at Jade. "You can't trust anyone." He tells her quietly. Jade lifted her chin to look at him. "And I assume I'm supposed to trust you?" She asks him. "No," He said, "You can't trust anyone. Not even me." He added. "So, I'm supposed to trust myself?" She questioned. As cliche as that sounded. Louis was making his way over to the bathroom grabbing the towel that was on the chair by the little desk. "No one. Remember when you wanted to kill your brothers, and you ended up lowering that gun?" He asks, "This world will mess with your brain, little one. That's what your father tried to keep you from. There will come a point in this life where you can't even trust your own words anymore." He tells her. Before Jade could open her mouth to respond Casper stepped out of the bathroom. Louis shot one glance at her before he walked past Casper and into the bathroom, shutting the door behind him. "What's the drama queen's deal?" He chuckled. Jade's concerned expression turned into a fake smile. "Nothing." She assured him.