The Tattooed Devil Wears Chucks

Chapter 63: The Rehearsal

Jax's hand stays firmly gripped in mine as he speeds to the rehearsal. He weaves between cars on the highway, flying past them. They become nothing but specks in the rear view mirror within seconds.

"We need to talk to Lily." It comes out in panic. "I need to know what the stickers mean! Kane has a sticker. Somehow this ties in, it has to. I need to know."

"Lily?" Felix asks from the backseat. "What stickers? Are you talking about my yearbooks?"

"You know about those?" I turn in my seat to Felix.

"How do you know about those?" His eyes go wide.

"We can deal with those later!" Jax grits through his teeth as he puts the car into park. "We're here."

It feels like there is an elephant on my chest, it's tight and hurts to breathe.  I'm not sure I can go in there and look Kane in the face.  I trusted him, I loved him.

I step out of the car and immediately Jax's hand is back in mine.  The three of us are practically running into the restaurant and down to the basement that is booming with the voices and laughter of friends and family.   That laughter completely diminishes when people see me walk in with the formally-deceased Jackson Parker attached to my hand.  That's when the whispers and gasps begin.

My eyes scan the room for any sign of Kane but I don't see him.  My parents stand near the head table and my dad's eyes finally catch mine as we barrel towards him.

"What the hell?  What are you two thinking?"

I clutch my dad's arm in my hand and drag him as my mom begins to scream at the fact my dead boyfriend is here.  I push open the bathroom door, drag my dad in and Felix and Jax follow.  Jax locks the door behind us.

"Dad, where is Kane?!"

He looks between Jax and I and sighs.  "I paid for a wedding that isn't going to happen, right?  Gabby, I'm glad you picked Zooey's dad and that you will be happy, but you put us all in so much danger.  Now what do we do?"

"Dan, we need to find Kane... RIGHT NOW!"  Jax yells.

Dad looks to him with confusion and begins to stumble his words.  "He got a call that he said he needed to take care of it quick and Zooey was getting antsy.  He- he ran her back to the house to get some books and run some errand since you were late anyways.  Why?"

"Oh my god!" I look to Jax and he shares the look of complete horror on his face.  The call had to have been from Mike.  Everyone else is here.  "Jax he has Zooey..."

"What's going on?  He said they would be right back.  They just left."

Felix hands him the jacket.  Dad rubs his hand along the green felt and where you can see the stitching was pulled, causing his eyes to light up.

I pull my phone back out and select Kane's name.  I tell everyone to shut up and put it on speaker.  The bathroom becomes silent.

"Hey, babe."  Kane answers calmly.  Thank god, he doesn't know we know.

"Hey handsome."  I try and keep my shaky voice settled.  Jax cringes at my term of endearment.  "Felix got my car to start.  I'm here and ready to walk down this fake aisle with you.  You almost here?"

He begins to laugh.  A laugh that I've never heard before, almost... sadistic.  It gives me chills.

"No.  I think I'll skip it.  I'm hanging out with Zo."

I begin to cry.  He has my baby.  He knows I know and he has Zooey.

"Oh, where at?  I'll meet up with you.  We don't have to do this rehearsal.  I can marry you without it."

"Somewhere I know thug can't follow."

The line goes dead and I fall into Jax's chest and cry.  "He has our daughter.  We need to find him."

"Dan..." Jax's voice cracks.  "Kane killed Courtney and he has your granddaughter..."

"Where is he taking her that you can't follow?"  My dad clutches his arm in panic.

I look up to Jax, pondering the same question.  His eyes widen at the same time as mine.  Raspberries.

He's taking my baby into the woods.  

To the lake where he killed Courtney.

He's making my worst nightmare come true.