~Blackbourne~
I was instantly on alert when Gabriel said that Victor was with Sang, because Victor was sitting right next to me, eating what was probably his first meal in days.
The entire team had been stressing over Miss. Sorenson's well being. As had I. The fact that Corey was having such problems tracking down the bastard responsible for bringing such pain to my team made me livid. Not at Corey, but at whoever hurt Sang.
So far this seemed to high tech for Mr. Hendricks, Volto didn't work didn't work like this... well not that he's shown, and... we didn't have any enemies outside of that. Well, not big threats anyways.
After we had rushed down to Miss. Sorenson's room only to find her hospital bed empty, Mr. Coleman had reached his limit. Mr. Lee and Mr. Morgan had called in the other to update then while trying to bring Mr. Coleman back.
His defeated voice just kept asking us where his Trouble was.
Corey checked the camera and wires. He had said that the wires were tampered with as soon as we left. Meaning whoever it was had been waiting for the room to clear out.
Sean checked the wires and camera's for prints but there were only our prints on there.
I was going to find her. I was going to bring her home. And whoever did this shit to my team will have hell to pay.
*****
~Sang~
A warbled voice awoke me only a little from my sleep, the boys so often had done this. I heard there pleading and crying at me to do more. To wake up.
I wanted to, it hurt so bad to hear Victor's deep baritone voice broken with stress and depression. I didn't want to be the cause of that. So I tried all the time to wake up fully but it never really worked. Now, all I heard were a few voices.
The voices slowly became clearer in my coma-like state, as Dr. Green so often put it, and finally I could make out words.
A monotonous voice that seemed very familiar was talking, "good job, you've been a great asset. I'll get you your constellation prize when this is all over."
The next voice that spoke made me wish I could wake up and see her, "I'll get her back right?" Marie asked, I couldn't figure out what she was talking about.
Me? Did she mean this guy, whoever he was would make me somehow wake up? She missed me?
She cared?
The second voice spoke again and this time I recognized it, "Yes, you'll get her back. I'm going to deal with those boys and she," Volto paused, "will be mine."
I heard an exasperated sigh, "she's practically dead, how can she be any good to you?"
"I had some chemical compound added to both bombs, believe it or not, Marie Sorenson, I have eyes still in the Morgan house. Particularly in the room the bombs went off in, I had full control over when the bombs went off, if the boys had been caught in the explosion they too would be passed out. Sang will wake in a few days because of her height and weight being so small, the gaseous elixir I used was to strong of a dose for her dainty personnel," Volto said.
"So you kidnapped her, what are you going to do with her?"
Volto didn't answer right away and gave me enough time to be sufficiently freaked out.
Kidnapped? I had been kidnapped and my sister was in on it? She had made a deal with Volto? Does she know what he looks like? No, my frazzled brain caught up with my worries, his voice was still warbled, that means he had his mask on.
"Sang's mine now, you have no need to worry about my plans of her."
My mind started to get foggy again, the voices tilted and swirled together until I couldn't tell if they were even talking English. Eventually the voices muted and I fell back into the dark void that was my only welcomed companion.
My last thought was of the boys.
Was Gabriel okay? I hope he wasn't freaking out.
How mad was North that I had left him?
Did Kota still have his calm attitude?
Was Mr. Blackbourne keeping the boys in check?
Did Silas miss me as much as I missed him?
Was Dr. Green keeping everything lighthearted?
Was Luke eating?
Was Victor blaming himself?
Would Nathan want to play basketball when I was found?
And I realized that I didn't doubt them, I'd be found. I had to. They'd find me. I was family. That's what family did, they helped you and knelt with you and made you stand up for what's right. They protected you and kept you from harm, while constantly pushing you to be the best you you can be. They fought and cried, they played and teased. That's what family was.
They didn't turn you in to the bad guys. Marie may be my blood. But the boys? They were my life.
They were my family.
*****
~Luke~
I had been driving with North in his keep over to the hospital to hear the news Corey and Raven had to tell us when I got the call. Nathan, and Silas were in the back.
I had gotten that life changing call. I had had to tell my brother, my friends, my family, that our little girl was missing.
I remembered it easily. Like it was only yesterday- because it was only yesterday.
My phone rang and I jumped at the chance to answer, I remembered hoping Mr. Blackbourne would tell us Sang had woken up.
But instead he said, "Miss Sorenson has been kidnapped. It is imperative that you and everyone else get here as quick as you can."
The first sentence made my world crumble and break. I could hear Gabriel in the background, asking
where Trouble was. He sounded like shit, his voice was broken and I could only imagine he had the same look in his eyes as he did when he came home to find his family dead.
My stomach was clenched up and I glanced around the jeep, I didn't want to be the one to tell them this..., "Mr. Taylor, did you hear me?"
"Loud and clear, Mr. Blackbourne, we're already headed over."
He hung up.
I remembered each of their reactions.
Silas and Nathan had been very vocal about their surprise and anguish, North had white knuckled the steering wheel and slammed his foot down on the accelerator. I had just gone numb.
The numbness still hadn't gone away, we were trying as hard as we could to find her. None of it was working. Corey had found all dead ends and since there were zero prints that was also a dead end.
Gabriel was only getting worse. He sat in Sang's room and redecorated, saying that when she got back she'd be happy about the change. It seemed to be the only thing that kept him on our level of sanity so we indulged in his ideas.
Although it was hard to be in her room.
I couldn't eat, I noticed the others were working hard, grasping at the smallest of possibilities. North and Silas went to every sighting of a brunette, they searched our old documents looking for potential threats.
I was currently with Gabriel.
"Luke, I need more paint," he pushed a paint sample at me, a soft pink, "go buy some fucking paint."
I walked downstairs, Gabriel was doing a mural on her walls, the ceiling went from day to night and all of the in between, the walls were pink with random designs in all of our favorite colors.
I thought he was looking it. But he was talking and working and so far, that's all I could ask for.
I got to the car and jumped in, a wrinkling noise had me shifting and pulling an envelope out from under me, the cover read:
To: The Academy Boys
Love,
Volto (I hear that's what you've decided to call me.)
The message on the cover alone freaked me out. But the blood splatters across the paper made my
head pound, before I could bring myself to investigate I blacked out.
~North~
North: Luke, I need you for something. Are you still with Gabriel?
North: Not funny Luke, answer your fucking phone.
He wasn't replying, dammit, where was he? My mind started to wonder if the same bastard who took my Sang Baby took my brother, but I had to push those thoughts aside. We had work to do, we had to find her.
I shot of a text to Gabriel.
North: Gabe are you with Luke?
Gabriel: Why the fuck are you guys babysitting, I can fucking paint Trouble's goddamn room without a babysitter.
I rolled my eyes, he had been getting worse, defensive and I was afraid if we didn't get Sang back we would never get Gabriel back either.
I also knew he loved her too. I knew that he hadn't admitted it to himself yet either. He thought there was too much competition, but if only he knew.
North: Gabe, I'm not fucking around, I'm asking where Luke is. Do you know?
A few minutes past.
Gabriel: I told him to get me some cotton candy pink paint.
I had just turned onto Sang's, Kota's, and Nathan's street. At first I thought Kota and Nathan were lucky bastards because they got to live so close, but now I didn't care if she lived there states away, I'd go anywhere for her.
I glanced at my phone a second time, then back up at Sang's driveway.
If Luke was gone getting paint, why the fuck was his car in the driveway?
I hopped out of my truck and walked over, slowly, the truck had its door open and cautiously, I pulled out my keychain tazer.
When I went to look in the drivers side I nearly shocked the fuck out of an unconscious Luke. His forehead was bleeding from hitting the starring wheel but by the way he was slumped nobody did that to him. In his hands he gripped a big yellow envelope with writing on the front.
I pulled Luke and the letter out and set Luke in the grass.
I pressed my phone to my ear and waited for Dr. Green to answer. There was no way I could tell Gabriel about this mishap.
"Yes North?" His voice was filled with sleep, as if he was about to go to sleep or was just waking up.
"Dr. Green, I just found Luke in Sang's driveway, he hit his head pretty hard on the starring wheel- it's bleeding. I don't know if he fainted or someone slammed his head off the wheel or what-" the Doc cut off my rambling.
"I'm on my way over."
I hung up then and pulled the envelope up for I could see it. I almost ripped it up, not wanting to see what was inside but I made myself anyways. It could be about Sang... and the blood... oh god. If that was her blood there would be hell to pay.
Inside the envelope there was a picture of Sang on a hospital bed. Sang in a mall. Sang picking out something with Gabriel. Sang right before the bombing.
There were more pictures but as I studied the bombing picture I realized either Victor had a security breach again or the camera had always been there.... and with all of the drama nobody thought to check.
Goddamn it all. Can't we just have a break? Sang didn't deserve this, my family didn't deserve this, shit, who deserved this? nobody.
Dr. Green pulled up then, I set the envelope face side down and waited for him to come over.
He looked exhausted so maybe I had called when he was getting ready to sleep. Not one of the guys had been sleeping, so I felt like shit knowing I had woken one of them up. I couldn't sleep. I needed to see her. To make sure she was breathing and the big beautiful heart of her's was still beating strongly. I needed to make sure she didn't have a scratch on her and that that curious smile was on her lips.
Dr. Green walked over with his little Dr. bag. Whatever it was called. He knelt next to Luke and examined his forehead.
"When did you get here?" He asked.
"Ten minutes ago or so," I replied.
He nodded and taped up Luke's forehead.
"Based on the blood it's been around twenty minutes, and with the wound size he passed out. Now has he been eating, sleeping?"
He and I both knew the answer to those, "I think it might've been this," I handed Doc the envelope.
His frown soured.
"So it's our neighborhood friend Volto? This doesn't all add up. Someone has to be working with him, there is no way he could have known about the babies unless he goes to her school. And the shopping trip...," Doc frowned and looked at me.
"You take care of your brother. I'm going to deliver the photos to Owen and do blood testing on the blood here. I'll find out if it's Sang's and if it is, we'll let everyone know. Don't mention it until then. Understood?"
I nodded at him and hauled Luke up over my shoulder and marched in Sang's house.