Hello Fanfiction! Like I said, this is my first fanfic, so bear with me! Both comments and criticism are greatly appreciated! I have a very general idea of what I want to happen in this story, so if you have any ideas, I would be glad to hear them. Hope you enjoy!
"Toby?" Oz called through the glass door, trying his luck with a knock one last time... nothing. And it was harsher than a knock, too! "Tob, I'm coming in." Oz had just turned the spare key in the lock when Toby came stumbling out from his bedroom.
"Oz, what the hell?" Toby mumbled, rubbing a hand over his face.
"McClusky tried to call you, but you didn't pick up." Toby's brain snapped into focus. "They've got a lead."
"Crap. Did she call you?" Toby called over his shoulder as he walked back to his closet.
"Yeah, just now." Oz said. "She said something about a neighbour reporting... something."
"Really?" Toby's head popped around the door frame, shirt in hand. "Anything else?"
"Um I dunno, something you guys overlooked, or..." Oz stopped for a moment, and Toby took the pause to slip back into his room. "I dunno Toby, I was half asleep, and she was talking really fast. Sorry man." With the wall between them, Toby safely rolled his eyes. His best friend sure was useless without coffee. Toby couldn't even piece together the phone conversation from his thoughts.
"It's ok Oz." Toby said as he walked out of his bedroom once again. "Go get some coffee and I'll call you later." He shooed his friend out into the hallway.
"Oh!" Oz exclaimed as he followed him down (to Toby's surprise) the stairs. "She might have mentioned a girl."
"Cassidy?" Toby asked sarcastically, knowing full well she was the name Oz was trying to remember.
"Yeah." Oz confirmed. "But there was something else."
"She's missing." Toby filled in the blanks in Oz's memory. "And we know she didn't run away."
"She was taken?" Oz's voice was a mix of surprise and concern. He stopped as they reached the lobby. "Aw man." He whispered. He didn't even know the girl, but he was already upset. The look on Toby's face as he turned around told Oz all he needed to know. "Find her quick."
"We will." Toby said as he turned once again to leave. There was an air of confidence in his voice that he didn't feel, and of course his friend saw right through it. As the two left in separate directions, a nervous stormcloud of tension hung over them both.
"Hey Michelle, Dev." Toby said hurriedly as he walked into the conference room where they had made camp. Files and pictures were spread all across the long white table. "Sorry for the confusion, it's my fault. I should've stayed here."
"Not your fault, Toby." Michelle said sympathetically. "If you want to blame anyone, blame me. I pretty much insisted you go home and sleep."
Toby exhaled a deep breath through his nose, as if debating whether or not to accept that, but made no further arguments. "So, what did my coffee deprived friend miss on the phone?"
7 Days Earlier
Cassidy's mental playlist had repeated itself twice now. The little coffee shop had been empty for hours, with only the occasional customer coming in to ask directions. The sugar packets had all been arranged, tables wiped; she'd even had time to wash the windows, but she couldn't sit still.
"Would you calm down?" Allison's comment jolted her out of a particularly good, however old, song.
"Sorry." Cassidy ducked her head as she went to check the cappuccino machine for the third time. "Bad habit."
"You ok?" Allison asked. "You seem a little jumpy."
"I'm fi-" Cassidy was interrupted by the sound of the front door opening. Both girls turned, ready to serve the only soul they'd seen all afternoon. Cassidy's face instantly dropped. Allison noticed, and stepped in front of the younger girl even though they were behind the counter.
"Who are you?" Allison asked guardedly, sizing the man up. He looked to be about 24. His bright blonde and blue features should have given off a friendly feel, but there was something not quite right about him.
"I'm Cassidy's boyfriend," He said. "and I'd-"
"Ex." Cassidy cut him off and stepped out from behind Allison. "Ex-boyfriend. And I told you I never wanted to see you again." Allison was surprised. Cassidy had never once spoken out, let alone stood up for herself.
"Yeah, and I know you didn't mean that." His tone was light, but there was a forcefulness behind it.
"Yeah, I did Jordan. You can't just waltz back in here and pretend everything's ok." Cassidy had had enough. "You lied to me, you cheated on me, and you hurt me. That doesn't just go away with some diamond earrings and an apology."
"I never even told you I cheated on you." Jordan whined. "How can you be sure it's not just your imagination?"
"I just know it's something you would do." Cassidy said sharply. She wasn't about to tell him exactly how she knew.
"Cass." Jordan's tone was now cold. Cassidy saw him coming behind the counter before he actually did, and was ready to defend herself. However, after easily pushing Allison out of the way he managed to get hold of her wrist hard enough to bring tears to her eyes. "Don't be so stupid." Jordan said. "I hurt you before, and I'll hurt you again if you don't do what I want."
"No." Cassidy couldn't go back down that path. "Jordan, it's over. This time I won't hesitate to call the police if you try anything." Jordan glared at her for a moment, but just threw her wrist down hard and stormed out. Allison watched Cassidy closely, but the younger girl barely even breathed for a moment. Clearly shaken up, Cassidy couldn't even bring her eyes up to meet Allison's.
"Allison?" Cassidy whispered.
"Yeah?" Allison responded softly.
"Is it alright if I leave early?" Cassidy asked.
"Sure." Allison said. "And you did the right thing standing up to that creep. Doesn't seem like the right guy for you." Cassidy simply nodded.
"You have no idea." She thought.
Back in the safety of her small apartment, Cassidy lay down on her bed and tried to block out the memory of what had happened. She found it hard to forget, but seeing as how this wasn't the first time, it wasn't surprising. She had lost count of how many times Jordan had done this. They would be doing perfectly fine (granted he was a bit controlling, but she liked that), but then, completely out of the blue, someone would get upset. One of them would call it off, and then a few days later he'd come running back. Two things stayed the same in their sick little cycle. He'd come running back to her every time (and she'd always accept him), and their problems always originated from his drinking. What she meant by that was either he hit her, or she fought back.
Cassidy sighed and sat up on the edge of her bed. The pounding in her head was beginning to rival the throbbing in her wrist, and she couldn't stand it anymore. She had gotten halfway to the bathroom when she heard someone at the door. She rolled her eyes as she went to answer it. She had a feeling it was just the guy down the hall dropping off her mail because the mailman 'delivered it to the wrong box.' She knew she should stop leading him on, but she liked having someone want to pay attention (without hurting her). As she opened the door, the person on the other side threw their weight against it, sending her spinning into the room and crashing to the floor. Cassidy looked up quickly, not quite sure how to face her assailant. To her surprise, she looked straight in to Jordan's eyes.
"Jordan, what are you doing?" She asked.
"Shut up Cas. You're coming with me right now." Jordan said.
"Jordan, don't do this again." Cassidy sighed.
"I said shut up!" Jordan shouted.
"No. I don't have to put up with this anymore." Cassidy tried to keep calm. "You can't tell me what to do."
"Yes. I. Can." Jordan pulled out a knife. "And you should know better than to disobey me." Cassidy looked at Jordan closely, but his anger was real. When he got like this, nothing she could say would calm him, she'd seen it too many times. She chose instead to run into the bathroom so she could put a door between them, but she knew it wouldn't hold for long.
To Be Continued...