"Not dead?" Zach said. "No, he didn't have a pulse, he wasn't breathing. He's alive?"
"He's in a coma, with an amputated leg," Jimmy stated. "With his father."
"Kenny and Max didn't get him back?"
"No. They don't even know where they are."
"Dad, she…she isn't the same girl. She's doing cocaine, sleeping with other guys and…I love her, I want to help her, but…I don't know where she went."
"Where were you staying? You are in a hell of a lot of trouble, Zach. Michael filed charges for kidnapping. She was 15 when you left, you're 18.'
"I didn't kidnap her!"
Reckless, like her aunt and her computer hacking mom. I swear I could strangle Max…she's in for a world of surprise when those girls get older.
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"He didn't kidnap her," Kenny stated. "My niece is incredibly stubborn, reckless, pigheaded…Zachary Brock is a hormonal kid, who wanted to keep his girlfriend happy."
"You were in a custody suit with her parents?" the officer sighed. "This case…where is the father?"
"Not answering," he thought. Like my wife, forget it, she's fine. "Her brother, Nate, he's in a coma…We're not sure where they are. It's complicated."
"There is a warrant out for him."
And he's not a juvenile, he thought, Zach isn't talking. He has to know where she is.
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"Kenny?" Max groaned, cracking her eyes open. Feeling the panic rise, she shot up on the four poster bed. Looking frantically around the room, she couldn't see a door, a window, anything. My girls, please…if he hurt them. "Let me out of here! Can you hear me, you son of a bitch?"
"Don't fight me," his voice came over the speaker system. "You're staying in there, until you have that baby. Our baby, Caroline."
She wrapped her arms protectively around her stomach. My baby, she thought, I can't do this to Kenny, my girls, he'll never get over this. My girls…they're all alone. Em, Lindz…please, God, please. Where am I? Looking around the opulent bedroom, she stifled a scream. "Let me go. I won't tell anyone, Michael. You don't want to do this."
"I'm going to take care of you."
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"Where is she, Zach?" Jimmy pressed. "She's 16 years old. She shouldn't be alone out there. You have no idea how hard Kenny and Max are pushing to keep them, they won't give up."
"She went off with this other guy…He's, he's, the one who gives her drugs. She's really messed up and I wanted to help her. Nate's okay? Alive. She has to know. You have to tell her."
"I will. Where is she?"
"Dad, I don't know…we were staying. Apartment 32B, 146 Cooper Street…Please, help her. I don't care…Dad? I love her."
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"Come on, Honey," Kenny said, as he voicemail picked up again. Where are you? "Max, where are you? Call me."
"No answer?" Jill asked. "She's probably out with the kids. You worry about her."
"It bugs her, I know. Of course she's fine," Kenny said. Seven months pregnant, home alone with exhausting Emily and her shadow Lindsay, she's got it. I made her give everything up to do this. "She's great with them."
Jill smiled, despite everything. "I'm looking forward to delivering their little brother and sister."
"Sister, according to Max. She's that sure. She's getting achy, cranky, keeps telling me she's fat, I can barely tell she has a stomach when she's bumming around in my sweatshirts."
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Help me, she thought, feeling along the wall for something. Emily, Lindsay, they're alone in that house…my girls, oh god, if something happens to them, they're only four and two. Kenny, get home…help them. I need to get out of here.
Sinking onto the bed she hugged her stomach, wearing Caroline's old maternity clothes. My baby, Kenny and I make such great babies…Kenny, he'll know. I can't wait…I need to rescue myself. For my girls.
"We need to keep fixing you," Michael said, as the wall panel slid out and gestured the other man inside. "Sit down, Caroline."
"I'm not," Max stammered. "Please! Help me! He's kidnapped me, I have kids at home. Please, help me."
"She needs to look like this," Michael said, handing him a picture. "My wife is ill."
Max gulped, as she saw the gun at the other man's back. "Oh, God."
"Sit down," he said, as Max saw the picture of her dead sister. "We're going to start your transformation."
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"Nothing from Michael?" Jimmy asked, rejoining Jill and Kenny.
Kenny shook his head. "Or his lawyer. I left a message. We're not on the best terms."
He shot his deputy a look. "No kidding. You talk to Max?"
"Not yet. She isn't picking up, probably out with the kids."
Home, pregnant, with her kids, Jimmy thought, who the hell is this? Happy playing house, while we're out here dealing with this. "Probably."
Ignoring the gnawing in his gut, he nodded. "Any word yet? Cocaine and … she's 16. What the hell is she thinking? Zach, they…they're going to let him out?"
"He's being arraigned tomorrow, and probably shipped back to Wisconsin to face charges. Not likely that your brother in law will drop those."
He hates me, blames me. A couple months, and we'll have a fresh start. Whatever Max wants this time. "Probably not."
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"Oh, Zach," Jill sighed, hugging him, after court. "We'll work this out. You get to come home."
"Samantha, Mom, no one found her. I can't just leave her here."
Jill hugged him again. "The police will find her, we have to worry about you now."
"No, she's all alone, she doesn't know Nate's okay. She'd come back for him."
"Oh, Sweetheart," she sighed, as she and Jimmy walked him out of the courthouse. "We're going home. Michael's lawyers are here, they're…they're going to find her."
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"Max?" Kenny called, walking into the house, after the long flight. Lawyers kicking me out…I can't tell her that. Looking around at the dirty cereal bowls, trail of popcorn on the floor and cookies, he frowned. My neat freak wife didn't clean this up. "Max? Honey? You deaf as well as not answering the phone? Max?"
Freezing at the scuffling he heard upstairs, he unlocked his gun from the drawer. Damn it, I should of sent someone over to check on her. She's pregnant, we live in the middle of nowhere. Max, Emily, Lindsay…Creeping up the stairs, he listened again for the faint noises coming from their bedroom. Pushing the door open, and seeing the empty room, he lowered the gun slowly. Glancing at the shut bathroom door, and the crumb trail leading to it, he gave himself a mental shake. Taking a steadying breath, he kicked it open. Lowering the gun he stared, before tucking it into his waistband. "Em? Lindsay?"
"Daddy?" Emily whimpered, hugging Lindsay to her. "Daddy?"
"Em," he sighed, crouching down in front of his daughters. Crying, they've both been crying. "Hey there, Princess. What's wrong? Lindsay, oh, don't cry. I'm here."
"Mommy's gone. She went with that man," Emily sobbed, hugging him. "Mommy left me."
Kenny hugged her back, looking at the disarray of the bathroom, Lindsay's filthy diaper, a crying Emily, she wouldn't of…she wouldn't just…no, she couldn't do this. She loves them, everything… "What man, Em?"
She continued to cry, as Kenny settled on the cool floor with both of them. "He said…Mommy gone."
Kenny held on tighter to them. Max wouldn't do this, I don't care how hormonal she is. These are our girls. Not after everything we've. "What did he say, Em? Ssh, you're going to be brave, fearless, strong, like your mom. Ssh, I'm here. What happened? Emily, look at me."
"The man…Mommy told us to go upstairs. Where is Mommy?"
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Max stared at her reflection in the mirror, after Michael's kidnapped stylist was done. Shakily, she fingered the honey blond layered locks, she gulped back her tears. Caroline, he wants…looking down at the maternity clothes, she steadied herself on the wall. He wants me to be her. He keeps calling me Caroline.
"There we go," Michael smiled, joining her. "You look lovely."
"You son of a bitch."
He struck her across the face, causing her to fall back onto the bed. "Don't fight me, Caroline."
She sat up, wrapping her arms around her stomach. "Please don't hurt me."
"I'll never hurt you again. Put this on."
No, she thought, no, as he tossed the wedding dress at her. Caro's dress. "I'm pregnant. It won't fit."
"Put it on!" he shouted, striking her. "Now!"
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Skeeter looked over at his partner. "She wouldn't just bail."
Kenny looked at his silent and now fed kids. "They were in that bathroom for two days, with Em sneaking down to the kitchen to get food…she didn't pick up when I called…I should of. She wouldn't of."
"She wouldn't leave your kids all alone. Those girls are everything to her, it's obvious. She wouldn't do this."
Kenny looked back over at his daughters, his heart leaping into his throat. Emily cried, she never cries, she's her mother's daughter. Max, damn it, where are you? Did someone…Michael. "Where is Michael Richardson?"
"We checked. Airtight alibi in Boston."
Kenny gulped. "Where the hell is my wife?"
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"Dad?" Zach asked, as he walked into the living room.
"Back to your room."
"I'm really sorry," Zach said. "I just…Dad, Mom, I'm sorry. What's going to happen?"
"We're going to court. Michael Richardson pressed charges, he's serious. We didn't find Samantha, Nate is in a coma. He needs someone to blame."
"Am I going to jail?"
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"Hi, Emily," Skeeter said, sitting down next to her. "How are you doing?"
"I want Mommy."
He nodded. "I know you do. Your Mommy loves you very much. Can hotelmen about the man that she left with?"
She shook her head. "No."
"It can help us bring her home."
"Mommy left again. Why did she leave?"
She wouldn't leave, Skeeter thought, she gave up everything for her family. She wouldn't…unless it was to protect them. "She wouldn't of without a good reason. Tell me about the man, Emily. Take your time, Lindsay is with your Dad. You're both safe here."
Emily sniffled, wiping her tears. "He was big, like Daddy. Mommy told us to be good."
"Did he have hair like yours?"
She shook her head. "No. Not like Mommy or Lindsay either."
"Lighter?"
She nodded. "Blonde, like Samantha. Why did Mommy leave?"
"Was Mommy scared?"
"No…Mommy is never scared. She told us to go upstairs and wait for her."
