Chapter 21

As much as it pained the two friends, Shawn and Hunter waited anxiously for an officer to come out and talk. Shawn sighed and clutched the side of his pants, a feeling in his heart. Something indeed was wrong. Hunter put a hand on Shawn's shoulder.

"You okay, bud?" He asked, trying to ease the tension.

Shawn nodded and looked at the Police Station. "I wish someone would hurry up and come out here. Why don't we go inside? We're wasting time sitting here."

"Shawn, no one in that station has time to sit and chat. Just wait until one walks out the door." Hunter placed both hands on the steering wheel to relieve his nerves. As much as he hoped an Officer would come out and talk, he feared for Shawn's family, too. He saw Shawn tense up and ease back into the seat, sighing. Shawn's nerves was getting worse.

"Easy, Shawn," Hunter spotted an Officer walking out the front door. He gave Shawn a signal and the two got out of the car.

Once they got on the sidewalk, the Officer stopped in front of them with a worried look, his hands down towards his pockets. Shawn noticed this and stopped walking immediately, but Hunter kept a few paces between them.

"Can I help you gentlemen?" The Officer asked.

"Yes," Shawn stepped forward and sighed. "Me and my friend came by earlier to give the other Officers a note my daughter's boyfriend left, but all they could do was tell me that they couldn't get the car and-"

"Hold on, sir, I don't know what you're talking about. I've only been here eleven hours doing paperwork."

"Oh," Shawn looked at him. "Maybe you're not much help after all. Let's go, Hunt."

"Wait, Shawn," Hunter grabbed his friend's arm and stopped him in his tracks. He looked at the other man. "Officer, my friend's daughter was kidnapped by her psychotic boyfriend and could be anywhere in San Antonio. The boy was gone for a while and then one day he attacked my friend's wife and kidnapped her, then left a note stating that he wants to marry Cheyenne."

"Whose Cheyenne?" The Officer asked.

"M-My daughter." Shawn said, trembling. He couldn't wait any longer. He wanted to find his family now.

"Oh, I see," The Officer looked at the ground. "But what do you want me to do about this situation?"

"Well, me and Shawn here have figured out that maybe the maniac has his daughter hostage at the abandoned train station long ways from here. He stole a car from there and used it to kidnap Shawn's family. Does that make sense now?" Hunter looked over at Shawn, who looked concerned and worried.

"Yes, it does," The Officer smiled a little. "I do remember filing a search warrant out for a missing teenager this afternoon. Could that be your daughter, Mr., um-"

"Michaels." Shawn said.

"Mr. Michaels, could that be your daughter? It was a girl I filed a search for."

"It has to. I can't wait for a miracle! This maniac could be hurting my family or worse than that!"

Shawn was beginning to get upset and the Officer stepped back from the outburst. Hunter placed his hand on his friend's arm and looked at the Officer with a sigh.

"The reason why we're here is because we need to see if the parents happened to give out the punks phone number."

The Officer put his hands up. "Whoa, boys, I know you're here to get help, but I'm afraid we can't do that."

"Do what?" Shawn asked, concern in his voice.

"We can't give phone numbers out to the public. That's like put a serial killer's number on the spot so everyone on the web can see it."

"So, what are you saying? That the boy's family just gives out information, but yet the victim's family can't get a piece of it?" Shawn asked, his fist clenched tight.

Hunter placed a hand on Shawn's chest when Shawn attempted to step forward. "Officer, we need to get something about this boy. Any criminal holding someone for ransom would want something in return."

"That is true, but giving out a phone number is out of the question. Perhaps if we set up an interview with the boy's parents then we could see if-"

Shawn stepped forward, shaking off Hunter's touch, and looked into the Officer's green eyes. "You think I'm going to stand down and wait for my family to get killed?! You think I'm going to allow my other child to die?! I already lost one child, and I sure as hell can't lose the other! I can feel something is terribly wrong and I'm not going peacefully until that boy's caught and brought back here!"

The Officer sighed. "I understand your pain, Mr. Michaels, but I'm afraid we can't give you the information you want. I'm sorry, boys."

Then, the Officer stepped past the two friends and walked down the street towards his car. Shawn felt tears in his eyes as he looked at the sidewalk. Hunter patted Shawn on the back and gave him a nod. Shawn looked at Hunter and shook off the touch.

"We're never going to find them." Shawn choked.

"Shawn," Hunter sighed. "We'll find them. Forget this place. Let's go down to the station and see if our hunch is true."

Hunter stepped a little towards the car, but turned to see Shawn still standing on the sidewalk, his head looking at the ground as he dug his hands into his pockets. Hunter stepped towards Shawn and pulled on his arm gently, Shawn giving in and following Hunter to the car.

"I got two words for that Officer." Shawn whispered as he opened the door.

After driving down the empty road, Shawn decided he needed more time to think about Derek's plans. Hunter protested, but gave in and allowed Shawn to go home and rest. Shawn got out of the car and placed his cowboy hat back on his head, his face dried up from tears.

"Are you sure you don't want me to stay with you?" Hunter called as he rolled down the window.

"I'll be fine, Hunt. Just go home." Shawn choked as he walked towards the porch.

The car cranked up while Hunter waved at Shawn as Shawn turned to wave at Hunter. Hunter pulled out of the driveway and the car kicked up dust from the speed of the tires. Shawn smiled a little and quickly turned towards the porch and walked up the stairs, waiting for a moment when Derek would pop out and attack him, so he could be with his family. Shawn shook his head.

"Why would I think that?" He whispered.

Shawn dangled his car keys in his hand and opened the door, walking into the thick darkness. He tried to adjust to the light, but he reached over on the wall and flipped on the light switch, everything the same as it was when he left. He sighed and walked into the room, seeing everything remained normal.

He looked over at the dresser and walked towards it, looking at the pictures of his family. Cameron's picture stood out many times before, but now it was the picture of the family that stood out. Shawn smiled and saw the picture, that of him, Rebecca, Cheyenne, and Cameron at his Hall of Fame induction. A tear rolled down Shawn's face when he remembered that night, seeing his family smiling at him as he gave his speech. He pointed them out to the audience and they loved every second of it.

Shawn managed to look away, but his blood boiled when he caught another picture on the far corner, that of Cheyenne and Derek, both smiling and wearing fancy clothes since it was Junior and Senior Prom night. Shawn couldn't believe that was five months ago, when everything was different. No one worried themselves to death over kidnapping and assault. That is, until Derek stepped into the picture.

Shawn grabbed the picture and dropped it on the floor angrily. He clenched his hand when he felt a sharp pain, seeing little bits of blood in his palm. Shawn slowly pulled out the glass and walked upstairs.

Once there, he walked towards the bathroom and washed the cut under cold water. He looked around and saw nothing was behind him or next to him. He turned off the water and quickly dried his hand on a towel. He grinned at the thought of that picture lying in a shattered mess on the ground. He walked into the hall and saw nothing on both sides. He went into his bedroom and sat quietly on the bed, his head in his hands as he started to remember why he was really angry. He wanted his family back and that's all he could think about.

"God," Shawn whispered. "I don't want to cause any trouble. I just want my family safe here with me. I feel like a failure to m kids. I couldn't protect them. I failed my wife. I couldn't save her. I don't know what to do."

Shawn leaned back on the bed and sobbed in his hands, his anger disappearing quickly. He didn't care if his cowboy hat dropped from his head or his keys came out of his hands, all he wanted was a miracle. Something that would tell him his family would be okay. His anger returned when he thought about that Officer at the Police station. He couldn't have cared less about the situation. Shawn sobbed harder and tried to think of the positives again, but nothing but hate and anger swept through him. All he and Hunter wanted was one piece of information, even a phone number, about the boy.

Then, it dawned on him.

Shawn breathed deeply as he tried to calm down. He sat up on his arm and thought. He tried to think of positives, and they suddenly came. Shawn slowly stood up and walked into the hall. He paused and saw Cameron's room, the door closed and empty on the outside. He walked down the hall and looked over at Cheyenne's room. His hands started shaking when he reached for the knob.

Inside, the room was the same way it always looked. The bed shaped like a carriage, the walls covered in flowers and a pink hue of paint. Shawn remembered how Cheyenne never made her bed, but seeing the blankets in order was a surprise to him. He swallowed a sob and walked inside, looking at everything. He looked over at the closet and opened it, but nothing was there except clothes and old dolls Cheyenne used to play with. Shawn walked over to the dresser next to the bed and leaned down slowly, looking at the jumbled mess of papers in the bottom drawer Cheyenne never cleaned. He breathed deeply and looked through the papers, the words on each one in perfect cursive handwriting. Most of the papers were normal and some were medium-sized, but Shawn's eyes widened when a small folded note caught his attention.

He picked it up and unfolded the note. The handwriting was different and small. It read:

Hey, Chey. My parents got me a new phone. Call me at 221-773-2212. Love you, baby.

Shawn clutched the note in his hands, but released the pressure and stood up. He took his cell phone out of his pocket and carefully looked at the number, praying it was the one, and dialed it.

A smile came to his face when the phone started ringing.

Derek looked over and heard the buzz of his cell phone. He walked over to the table slowly and picked it up. At the third buzz, he looked over at Rebecca, who was still blindfolded and tied to the chair, her head moving at attention.

"Not a sound," He said, then pushed the button on the phone. He slowly brought the phone to his ear. "Hello?"

Shawn's jaw tightened. "You little punk. How dare you do this to my family?"

"Hello, Mr. Michaels. I didn't expect you to be calling."

"Enough games. Give me back my family."

"Hold your horses, old man. I've got a lot of tricks up my sleeve to carry out before you can have them."

"Don't think I don't know where you've got them. Me and my friend figured it out. You have them at the train station where you and Cheyenne would sneak out to every once in a while. You stole a car from there, too."

"How would you know that?"

"You knew it was stripped before you stole it. So you couldn't have any leads."

Derek chuckled. "Oh, Mr. Michaels, I was mistaken. You really are smart for an old man...but also pretty dumb."

Shawn tensed up, his hand curled into a fist. "Where's my family? What have you done to them?"

"All in good time. First," The phone crackled with static. "Say hello."

"Shawn?"

"Rebecca?" Shawn's heart pounded in his chest at his wife's voice. "Are you okay, sweetheart?"

"I-I guess so. Please Shawn, just be careful."

"I will. Where's Cheyenne? Is she with you?"

"No," Rebecca's voice tensed with emotion. "I don't see her. I can't see anything."

"What are you talking about, honey?"

The phone crackled again. This time, Derek's voice echoed on the phone. "Sorry, Mr. Michaels. Time's up."

"What did you do to my wife?"

"Oh," Derek chuckled. "I just tied her up and blindfolded her. Not a big deal or anything."

Shawn started shaking as his breathing deepened. He looked at the ground before he glanced up at the ceiling. "Where's my daughter?"

"She's safe here with me. I'm taking real good care of your family for you. Your wife, however, has given me hell all night."

Shawn could hear whimpers in the background and his blood boiled. "I will kill you if you touch her."

"And what if I do?"

"Don't. Touch. My. Wife." Shawn was so angry he had kept tears from showing.

"Okay. Okay. I won't touch her. I promise."

"Shawn."

"Rebecca? Rebecca?! Don't touch her! Don't-"

"You've got a choice, Mr. Michaels. It's your wife or your daughter. And, believe me, I'd take your wife, because if you don't, well," Rebecca's whimpers echoed through the phone. Shawn felt a tear roll down his face. "That'll be a mistake."

"You're sick, Derek. I'll ask you once: What did you do to my daughter?"

"Cheyenne? Oh, I've been taking care of her. She's gotten enough love from me than you could give her in a lifetime. As a matter of fact, she would be better off if you weren't in this world. She needs a real man. A real, young man."

Shawn shook his head. "You're not a real man, Derek. You're a scared little boy."

There was a slight pause before Derek answered, "Well, I better tell you what I want, then. Did you get my note about the matrimony?"

"Yes, I did."

"Good. Now listen closely. You already know the locations, but if were as smart as you think you are, you would know that anyone wouldn't hide their victims there without a purpose. Now-"

"Just tell me what to do!" Shawn screamed, already having enough with this kid.

"Patience," Whimpers from Rebecca came through the line again. "Now, here's the deal: you show up to the location at precisely 9:00 sharp, you'll get your wife back. But Chey, however, she's coming with me. Don't worry, you'll get a chance to see her before we sign the papers. That's if you make the right choice. Any questions?"

"Yeah, I got one. Why are you in a hurry to marry my daughter?"

"That's none of your business."

"Oh, I think it is," Shawn smiled a little. "You see, I think you better reconsider marriage before-"

"Just be here, old man! And don't think about bringing backup! No Cops. No backup. No problems. Got it?!"

Shawn breathed deeply. He wished Derek was in front of him now.

"Do we have a deal?"

"Yes," Shawn choked. "We have a deal."

"Good. You know where to go."

Then, the line clicked dead. Shawn hung up the phone slowly and looked at the receiver before looking around the room. He walked to the dresser and saw the pictures. He teared up and walked over to the couch, grabbing his pistol and walking out the front door. He had no choice but to follow through with Derek's plans.

Derek closed his phone and looked at it for a few seconds. Then, without thinking, he threw it against the wall and it shattered. Rebecca slightly jumped and whimpered as the impact hit close to her head.

"Great," Derek whispered, pacing the room. "Just great."

"You really should reconsider. There's a better way than this. I know you're not-"

"Shut up!" Derek walked over and slapped Rebecca, her head snapping back at the force. "Shut up, I said! If you think that I'm not going down without a fight, then you're wrong."

Rebecca choked back a sob as she heard Derek's footsteps crawl away from her and echo down a nearby hallway or room. She couldn't tell. Then, she heard sounds of moans and small screams and listened closely to them. It was Cheyenne. Rebecca moved her hands against the ropes, but the ropes were too tight. She had no choice but to listen to her daughter's cries of pain as Derek was possibly hitting and slapping her around.

"Oh, God," Rebecca whispered, tears running down her stinging face. "Please help our family."