Safe

"How come it's always us that gets into trouble?" Thea asked, sitting in her kitchen across from her father, looking at her coffee which had gone cold.

"I don't know." Punk shook his head, "Cause we don't like waiting around?" He looked at her, "Cassie is a cop so I… I trust her. I trust her when says that they're doing everything they can." He nodded.

"Yeah well… not quick enough." Thea shook her head as Punk looked at her.

"Shouldn't the kids be home by now?" Punk asked her.

"Dominic is taking them to his brother's for the night." Thea nodded, "Figured it'd be unfair to have them around all of this right now." She said as Punk nodded, "I just can't stop myself from thinking about… what's happening to her." She gulped as Punk shook his head, looking down, "And I know that if… if we ever lost her, we'd lose you too." She realised as Punk looked at her. She'd realised that from a young age.

"No one is losing anyone." Punk nodded to her.

"What if it's her uncle?" Thea asked, "I mean… Janet was his sister. What if he's out now for revenge?"

"We don't know anything." Punk said, "Theo's looking into the possibility of it being him." He nodded as Cassie began to enter the kitchen.

"Yeah well Theo should have said something sooner." Thea shook her head as Cassie walked in, looking at her sister, "I'm just saying." Thea looked at her, realising she had heard.

"Well don't just say." Cassie said, "He thought it was just cause unnecessary panic. No one thought this was going to happen." She said.

"Any updates?" Punk asked her.

"Yeah, they're done questioning mom's work. Everyone pretty much left before her, besides Joey, who said he saw her rushing away out of her office. He said she looked upset and distressed." Cassie nodded, "So I'm thinking she either got a phone call or something that stressed her out, she… tried to quickly get home and probably met whoever has her right now, in the parking lot." She estimated as Punk sighed to himself.

"And have we located Uncle Derek in Puerto Rico yet?" Thea asked.

"Not yet." Cassie said, "Which… could mean he's probably a suspect. The focus right now is finding mom. We're covering all possible routes that she could have went when leaving her work, whether she was driving or not." She nodded, "Which we all think she probably wasn't driving."

"Yeah, no shit." Thea nodded.

"Cass, that's been over twenty-four hours." Punk said, "There's gotta be something."

"They're doing everything they can. I know they are." Cassie assured him.

"I gotta go take a walk." Punk shook his head.

"Dad, maybe you should just stay here." Thea suggested.

"No, I need some air." Punk sighed, standing up and walking out of the kitchen as Cassie folded her arms, looking over at Thea.

"He's doing his best not to flip out, you know." Thea said, "Or not to go take matters into his own hands."

"Well he can't do that anymore. He's not a kid. He's a grown man and he needs to let the police deal with it." Cassie said.

"I know, but cut him some slack." Thea nodded, "If anything bad happens to her, he'll lose his mind."

"I'm sure we all will." Cassie nodded.

"Yeah but it's dad. He's got no restrain at the best of times." Thea said.

"Maybe you gotta have a little more faith in him then." Cassie said, "We're gonna find mom. Safe. Times like this you just gotta believe that."

"It's already been a day, Cassie. Anything could have happened to her." Thea shook her head worriedly, "I mean, say it is her uncle, what else would he want from her besides to make her pay for killing Janet?" Thea asked.

"I need you to not be negative right now. All of us do." Cassie said, feeling her heart racing as she heard her sister speak about the what if.

"I'm not being negative." Thea stood up, "I'm being realistic."

"Then for just the time being, just wait in a fantasy, and think about mom being ok." Cassie nodded.

"Those fucking cops were crawling all over the office all day." Joey spat angrily, walking into the bedroom where AJ was lying on the bed with her hands tied behind her back and her feet tied together.

"Maybe you shouldn't kidnap someone then." AJ said. She went through different mindsets. For the most part she was terrified and confused. Every time he came into the room she feared if this was going to be her last moments. And judging by his associates who she'd met last night, she didn't think she had long left. She realised she wasn't so much bait as she was a target.

"I didn't kidnap you. You got in the car yourself." Joey shrugged, taking his jacket off as AJ watched him then yank his tie down from his neck, undoing the top button.

"They'll find you eventually." AJ shook her head, lying on her side.

"No, they won't. My work contract was only for a few months so… I'll be gone soon." He smiled, "It's up to you on what you want to do."

"What do you mean?" AJ asked.

"Well think of it as two doors you got to choose from. One door is… well, death. I don't suppose it's all that exciting there." He said, "The other door is… you come with me." He smiled as AJ sat up.

"Door number one, please." AJ glared at him as he chuckled a little and nodded.

"Oh, but you'd be missing out." Joey hummed, "Believe it or not, April, I do love and care about you. I think it's been pretty obvious. I don't wanna hurt you."

"Oh, really?" AJ laughed a little, "This is hurting me. If you love me then let me go. Let me get out of here and I won't have to face any damn doors. If… If you let me leave out that door right now, I'll make sure no one knows you had anything to do with this. After all you're just… the delivery driver, right?" She said, "It's Derek who wants me dead and you work with him, so if you and me get out, it's only him left to catch. And it can be over."

"No, it's not gonna work like that." Joey shook his head, "You see… if I don't have you, if you don't come with me… I want you dead too." He smiled as AJ looked across at him.

"Then kill me." AJ spat.

"You're supposed to be going on vacation tomorrow with your husband, aren't you?" He smiled, walking around the bed as AJ gulped.

"Yes." AJ said.

"I'd take you on a vacation every month." He nodded.

"Get away from me." AJ spat, growing nervous as he came closer.

"Death for you means… you don't get to see him anymore." He said, "You don't get to see your daughters, your grandchildren grow up. It's lights out for you." He nodded as AJ gasped a little, "And I give it about six months at the most before your husband offs himself after you're gone. And then it's just your girls all alone-"

"Stop it." AJ begged.

"You could just… come with me. Give them the hope that they'll see you again soon. Not a funeral." Joey nodded as AJ looked at him.

"They wouldn't want me to suffer." AJ said, spitting on him as Joey stepped back a little, wiping his face and nodding as AJ watched cautiously.

He then climbed over her, pushing her onto her back as he put his hand around her throat, not to choke her but to keep her down as AJ tried wriggling.

"I could be making you suffer right now." Joey spat, his face close to hers, almost touching as he mounted her on the bed.

"Get off me." AJ begged.

"I could have you right now if I really wanted." He spat as AJ closed her eyes, feeling him stroke her hair, inhaling some of it as she shook with fear, "Is this how your husband does it?" He questioned, stroking her cheek, "Is he gentle?" He whispered, putting his hand over her crotch as AJ began to cry.

"Please stop it." AJ cried.

"You could have it better with me." He said as AJ cried, panting breathlessly at the discomfort she was in.

"Please get off." She cried as Joey shoved her face to the side and got off of her.

"You got until tomorrow night when Derek arrives." Joey said, watching her as she cried, shuffling away from him on the bed towards the other side, "If you don't come with me, you're his problem. And I know he's out for revenge for his sister, your mother." He nodded as AJ just curled up in a ball, turning her back to him and sobbing quietly as Joey watched her.

She couldn't even question anything. She couldn't bring herself to ask what sort of business he had with her uncle. She could only assume it was bad. It would explain why he was friends with a dirty cop like Mark. But she couldn't ask anything. She felt numb from the neck down. Paralysed.