A/n: Okaaaay, so this story just got more thrilling. I'm sorry for hanging you all in a cliff, but I tried hard to not making you wait too long. So here's another chapter! And congrats for you guys who had guessed right... and, what a waste on Logan's proposal plan, right? Hope they will get another chance after this, though... stick with me, *kisses*
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"She what?"
"She's with Lewis..." Lorelai answered under a shaky breathe, collapsing into Christopher's chest.
"Kirk told us that he saw Rory in front of the house talking to a guy and he shoved Rory into his car, the guy he described matches Lewis' description," Christopher explained further.
"Oh God," Logan felt the blood drained from his brain, and he leaned his hand at the door to stable himself.
"Let's get inside. It's still freezing out there," Luke said herding the pack into his diner.
Logan felt like his bones left his body and he was about to melt to the floor. He has never felt this helpless before, it devastated him. For the first time in his life he has no idea what to do.
His mind was full of negative and useless thoughts. He couldn't shake off the guilt, for one. Paris had warned him about Lewis being out of jail, his father had informed him about this too. But he was too consumed by his new life and plans for the proposal to even follow up about it.
And then the anger. Anger at himself for being so reckless about Rory's safety, anger to Kirk for not telling him right away, or stopped Lewis to take Rory, anger to Lewis for taking the love of his life, for not letting go and let Rory be happy, for being a freaking abuser and violent person. He was angry at everything.
But what crippled him the most was the fear. Fear for Rory and what she must be feeling right now. Fear about what the a-hole would do to her. Fear that they won't find her forever, or find her too late and he broke her already. Fear that she won't survive this, which means he too won't survive this.
"How are you holding up?" Luke appeared beside him.
"Honestly?" He looked up at the older guy. "I'm all over the place... which is useless I know, and I won't be helping Rory if I'm like this, but... I just..." he let out a frustrated sigh. "I don't know what I would do if anything happens to her," he looked down and grabbed his head with his two hands, trying to stop his emotions take over his logic.
He felt Luke's hand squeezed his shoulder awkwardly. "That's okay. Take your time. We're here. We'll find her. Paris had already alerted the every police department from here to New York and harassed some of them in the process. Your snobby friend had contacted his investigators to find as much information as possible about Lewis. And I heard your other antic friend is on the way from Yale, and will pick up your assistant who was collecting information from Lewis' family... you've got a great team, kid. Just take care of yourself... she will need you the most when we got her back,"
Logan nodded. Luke's comfort words was like a news update and his tone was flat like usual, but Logan found it warm and encouraging, and somehow calmed his nerves down a little. He really did have a great support system. And he needed to get a grip of himself.
He closed his eyes and took a deep inhale and slowly exhale. He opened his eyes again and look around at his busy friends, also to a hysterical Lorelai at one corner being comforted by Christopher. He could only imagine how they must be feeling, having to relive this nightmare all over again.
"Logan?" Colin approached him. "Are you composed, man? I have some information,"
He nodded at Colin.
"So I just got confirmation that Lewis indeed had boarded a plane from Dallas Fort Worth to Hartford Airport yesterday. We don't know where he was staying but we had a wild guess that he went straight here, although according to Paris' intervention to the police department, there is no record of him around the hotels, inn, or anything from Hartford to here. So we've ruled out those places,"
"Except if he was staying under another name," Logan added, feeling desperate.
"Yes. But we have already sent out his and Rory's description. The whole Hartford to Stars Hollow is looking for them now... and if they check in to a hotel, the police will be notified right away. The thing is, there was no record of car rental too. And this godforsaken town didn't even bother to put on some cctv in their streets, so all we have is just that odd man's description of the car. Black SUV, that's all he said, no brand, no license plate, so there's nothing much going on there. We concluded that it might be belonged to a friend or relative, which might be in line with where he was staying. That's what Macy is doing right now, finding out about friends or relatives in the neighborhood. They have had a few names and decided to just went and visit those names, let's hope that they figure something out..."
Logan put his head in his hands. "They could be anywhere, Col..."
"Let's not go there, Logan. We are now working with what we've got while the PI and police looking for more information. We might expand our search to New York or New Haven, and will go broader after that. But let's still be hopeful that we will have found them before then. Hang in there, Logan..."
He could only nod. It sounded like they didn't have a lot to go and there might be hours until they collect enough information. Who knows what could have happened to his Ace by then? Who knows what that bastard would do to her?
Logan wasn't at all a religious person, but that moment he felt a strong urge to pray. It was desperation that made him turned to the Big Guy. He didn't know what else to do. Everyone else were busy doing something, but he was just sitting there, staring at his phone wishing that it would ring and her face would pop up.
Her contact picture on his phone was the one he took while she was reading by the window in their library in Hartford house, just like how he pictured her when he was buying the house. She had realized he took a picture seconds after he snapped it, but he already had that candid reading position on his phone. Although he wished he had clicked it once more and captured her bright smile when she met his eyes. So alive and full of love. He remembered feeling warm and fuzzy looking at her face.
But now everything was dark and gloomy as he wondered if he ever will see that expression again on her face. He squeezed his own knee in anxiety. God please don't let him break her again, he chanted in his head.
He didn't answered his phone when it first rang showing an unknown number calling. He was too confused and he thought it was one of his family members worrying about Rory, or some news portal sniffing about. But it rang again and he got a strong urge to pick up. It was a New Haven area code.
"Logan Huntzberger,"
"Logan, it's me. Lewis took me to Yale, his old apartment. I'm okay, he broke my phone. Come here, please..." she shot those short sentences in a less than thirty seconds. "Pitkin Apartments, Orange Street. 3A." She completed the sentence. "I'm okay, but hurry come. Please, I love you," she hung up.
"Rory! Rory!" He shouted to the phone desperately needed to hear her voice more. To make himself sure that she's truly okay.
Everyone turned their attention to him but he already took off to the door yelling, "Pitkins 3A, Orange Street!"
The others followed him quickly, Colin stopped him at the driver door. "I'll drive,"
"No! You're not fast enough,"
"I will. Sit back!" He ordered. Logan obeyed, realizing he wasn't in a right state to drive, let alone focus to drive fast.
Within minutes they had already on the highway, with Christopher and Lorelai in a car behind them.
Logan's mind went to overdrive. He took her to his apartment? In Yale? They have been there the whole time? And what happened to her phone? Is she okay? She said she was, but her voice was shaky and she was in a rush to end the call. Was he still there with her? Did he lay a hand on her? Because if he did, Logan swore he would end that bastard's life with his own two hands.
He had so many questions but it all could wait. He just needed to see her, touch her. He felt like his heart was pausing and it would only restarted when he see her. Chanting his mantra "I'm coming, Ace... please be okay..." in his head, he'd hoped that in some cosmic sense that his inner self would send the message to her. He didn't even pay any attention to the world around him as he focused all his energy to her, he tuned out Paris' rants and violent wishes for Lewis and Colin's prayer chant to whatever God he has.
He clutched his phone in hand, ready to answer in a heartbeat if she called. But so far it was Macy, Honor, and Clarissa. He contemplated to call again, but he didn't want to risk Rory get caught using the phone.
He didn't even wait for the car to stop completely before jumping out of it and ran to the door. A doorman stopped him and he signaled to Colin to manage the doorman, he wasn't in a mood to sweet talk or wait for the doorman's call upstairs. He waited the elevator to come down, while Colin took care of the doorman, although when Colin finished with him, he ended up escorting them up while telling them that he saw Lewis and Rory came in a few hours ago and remembered feeling that they were a weird couple. The man was too cheery, while the woman looked like she wanted to bolt when he wasn't looking.
They finally decided that they would use the doorman, that introduced himself as Marley. Marley would knock at the door and pretended to have a message from the building manager just to get Lewis to open the door without being defensive. And they would barge in when the door was opened.
It was a good plan.
So they let Marley knocked and waited a few seconds before a voice came out from behind the door. "Who is it?" It was Rory's voice.
What the hell is going on?
"It's the front man, Mam... I have a message from the building manager. Can you please open the door?"
"Oh, it's um..." her voice got closer to the door, and she opened it slightly, the chain was still on. "What..." her sentence was cut short as she saw Logan and the others behind Marley. Her eyes went wide and she closed the door again, unchained it and opened the door wider. Although she stepped out before they had a chance to barge in, and she went straight to Logan's arms.
"Oh God, Logan... you're here! You're really here!" She said with a muffled voice from his chest. Her sob wetted his shirt but all he could think about was his heart could beat again, and he could breathe as the reason of his existence is safe and sound in his arms. He held her tight, sniffing her hair, and feeling her entire body shaking in his embrace.
"Are you okay, Rory?" Logan asked.
She freed her head from his chest and nodded. "I am. I'm a little shaken, but I'm okay,"
"Did he..." Colin cleared his throat while quickly scanning her body. "Did he hurt you?"
"No, other than grabbing my wrist and dragging me everywhere, no... he didn't hurt me..."
Logan let out a breathe. "What happened, Ace? We were so worried. Where's your phone?"
"He broke it."
"Okay. Okay, that's okay. We'll buy you another. The most important thing is that you're okay. God, Ace. You have no idea how worried I was,"
"I know, I'm sorry. I was thinking about you the whole time, I can't imagine how worried you were. And you guys, thank you for being here..."
"Are you crazy? The whole town went havoc looking for you, Jess and Clarissa almost send their guests home and joined the search party. Finn visited all Lewis' friends and relatives from Hartford to Stars Hollow, Paris harassed the police departments, and Logan prayed..." Colin explained.
They did went crazy for a good few hours.
Rory shot a small smile and took Paris in a bear hug. It was amazing how the annoyingly chatty Paris went total silent. Maybe the fear just crept in her and her robotic state melted in Rory's hug. "Don't you ever scare me like that again," she sniffled.
"Promise," Rory assured her.
"Oh, where's my Mom?"
"She's a few minutes behind," Logan answered, pulling Rory back beside him.
"Oh! Can you please stall her downstairs? I don't want her making a scene here. She might startle Lewis and trigger him,"
"What?" Logan asked surprised. "He's here? Where?"
His blood suddenly fuming again at the mention of that name.
"Sssh... Logan please. Calm down," she put her hands on his chest. "He's inside,"
~~~~
Oh no, another cliffhanger! I'm sorry guys, I can't help it. Promise I won't leave you hanging for too long, the next chapter is pretty much done. I just need some proofreading and some fillers here and there.
Hang in there, guys! *pun intended*
