CHAPTER TWO

Tori sat next to David at the kitchen table, looking at the papers that were spread across the table. "Is this all about Cat and Beck?" She asked.

"Yeah," David said, rubbing his eyes. "We haven't gotten any clues yet."

"How likely is it that they'll be found?"

David was silent for a few seconds. "After 48 hours, it's not a very good chance."

Tori stayed quiet, biting her lip nervously. "...Do you think they're alive?"

"I hope so, kiddo. I really hope so."

"What happens if you don't find them in 48 hours?"

"We keep looking until we do find them. Finding them is the important part. Then we worry about whether they're alive or not."

"When do you give up on looking for them?"

"Never. We don't stop looking. My team keeps looking until they're found, no matter what the outcome is."

"What if they're dead?"

"We'll worry about that when we find them. Until then, they're just missing."

"It's not like them to run off. Something happened, Dad. I know it."

David nodded. "I know. I've known cat since she was a baby. I know that kid better than I know most."

"I didn't meet Cat until I started at Hollywood Arts."

"I've known the Valentines since high school. Tara's son went missing years ago and I helped with the case. Cat and April were only a few months old."

"Chris went missing?"

David shook his head. "Bradley."

"They have another brother? They've never mentioned him."

"They may not know about him. Tara and Todd were adamant about never talking about him again. We found him beheaded at the park on Hemingway."

"Oh my god... That's awful," Tori said sadly. "You don't think their disappearance is connected, do you?"

"No. Bradley's murderer was put in prison for life. It didn't have anything to do with his death."

"How do you know?"

"Bradley was found in 14 hours in plain sight. If it was connected to him, we likely would have already found Cat and Beck. But we haven't."

"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?"

"Both. Bad that we haven't found them yet, but good that we haven't found them dead."

"I hope they're okay..."

"Me too, kiddo. We'll find them. I promise."

"I'm scared, I wanna go home," Cat sobbed.

"I know. It'll be okay," Beck said, running his hand through her hair as she leaned against him.

They weren't sure exactly where they were, but Beck knew they were in a basement. Their hands were untied, and the bags were taken off their heads after they were thrown to the cold, hard concrete floor. that was about a day ago. Beck wasn't sure exactly how long, but they slept through the night and woke up early in the morning. He tried to get a glimpse of their captors, but they both wore ski masks that covered their faces.

"This isn't okay!" Cat snapped. "None of this is over, Beck, we were fucking kidnapped!"

"I know that," Beck said. "We'll get out of here eventually. We will. I promise."

"Shut up!" The man with the gruff voice shouted as he opened the door and walked down the stairs. "Stop crying!"

"She's scared," Beck said. "She can't help it."

"If she doesn't wanna get hurt, she'll quiet down."

Cat sobbed, scooting into Beck. "Please let us go. We won't say anything, just please let us go home!"

the man smacked her across the face, causing her to cry even harder. He was a large man. He was built strongly. The other guy was shorter and lankier.

"You don't have to do that!" Beck said, shielding Cat's face. "She'll calm down soon. Hurting her won't make her stop!"

The man's hand made contact with Beck's face next, immediately bloodying his mouth. "I don't want any back talk from either of you. Shut up and stay quiet," he snarled before going back up the stairs and slamming the door shut.

Beck didn't notice the sound of locks. He'd keep that in mind.

"Are you okay?" Cat's voice cracked.

"I'll be fine."

Jade sighed, getting Beck's voicemail again. She was tired of hearing it, but she wouldn't stop calling until she got an answer. "Beck? Please pick up... We're all worried about you and Cat. Please call me when you can... I love you."

"Still no answer?" Robbie asked.

Jade shook her head, dialing Cat's number next. Voicemail again. "Cat, everyone is worried about you and Beck. Please call when you can. Call someone. Please," she pleaded before hanging up.

"Her either?"

"Would I have left a message if she answered?"

"I'm just worried."

"We all are."

"Do you think they're even alive?"

"I don't wanna think about that," Jade snapped. "Just because they haven't been found yet doesn't mean they're dead."

"Statistics say otherwise."

"Well, statistics are wrong sometimes. Elizabeth Smart was missing for almost a year, and she was found alive."

"I'm scared they won't be found at all. At least if they're found dead, we know what happened."

"they're looking for them."

"Not hard enough."

"They can only do so much, Robbie. They're looking. If anyone can find them, Tori's dad can. This is his specialty."

"I hope you're right."

"So do I."