Chapter 8.
Steve's hands gripped the steering wheel of the truck. His face was a mixture of rage, fear and frustration. His partner Cheryl Banks sat at his side anger and concern on her face. It had only taken a matter of minutes from receiving the phone call to their being on the road to the beach house. Cheryl hoped that he would calm down before they reached it. She knew that Steve and his father had not been getting along this past week, it had been bad enough for Steve to move out and in with Rachel. It had been hard for Rachel to, caught in the middle of a battle of two strong-minded men. Two men who normally saw eye to eye on virtually everything.
"If they do anything to her?" He gritted his teeth. Cheryl put a comforting hand on his arm.
"We'll find her," She said gently. "Its crazy doing something like this," She didn't say that they also must be desperate to pull a stunt like this and desperate people don't always think straight. A shudder ran through her knowing there was a big chance that they wouldn't find her alive. Looking at her partner she wondered just what it would do to him to lose her now, especially now that his father wouldn't be there for him. She shook that thought away, knowing that if anything did happen to her all of that would be put aside and his father would be there for his son.
They pulled up at the house ten minutes later, Steve having broken most speed limits. He would have been out of the truck in seconds only Cheryl grabbed his arm.
"Try and calm down a little Steve," She said to him. "Going in like a bull in a china shop isn't going to help," Steve pulled in his breath and slowly nodded. Somehow she didn't think that it was going to make any difference. As soon as he saw Jack he was likely to flip, not that she could blame him. She was also thankful that she could see both Jesse's and Amanda's car outside.
They entered the house and could hear Amanda and Mark talking. Jesse was the first to see them.
"Hey Steve," He said. It was then he saw his friends face, his own drained of colour when he saw the look of anger on Steve's face he also took note that his hands were also flexing at his side. "What's wrong?" He looked to Cheryl hoping to find out something from there.
When Steve looked at Jack he knew that he wouldn't be able to contain his anger any more. He strode across the room and grabbed the startled doctor pulling his other hand back and making a fist of it he then hit him with the full force in the mouth. It hurt, but lord did it feel good. Jack staggered back and fell to the floor; Steve followed through again grabbing hold of his shirtfront then pushed him back against the wall. He could hear Cheryl swear, then Jesse came up and hung onto his arm hoping to prevent him from lashing out again.
"Steve just what in the hell do you think your doing?" He heard his father bark from behind him. He ignored him focusing his attention Jack.
"Where is she?" He hissed at him.
"What?" He said in a puzzled tone. Jack might not have known what he was asking, but Jesse cottoned on immediately.
"Oh god!" He whispered letting go of Steve's arm.
" Don't come the innocent," He spat at him. "Where are they keeping Rachel?"
The colour completely drained from Jack's face and his shoulders slumped.
"I don't know, Steve," He said miserably. "I didn't know what they were planning,"
"And you expect me to believe that?" Steve scoffed back. Jack sighed, he couldn't blame Steve for not believing him, and he had done so much lying since he came back, but he didn't have any choice. But now he knew he had to tell the truth.
Mark looked from his son and back to Jack, he felt Amanda's arm go around him in comfort. He looked at Cheryl who stood between them.
"Steve was phoned about 30 minutes ago," She said sadly, hating the pain that she could see in the older mans eyes. " They said that if he wanted to see Rachel alive again he was to back off the case for at forty-eight hours," Mark sighed and looked at Jack.
"What has this all got to do with Jack?" He asked.
"Because," Steve snarled. "It's his uncle that has Rachel;" He fixed Jack with a stare. "And Jack's been seen there,"
"What!" Mark looked in stunned disbelief first at his son then at Jack
"What's going to happen in the next forty-eight hours?" Steve asked
"I don't know," He said. He felt Steve's grip on him tighten. "Honestly Steve, I really don't know,"
"Why Jack?" Amanda said close to tears. He closed his eyes.
"I didn't have any choice," He said. He looked at Steve. "They want me to do something but haven't told me what,"
"Why do it at all?" Steve said to him.
Jack looked straight at his friend.
"For the same reason as you'll do exactly what they say," He told him sadly. "Because they have my daughter,"