Hey, everyone. I know it's been a while since I've updated this story, but I wanted to thank all of you for the kind words and the support. It really means the world, and it makes me so happy to know that you're enjoying this story. :)

I hope you all enjoy this chapter.

Carlos could have sworn his heart plummeted to his stomach as Logan reached for the hospital door's doorknob. He held his breath and hesitantly followed Logan inside the room once he had pushed it open. Inside, the room was fairly vacant. There was a door to their left, which he assumed led to the bathroom, a small desk and a couple of chairs, and beside that, Katie's hospital bed.

He made his way to Katie's bedside and plopped down on one of the chairs, his eyes following Logan as he did the same on her other side.

"Hey, Katie," he said, forcing a smile to spread across his face. "How are you feeling?"

For a moment, Katie didn't say anything. She wouldn't even look up at either of them. Her gaze remained glued to the blanket with little blue dots that was covering her, while her hands formed into fists.

"Katie?" Carlos asked, growing worried. "Are you okay?"

He reached for Katie's hand, but she pulled it away from his grasp as soon as his fingertips made contact with her skin. He turned to Logan then, tears already prickling at his eyes.

Logan opened his mouth to say something, but before he could, Katie spoke.

"He took him, didn't he?"

He felt like he was going to be sick.

"Katie—"

Her shoulders started to shake in an instant, hot tears welling up behind closed eyelids and rapidly falling from her eyes.

Unsure of what to do, Carlos stood from the chair, took a seat beside her on the bed, and pulled her to his side. At first, Katie grew tense against his hold, but within seconds, she had turned towards him and shielded her face against his shirt.

"I'm so sorry, Katie," he choked out as he closed his eyes and rested his chin on top of her head, careful not to touch where they had put her stitches. "They're gonna find him," he said, but even he wasn't sure if that was true. He knew Kendall's father was capable of many horrible things, and there was no telling what he would do with Kendall next.

"What if it's t-too late by the time they d-do?" Katie asked in between sobs, her hands holding on tightly to the front of Carlos' shirt. "I can't lose my brother. I c-can't."

"You're not going to," Logan said. He pushed himself into a standing position and placed a hand against her back. "They're gonna find him, alive."

Carlos looked up at him, his bottom lip in between his teeth. He didn't really know what to say to that. He wanted to stay optimistic and believe that Kendall would be found alive, but there was really no guarantee, and the thought of that made him feel sick.

A sudden knock on the door caused them both to turn in its direction and Katie's sobs to subside.

"Come in," Logan called out.

James walked into the room looking a bit apprehensive. His cheeks were tinted a bright pink and his eyes looked bloodshot. His hands shook as he walked towards them. He looked like he could barely carry his own weight.

"Are you okay?" Logan asked in a quiet voice.

From where he now stood, at the foot of Katie's bed, he swallowed hard and then hesitantly nodded his head. "Fine," he said, his eyes glued to Katie's now still form. "Hi, Katie."

Pulling away from Carlos' embrace, she looked up at James, the look on her face practically mirroring the one James had had just a minute before. "Hi."

"How's your head feeling?" he asked.

Carlos didn't miss the way he buried his hands into the blanket to hide the fact that they were shaking.

"Kinda hurts." She sniffled and pulled her knees up to her chest. "Have you been crying?"

James appeared to be taken aback by the question, but he quickly morphed his expression into one of confusion. "What? No. Why do you ask?"

Katie frowned, and then reached up and wiped under her eyes with the palm of her hand. "I can tell when you're lying, you know."

James sighed and looked from Carlos to Logan for help. When the other two boys looked back at him, clearly unsure of what to say, he turned back to Katie. "It's just been a rough couple of days, but I'm okay," he said, which wasn't a complete lie. It had been a rough couple of days, between Kendall's dad coming back, Kendall being kidnapped, and them not knowing if Katie and Mrs. Knight were even alive.

"I'm sorry," Katie choked out, her eyes welling up with tears again.

"Why are you sorry?" Logan asked, his voice quiet. "You have nothing to be sorry for."

"I made you guys worry."

"Katie..." James frowned and reached over to lay a hand on top of hers. "None of this is your fault. Your father..." He faltered, his hold on her hand tightening. "That monster kidnapped you and your mom. He's the one who should be sorry, not you."

"I know, it's just..." She looked up at James, then at Logan, and at Carlos. "He took him and I didn't stop him, and—"

"Katie." Logan took a seat beside her and placed a hand on her shoulder. "All of this was out of your control."

"I know, b-but... I feel like I could've done something to stop him. To stop both of them."

"Both of them?" Carlos asked, confusion clouding his features.

"There was this other guy. I can't-I can't remember who he was or what he looked like, but he wasn't alone."

"Do the police know about this?"

Katie shook her head, then suddenly froze. "Where's my mom?" she asked, realization seeming to hit her. "Is she—"

"She's alive," James reassured her before she could go into full panic mode. "She was shot in the leg, but she should be okay."

"Can I see her?"

"Katie, I'm not sure that's such a good idea..." James said, his hands wringing together on his lap.

"Why not...?"

"She... She didn't take the news about what happened to Kendall well," he said, without looking at her.

"I want to see her," Katie said, as she attempted to get out of the bed. Carlos stopped her, though, before she could go anywhere, and wrapped both of his arms around her.

"Katie, you can't go anywhere. You have a concussion."

"I want to see her!"

"You need to stay here and rest," he said, gently pushing her to lay down on the bed.

"My mom got shot, my brother is missing, and you expect me to rest?"

"Katie, please," Logan begged.

Blinking back tears, Katie looked up at the ceiling, her chest heaving. "I'm sorry, I just... I want to be with my mom. I want—I want Kendall back."

"We know," Carlos whispered as he pressed a hand against her cheek. "I'll tell you what. I'll go and ask the doctor if you can go see her, okay?"

"Okay," Katie said, her voice barely above a whisper.

"I'll be back."

"Can I go with you?" James asked before Carlos could step out of the room.

Giving him a small nod, Carlos held the door open so that James could step out. "We'll be right back," he said to Logan, who nodded his head in response.

As they walked to the nearest nurses' station, James stuffed his hands into his pants pocket and looked down at the floor, purposely avoiding Carlos' gaze. Taking notice of this, Carlos stepped closer to him, so that they were walking side by side, shoulders slightly brushing.

"Did something happen?" he asked after a few seconds of silence and stepped in front of James..

James stopped abruptly, having almost knocked into him. "What?"

"Did something happen?" Carlos repeated as he crossed his arms over his chest, waiting for James to reply.

"What do you mean?" James asked as he tried to brush past him, but Carlos stopped him by wrapping a hand around his arm.

"You seem... off. Like something happened while you were with Mama Knight."

James closed his eyes and turned to face Carlos, his posture stiff. "Nothing happened, really. It's just... When your dad got there, he told me to step out, probably because he wanted to tell her what had happened without me being there. He told me you guys were here, with Katie, but I stayed outside the hospital room for a bit. And, well..."

"Well... what?" Carlos asked, already dreading what was to come.

James shrugged. "I heard screaming and she was crying. I think she—I think she tried to rip her IV out, and that just..." He took in a huge gulp of air, looking like he was about to burst into tears. "I didn't see it, but it was really hard to hear..."

"James..." Blinking back tears of his own, Carlos took a step towards him and pulled him into a hug. He felt James lean most of his weight against him, as if he could barely hold himself up. "I'm so sorry you had to hear that."

"It's okay." Slowly, James pulled away, wiping at his eyes. "I think it just really shook me up. And then I just felt... angry. I wanted to—I want to hurt him, for what he did to Katie and Mama Knight. For what he's done to Kendall… for what he's probably still doing to him. I want him to suffer. I can't stomach the thought of Kendall being trapped with that... with that monster."

"I know..." Carlos sighed and wrapped his arms tightly around himself, feeling small and helpless. "I hate that we're just supposed to stand here and wait. I hate that there's nothing we can do, because we know nothing, except that he took him. We don't even—" He swallowed hard, feeling his own throat constrict. "We don't even know if he's still alive."

"I don't think he'd kill him," James said quietly as the two of them continued to slowly walk down the hallway. "He knows he can make money out of him. He's using him to get something out of him."

"Yeah, I guess... I guess that's true."

As they neared a corner, Antonio stepped out of it, looking a bit surprised to bump into the two of them. "Hey, boys," he greeted them, his frown noticeably growing when he took in their appearances. "Did something happen with Katie?"

"No, papi," Carlos said, while James simply shook his head.

"Are you boys okay?"

Neither of the two knew what to say to that. Sure, they were okay, in the physical sense, but not really in the emotional one.

"We're fine," James said and attempted to smile. His smile faltered quickly, though, so he turned his gaze to the ground. "Is Mama Knight okay?" he asked instead.

Antonio hesitated before answering. "She's... doing better," he said quietly, his eyes landing on James. "I'm guessing you heard everything?"

James looked up, his bottom lip slightly quivering. He took in a sharp breath, and then slowly let it out. "Some of it, but... not all."

"I'm sorry, mijo," Antonio said, placing a hand on top of James' shoulder. "I know that must've been hard, and I wish you hadn't heard any of it."

"It's okay," James said, giving him a tight smile. "Is she really better, though?"

"She calmed down a bit. I actually came down to check on Katie. The doctors were talking about possibly moving them into the same room."

"I think Katie would like that," Carlos said. "She asked us to see if she could come up and see her."

"I don't think that's gonna be possible," Antonio told him, "because of Katie's concussion. But, maybe Jen can come down and see her, or I can see if they can put them in the same room today."

"Thank you, papi," Carlos said, before throwing his arms around his father.

With one arm, Antonio hugged him back, and with the other, he motioned for James to step closer. When James did, he hugged him with his free arm and patted him on the back.

"We're gonna find him," he promised before he let them go and looked both of them in the eye. "But, for now, why don't the two of you go get something to eat? Take Logan, too. I know the cafeteria food isn't the best, so if you want to go somewhere else, you can."

"We don't have a car. We left ours back at the Palm Woods," James pointed out.

"I have a car."

Both Carlos and James jumped as Gustavo stepped into view. They hadn't even heard him coming. Kelly was walking behind him, her eyes scanning the two of them with worry.

"I'm taking the three of you to get something to eat, and then we're heading home."

"But, Gustavo—"

"Gustavo's right, boys," Kelly said before James could protest any further. "It's late. Visiting hours will be over soon. You boys need to rest."

"Hard to rest when we don't even know where Kendall is," Carlos said with a sigh.

"I know it is." Kelly gave him a sympathetic look. "But we also can't stay here all night."

"I guess not." Carlos turned to James, frowning. "We should get Logan."

James nodded, and together, the two of them headed back towards Katie's hospital room.

It felt like they had been driving for hours by the time Trey stopped the car. Outside, the sun had yet to come out, but rather than being pitch black, like when they had left the motel, the sky was now a combination of purple and blue. It was a sight that Kendall would have loved to witness, had he not been trapped in a vehicle with his worst nightmare.

"You get down and pay," Kenneth said, slipping a twenty dollar bill into Trey's hand.

Trey nodded and grumbled something in response, before slipping out of the car and heading in the direction of the gas station in front of them.

As soon as the door closed behind him, Kendall felt his body tense up. He looked down at his hands, which were tied together, and felt his stomach churn. If it wasn't for the fact that they were tied up, he would probably be able to escape. His feet were no longer tied together, but his hands were. He wished he could just reach over, knock his father unconscious, and get out of there, but he knew that he couldn't.

Beside him, his father slipped a pack of cigarettes out of his pocket, pulled one out, and lit it. The smell of cigarette smoke soon filled the air around them. It did nothing but make Kendall even more nauseous than he already felt.

It wasn't long before Trey returned and started filling up the gas tank.

Kendall looked out the window, feeling tears gathering in his eyes. He didn't want his father to see him cry, or even Trey, for that matter, but it was hard to hold it in any longer. He wanted nothing more than to be back home, with his best friends, with Katie and his mom. He wouldn't even mind being stuck in the studio with Gustavo. He preferred to be anywhere else than with his father.

The sound of the car door opening made him jump slightly in his seat. He heard Trey start up the car again and felt bile rise up his throat. He had no clue as to what awaited him and that scared him immensely.

"We should be there in about half an hour," Trey said from the front seat.

Kendall could feel exhaustion taking over and without realizing it, fell asleep halfway to their destination. When he awoke, his eyes snapped open and he looked around, with the hope that everything that had happened was nothing but a nightmare. But, to his horror, it wasn't.

His father removed his seatbelt and stepped out of the vehicle. Within seconds, he had yanked Kendall's door open and was pulling him out, causing the blond to almost crash to the ground with the force.

Looking around, he realized that they were outside a cabin. Nothing but trees surrounded them for as far as he could see. Birds could be heard chirping above them, but apart from that, the place was eerily quiet.

His father kept a strong hold on him with one arm as he pulled out his gun with the other, aiming it at Kendall's head.

"Unlock the door," he told Trey.

Trey nodded and did as he said. He stepped inside the cabin, leaving the door open for the two of them to go in next.

"Walk inside," his father said, his breath reeking of smoke.

With a lump growing in his throat, Kendall forced his legs to move towards the cabin, even though he wanted nothing more than to run in the opposite direction.

Inside, the cabin looked just like any other regular cabin. There were a couple of couches to his right, along with a fireplace. To his left, there was a small, wooden dining table and a kitchen further back.

"Keep walking," his father told him, pressing the gun's muzzle to the back of his head.

It took him a while, but he eventually passed the living room and stepped into the hallway, where two doors were located. Still aiming the gun at his head, his father reached over with his other hand and pushed one of the doors open.

Kendall started to take a small step forward, but before his foot could make contact with the ground, he felt a sudden kick from behind that sent him to the ground. His father was suddenly on top of him, keeping him from moving, while Trey started tying his legs together.

Kendall tried to scream. He tried to kick Trey anywhere he could reach, but it was pointless. It was two against one – he had no chance.

Grinning widely, his father eventually released him and turned to leave along with Trey, without a single word directed at him.

As the door closed behind them, Kendall just laid there, hot tears rolling down the side of his face and falling on the floor. The darkness seemed to be swallowing him whole, his breathing becoming labored as the panic inside him started to take over.

I know I ended that in a terrible place. Poor Kendall's been through enough in this story, and I just keep making him suffer… I'm sorry.

On a different note, I wanted to let you all know that the BTR Writers' Support and Plot Adoption Forum is having a new challenge (an 80's classic rock song challenge), and anyone is welcome to participate. :) The rules are up on the forum, if any of you are interested! Or feel free to send me a PM if you want more information on it.

Thank you for reading!

~ BigTimeRush-BTR :)