Chapter Thirty-Two

Dean heard Leah's startled response and knew that whoever was there with her wasn't looking to make friendly conversation. Rational thought told him everything would be okay. After all, she was pretty damn tough and had been in some bad situations before. She could handle it. But that didn't override the fear that had taken root deep in his gut.

"Leah! Leah! Damn it, are you okay?"

His adrenaline kicked in, saturating his bloodstream in one swift powerful deluge as he strained to make out what was happening on the other end of the line. There was a sharp intake of breath. Indistinct noises - a struggle? And then the unmistakable sound of somebody moaning in pain.

"Leah!" There was complete silence on the other end of the phone.

Dean had never felt so helpless. Completely, utterly goddamned helpless. He stood there holding the phone, panic rising high in his throat and nearly choking him with its voracious need to consume him.

"Dean? What the hell's wrong? What's going on?" Sam asked as he rushed over. The look of pure fear that eclipsed his brother's face sent a chill along Sam's spine.

"Leah's in trouble!" he bellowed.

And he had no way of helping her because he had no frigging idea where she was. But that didn't stop him from moving. Dean took off running, his leg muscles straining as he pushed himself as hard as he could. He put all his energy into getting to the car because that was one step closer to getting to Leah. As he moved, everything seemed to fade until there was only the abstract echoing of sound - each rasping breath as he worked to fill his lungs, the heavy pounding of his feet on the hard pavement, the rapid thud of his heart slamming against his ribcage.

He didn't know exactly how long it took to reach the car, only that it was too long. Fumbling with the key ring as he yanked it free of his coat pocket, Dean threw himself in behind the wheel and jammed the key into the ignition. He was about to turn it when Sam jumped into the passenger side. The younger Winchester leaned over and gripped the wheel, panting heavily from having tried to match his brother's frantic pace. "Should I drive?"

Dean's answer came in the form of his firing up the engine. "Call Amy! Find out where they are!" He was tempted to take off because anything was better than just sitting still, but he knew that if he went the wrong way he would only waste precious time having to backtrack.

He watched Sam pull out his cell phone and place the call, his own hands clenching tightly around the steering wheel as he waited. "Come on! Come on!" he urged.

"It's ringing, Dean. Tell me what happened." Sam saw the slightly crazed look in his brother's eyes and tried to draw him into conversation, hoping the distraction might be helpful in keeping Dean grounded.

"I don't know. Somebody was there. She's hurt, Sam. The bastard hurt her. Christ! Why isn't Amy answering, damn it? Where the hell are they?" he growled.

"We'll find them, Dean." Sam knew the words were hollow, presenting little consolation to his panic-stricken brother, but it was all he could offer at the moment. He wasn't about to tell Dean that with Amy taking so long to answer, he was starting to fear that both girls might be in the middle of something too big to handle.

Amy leaned against the counter, arms crossed in front of her as her foot tapped a rapid little beat on the tiled floor. She rolled her eyes to the left, giving the young employee what she hoped was a clear look of annoyance as she waited for him to get off the phone. He'd been chatting for several minutes and from the bits of conversation she was picking up, it sounded suspiciously like a personal call.

He glanced over at her and she mouthed the words, "I need help." A smug smile appeared on his pimpled face as he continued to chat. Amy's patience was just about gone. She swore beneath her breath, thinking that if he held up his hand in that 'hang on a minute' gesture one more time, she was gonna shove that hand right up his...

The boy held up his hand.

Amy reached across the counter and jerked the phone from his stubby, ring-clad fingers. "He'll call you back!" she said into the receiver and slammed the handset down.

The boy's eyes were wide as he took a step back and hugged the far wall. It was Amy's turn to bestow a smug smile, which she did with great enthusiasm. "Rule number one in business," she told him. "and you should have learned this already, is the customer comes first. Now, I need the invoice for the shirts I'm picking up, okay? Your boss is busy and he said you'd help me. The name is Chandler." When he didn't move, she leaned forward. "That starts with a 'C' big guy. And I need that pronto. Thanks, doll."

"Uh, right. Yes, maam." The boy disappeared into the backroom as Amy shook her head in disbelief. How did these people manage to keep their jobs?

She glanced around, surprised that Leah hadn't reentered the shop yet. It must have been Dean on the phone. That would keep her busy for awhile. The two of them hadn't changed. She loved her sister and wanted her to be happy, but honestly, around Dean Leah was like a cat in perpetual heat!

So much for help. Looked like she'd have to start lugging boxes on her own. Surveying the 4 large containers lined up against the wall, Amy wondered again if they would all fit in her car. She hated to make a second trip. With the way these people were handling her account, the ones she left behind would probably disappear before she could return for them.

Amy sent a quick glance at the clock hanging above the doorway that the pimpled yakker had disappeared through. It sure seemed like he'd been back there a long time. In all actuality, she knew it had only been a few minutes, but it didn't matter, she was growing impatient again.

"Okay, Ms. Chancelor. Got it." The boy shoved a crumpled yellow invoice toward Amy.

Her head immediately began shaking back and forth so hard her auburn hair went whipping wildly about. "No! Chandler. It's Chand-LER." Snatching the paper from his hand, Amy looked it over and nearly screamed. Nearly. Her voice was definitely a degree louder than her usual tone when she spoke again. "This is for someone named Kevin Chancelor. Do I look like a KEVIN to you?" His head wobbled nervously. "No, I don't. Now, can you please..."

Her cell phone began to play 'Come a Little Closer'. It was Sam. She wanted to answer, but his timing was horrible. The interruption would likely cause more confusion for the befuddled worker. "Please, just go back and..."

It continued to play so she snatched the musical device from her pants pocket. Pointing it at the young man, she said, "Chandler. C-H-A-N-D-L-E-R. Don't come back out here unless you've got the right one."

As he hurried away, Amy flipped open her phone. "Hey Sam. What's up?"

"Amy! Are you okay? What happened to Leah? Is she hurt? What's going on?"

The urgency in Sam's voice hit Amy even before his words had time to register. "Wait, what? What's wrong? Leah's hurt? What do you mean? She's outside..."

"Amy! Where the hell are you?" It was Dean's voice now, and if he was on the phone with her... Fear tore through her as the realization that something was horribly wrong sank in.

Amy blurted out the name of the shop and the street it was on as she bolted toward the back door. She heard Sam's voice on the phone again, but it sounded as if it was coming through a tunnel. Pushing past an employee who was folding t-shirts, Amy reached the metal door and found it closed. Flinging it open, she ran outside, praying she'd see her sister there.

"Leah!" She was certain she'd screamed loud enough to be heard three blocks away, but there was no response and as her eyes darted around the deserted area she was left with the gut-wrenching realization that her sister was gone.

The sound of tires squealing drew her attention and she caught sight of a dark colored sedan as it made a sharp right turn onto the sidestreet at the far end of the stripmall.

"Leah?" Oh Christ, was she in that car? Amy started to run after it in a futile but desperate act. When she reached the edge of the building, gasping for breath, the side street was deserted. Tears stung at her eyes, then spilled down her cheeks as she turned and jogged back to her car.

She hunched over, resting her hands on her knees, trying to catch her breath. What had happened? Who would take Leah? And why? Dropping to the ground, Amy wiped at the flow of tears. This was all her fault! If only she'd been there. Staring down the empty road, she knew she had to help her sister. But how? What the hell was she supposed to do?

TBC