When Nick pulled next to the barn there it was, Jackie's van.
"Savannah open the god damn door." Nick said as he pounded on the door as hard as he could with his fist, holding his gun in his other hand.
Brass pulled in next to the barn and ran to Nick's side with his gun drawn. Brass was prepared to kick down the door if he had too.
Savannah opened the door with a smile, as if nothing was out of the ordinary.
"Hi handsome." She said sweetly.
"Where is she?" Nick demanded.
"Who?" she asked.
"You know damn well who." Nick spat back angrily as he pushed his way past Savannah.
He saw Jackie in the corner of the barn, her hands and her feet were bound with rope and she was gagged with a handkerchief.
"Put your hands in the air." Brass demanded at Savannah.
She did as she was told and then Nick went sprinting to Jackie's side. Nick noticed a knife at Jackie's feet. He untied her and took the gag out of her mouth, he then wrapped his arms around her. She was shaking uncontrollably.
"It's ok baby, I got you, you're safe now, it's ok."
She buried her face into her husband's shirt.
"Are the kids ok?" Jackie asked.
"Yes, honey, they're just fine." He assured her.
"Thank God." Jackie said relieved as tears streamed down her face.
"Nicky, those two kids of yours are adorable, they look so much like you. The baby is ugly though, she looks like her mother." Savannah said with a fake smile.
"Let's go." Brass said as he led Savannah out of the barn in hand cuffs.
After a couple minutes Jackie composed herself long enough to tell Nick what happened.
"When the doorbell rang, I asked who it was and she said it was Catherine and that her car was broke down, her voice sounded like Catherine's, I didn't think anything of it as I opened the door. She barged in with a knife in her hand. She noticed Jasmine and Houston sitting on the floor playing and when she walked towards Jazz and Houston with the knife I told her I would do whatever she wanted me to do as long as she didn't hurt them. She told me to grab my keys. She made me drive to this barn. She had the knife on me the whole time, when she called you I heard your voice but she told me that if I said anything she'd kill me." Jackie told Nick before she burst into tears.
"It's ok Jackie." Nick said soothingly as he stroked her hair.
"Who is that woman?" Jackie asked.
"I dated her a very long time ago, it got pretty serious but then she moved away. I ran into her when I went to get lunch during my lunch break last night and she wanted to rekindle what we had but I told her I was married. Then she suggested that I cheat on you and keep it a secret, I obviously said no and she got really pissed. I never thought she'd do this though, she was never unstable, she was always so smart and level headed. I'm so sorry this happened sweetie, I feel like it is my fault."
"Why on Earth is it your fault?" Jackie asked.
"Well she was my ex girlfriend, if I'd have never known her this would never have happened."
"Nicky, this is not even close to your fault. Don't ever feel that way." She said as she squeezed his hand.
Nick smiled at her and then kissed the top of her forehead.
"How'd you find me?" Jackie asked moments later.
"Lisa Masters called the house, she said she looked out her classroom window and saw your van, she tried calling you but you didn't answer. She also said that she walked over here but nobody was here."
"Wow." Jackie said quietly.
"Yeah." Nick said as she wrapped his arms tighter around her.
"My phone rang but Savannah didn't answer it, I just thought it was you or the team, and now that I think about it there was a quiet knock on the barn door, I wasn't sure if I really heard it or was imagining it but after no one burst through the door I figured I was just hearing what I wanted to hear, I wanted to scream for help anyways just in case someone was really there but she had the knife to my throat so I didn't dare. It wasn't until you started pounding on the door that she tied me up, the rest of the time she was sitting there next to me with the knife against my neck."
Just then Lisa looked out her window again and saw a car she didn't recognize (Brass's car) and Nick's truck. She dropped what she was doing and sprinted out of the school and across the street.
"Put your hands up." Brass demanded as he pulled his gun out.
Lisa stopped dead in her tracks and put her hands in the air.
"I'm a friend of Jackie's, I work with her, is she ok?"
"Lisa" Jackie called.
Lisa looked towards the barn but she didn't move and she kept her hands in the air.
"Sorry." Brass said as he put his gun away.
He nodded towards the barn, indicating to Lisa that she could go in.
Lisa walked into the barn and noticed her good friend wrapped in Nick's loving arms. She also noticed the knife at Jackie's feet.
"Are you ok? What happened?" She asked.
"I was kidnapped at knife point and brought here, Lisa you very well might have saved my life by seeing my van and calling my house. Thank you so much, there is nothing I could do to ever repay you."
Lisa's eyes widened in horror, she couldn't believe what she was hearing.
"I just thought you were having car trouble, I never imagined you were actually in danger." She said as she wrapped her arms around her good friend.
"I owe you big time, for starters, I'll take your recess duties for a month." Jackie offered.
"Would you quit? You don't owe me anything, you're starting to sound like Sue."
The two women laughed.
Sue Anderson was their other first grade teaching partner, Jackie and Lisa loved her dearly but both of them knew if you did one simple favor for her she'd do about ten things for you in return, but yet she always did nice things for everyone else, and if you tried to do something nice for her in return, prepare for war.
"Ready to go home?" Nick asked Jackie with a smile.
She nodded eagerly, she was never so ready to go home, she desperately wanted to see her children.
"Lisa, would you walk her to my truck, I'm going to bag the handkerchief, knife, and rope."
"What about my van? I can drive, I'm fine."
"I'll call the team, to haul it to the lab, it needs to be processed. More importantly I don't want you alone right now. Nick responded.
"I'm fine." She repeated.
"I know, but you still shouldn't be by yourself."
Lisa and Nick helped her to her feet and then Lisa started walking Jackie to the truck. They had only gotten a couple of steps when they heard footsteps behind them. They turned around and saw Nick right behind them.
"My field kit is in my truck, can't bag the evidence without it." He said with a sheepish smile.
Nick grabbed his kit and walked back to the barn to bag the evidence while Jackie and Lisa sat in Nick's truck making small talk.
Nick came out of the barn minutes later, in one hand he carried the three separate evidence bags and in the other he carried his field kit
Lisa got out of the truck as Nick opened the driver's side door. "Stay in there, we'll give you a ride back to the school." Nick offered.
"No, it's ok, I'll walk."
"You sure?"
"Yep."
"Lisa, thank you for everything." Nick said as he wrapped his arms around his wife's coworker and good friend.
"You're welcome." She said sincerely as she hugged him back.
"Thank you Lisa." Jackie said with a smile.
"You're welcome, call me if you need anything you guys."
"We will thanks, and please let us give you a ride back to the school." Jackie said.
"Alright you twisted my arm." She said with a laugh as she got back into the truck next to Jackie.
Nick pulled up to the school and dropped her off. He and Jackie watched as she walked towards the door. She turned around and gave one last wave before she disappeared inside.
Nick looked over at Jackie, grabbed her hand, and smiled.
"Ready to go home?" He asked her.
She nodded with a smile.
Nick smiled once again as he pulled the truck out of the school's parking lot and drove home.