"You didn't see anything?" Punk asked his father, holding AJ who shook recklessly in his arms at the thought of her baby girl in some strangers arms.
"No… they pulled me out the car." Jack said, "Let's not panic, ok. We're at the right place, we just go and report it and let the police do their job." Jack raised his hands up in the air, trying to act leader here.
"Fuck the police." Punk spat, "I'll go out and find her myself. Who… who the fuck would want to take her?" Punk shook his head, stroking AJ's soft hair as she cried, it absolutely killing him. This wasn't just something they could overcome with a small conversation. This was real. Their daughter had been taken, and Punk was absolutely going to kill whoever it was that thought it'd be ok to even so much as look at his daughter.
"I don't know. But I think you need to get her home." Jack looked at AJ as Punk just scowled, "I'm gonna go into the station, report it, have people looking out for her-"
"No offence dad, but you aren't a fan favourite in that station, and neither am I. I've just… I've just been arrested for apparently raping someone. They aren't going to give us service guaranteed or anything." He said.
"Well then what do you suggest we do, Phil?" Jack shouted, "The more time we stand here arguing, the more time you're wasting." He said as AJ pulled out of his embrace, looking over to Jack in desperation.
"What do we do?" She asked him. She could sense Punk was panicking, but Jack seemed calm, the type of person they needed helping them. Despite what she thought of him, he was here showing his true care for his granddaughter.
"What?" Jack shook his head.
"Please… please, help us. You know… you know these things. Who would have wanted to take her? And where… where would they take her?" She cried emotionally.
"Ok." Jack nodded, placing his hand on AJ's shoulder with a reassuring smile, "First, you have to stop crying like a baby, and get your shit together." He spat as Punk scowled, "Second, you're gonna go home, and wait. That's all you have to do." Jack said.
"But-"
"Me and Phil will go out looking for her. It's obviously someone we know that has taken her, and they wouldn't have gone far." Jack said, turning to his son who looked ready to unleash any second in a burst of anger. He was pacing and talking to himself, a thing Jack knew he done before erupting into an unstable fit, "Phillip!" Jack yelled as Punk turned around, hands in his hair, his full birth name echoing through the car park as his father glared at him, "Keep it together. We will find her." He promised as Punk nodded.
It was a different light his father seemed to be in, and he liked it. This was the helping, supportive father he always needed.
"I will break down buildings and walls to find her." Punk spat as Jack nodded, believing that one hundred percent.
"I know you will, son." Jack nodded, "Take April home. I'm going to report it to the station, and then come pick me back up. Ok?" Jack said as Punk nodded.
"Ok." Punk said, turning his attention to AJ and helping her panicked state into the car, it absolutely breaking him to see her like this. She looked ready to break down any minute, The unconditional love she had for Liesel was on the line here, and it was showing clearly. He swore, he would find their daughter, if it was the last thing he done.
Jack watched as they drove off, taking his phone out and calling a number, raising it to his ear as he walked towards the station entrance.
"Joe? Yeah, it's me." Jack nodded, "How'd you get on? Are you on the flight?" Jack asked whilst looking around the car park.
"Just about to take off."
"Good." Jack smiled, "Good. Is she ok?" He asked sincerely.
"Crying a little."
"She'll be ok. Just, make sure you get her there safely. I'll send you directions from the airport to the orphanage when you arrive there so you don't get lost." Jack said, "Ok… ok, speak to you soon. Bye." He hung up, placing his phone in his pocket and walking into the station.
"W-What about you… W-What about this allegation-"
"Fuck that." Punk spat, dropping AJ off, seeing her refuse to get out the car, "I did not rape that stupid little girl. I don't know how my fucking cum got on her, and quite frankly I don't care. I'm more worried about my daughter."
"If you did… if you had-"
"What? Raped her?" He turned to her, parked outside their house, "What? You'd stick by me?" He said.
"I don't know." She shook her head.
"I didn't rape her. Please believe me. You're the only person that's opinion matters to me." He said with a sigh.
"Of course I believe you." She said, "I'm just saying that you don't have to lie to me."
"I'm not." He said defensively, "Just… go into the house, wait by the phone, I'll keep you updated." He told her as she nodded.
"Please bring her home. I… I can't stand the thought of knowing she's out there, all alone, no doubt terrified." She cried at the thought, "Oh, Phil. Please find her."
"I'm not coming home without her. I promise I'll get her. And I promise to end whoever it was that put their hands on her."
"Good." AJ said bluntly, "Be safe." She sighed, reaching over as she took her seat belt off, pressing a soft kiss on his lips as he kissed back lifelessly. She hadn't seen him like this before. He looked like he was between crying and punching something. No doubt the anger of being falsely accused of something was still roaming around, but the angers he must be feeling from the kidnapping of his daughter, she couldn't even imagine.
She got out of the car, running into the house whilst wiping her tears, closing the door over tight and sliding down it lifelessly, burying her head into her hands as she cried loudly in the comforts of her own quiet home.
Punk picked his father up like instructed, to which he told him he had informed the police station, and they had cops out looking for Liesel, not that Punk cared about that. He wanted to find the scum himself and beat them to an inch of their lives.
"I've also let all the boys at Invictus know. Elise has gone to see AJ to make sure she is ok." Jack said as Punk sped through the roads.
"What if I can't find her, dad?" Punk said with a lump in his throat, "She… she's my world. Me and April will fall apart. April will fall apart. I can't-"
"We'll find her." Jack said with such sincerity, it was impossible to tell he was being a two faced rat.
"If anything happens to her..." Punk took a deep breath to control himself, "I don't think I'd be able to live with myself." He admitted as his father looked at him, examining his shaking hands clutching the steering wheel, his held back teary eyes that scanned the outside the world as they drove. He'd really touched down on his biggest weakness, and soon, when realised that their baby girl was missing, and with Punk going to court to plead not guilty to a case he looks extremely guilty of, April would surely crumble and find herself back in some unstable breakdown.
"We'll get her." Jack said, "Just keep your eyes on the road. There's cops out. The boys are out. We're out. We're already a one up and the people who took her."
"But who?" Punk shook his head, "I have no issues with anyone." He said.
"But you do. It could be anyone from the past that you've ran into. And they'll have targeted something that will completely anger you, and bring you to whoever it is." Jack said, "We'll find her, I promise we will." He nodded as Punk drove along the road, unconvinced, just painfully worried and feeling sick of the thought of his baby girl, his Liesel, his princess, out of her mommy and daddy's arms, in some cold stranger's. Who knew if she'd be being fed? Or changed? Or even held right… It was all just awful to think about.
Back home, AJ sat near the phone on the couch, shaking uncontrollably as she thought of all the worst case scenarios. Them finding Liesel hurt. Her poor little self. Not finding Liesel at all and having to live each day knowing she was out there somewhere without them. She'd rather be killed in a painful death.
She sat shivering by the phone, just like she planned to all night, just hoping for a phone call from Punk telling her that he had Liesel and she was ok. But it seemed highly unlikely with the luck the were having right now.
She came out of her trance with the phone and realised the door had been knocking for a few minutes. She stood up and walked out into the hall, opening up the door and looking on at an unfamiliar face she didn't know. A young girl with black haired who looked completely petrified.
"Can I help you?" AJ asked, teary eyes filling up for the next unload, not in the made to be sold anything or asked to give to charities.
"You… is this where Phil lives?" Paige asked as AJ tilted her head.
"How do you know him?" AJ shook her head.
"I just want to explain to you-"
"You." AJ spat, "You're… you're her. Aren't you? You set him up." She spat as Paige shook her head.
"Please, I… I'm coming here to help you. I… Jack can't know."
"Jack?" AJ shook her head, "You… you accused my fiance of rape when he never even touched you." AJ spat, so angry that she had to act out, grabbing the young girls black hair and pulling her into the house, slamming the door shut.
"Please, just let me explain." Paige shivered, backing her steps away into the living room as AJ tackled her to the ground, both of them going over the coffee table which smashed to pieces. She was done talking. She was angry. How dare this stupid little girl interfere in something so personal. How dare she accuse her loving, gentle fiance of being a rapist.
"I don't want to hear you say anything." AJ spat, on top of Paige, pulling her hair, clawing at her face, doing anything to release her anger as Paige begged her to stop, frightened enough to come here.
"It was Jack!" Paige screamed, "It was Jack… he… he made me do it." Paige said as AJ paused, looking down at her, "I needed money, but I still didn't want to do it. Phil was sweet to me, and he always told me how happy he was with you and your daughter. I… I didn't want to do this, but he made me." Paige cried, her young panicked self not being able to take it just as much as AJ couldn't.
"Jack made you?" AJ asked, getting to her unbalanced feet, watching Paige struggle to her feet.
"He got me all the evidence. All I had to do was go to the cops." Paige said, "My mom is sick, she… she has cancer, I needed the money, but I realised I could have torn apart a perfectly happy family. I'm… I'm so sorry." She sighed.
"You are going straight to the station to admit you were wrong." AJ spat, "He could have got put down for this. For life." AJ said, "Stupid little girl." She muttered under her breath.
"Where is he just now? I want to apologise to his face. He was nothing but nice to me, and feel like I've completely ruined any friendship that could have been there." She sighed.
"He's out, looking for our missing daughter, whilst also figuring out how the hell he was being accused of raping you." AJ spat, taking a step back to comprehend everything, "Wait… you said… you said Jack done this? He put you up to this?" She asked.
"Y-yeah." Paige nodded, "If there's… if there's anything I could do, to help you, please let me know. And please… don't tell Jack I came here." She begged as AJ looked at her.
"He made you do this." AJ whispered to herself, "My baby." She placed her hand over her mouth, "Oh my god." She shook, reaching for her phone and calling Punk, "Please pick up." She begged.
How did she not see it? Was because it wasn't all how it seemed in front of her eyes? She couldn't believe Jack had set his own son up like this, and then it seemed like such a coincidence that their daughter was always snatched on the same night.
"Phil… please call me when you get this." AJ gasped into the phone, "You have to get away from your father. I can't explain, but just get away from him. This is all him. Just… call me back." She shivered, hanging up and throwing her phone over on the couch.
"I'm so sorry. About everything. About doing this. About your daughter." Paige said. She realised very early on that she meddling with people's lives that she had no idea about, just for a no good hitman who promised to supply her with money for her sick mom. She done it in a heated moment, but came to her senses immediately.
"C'mon." AJ grabbed her coat, growing some sort of deep skin that she had to, holding back the tears for just now, "We're going to the station, and you are going to tell them what happened. Including Jack telling you to do this, and how he managed to get the evidence to you." She said, "That's the only help you could give me. You do that… and you can go back to your life, and I'll make sure Jack never knows you told me." AJ said as Paige nodded.
"Ok." Paige said.
"Let's go."