I sat on my bed, not saying anything else. What was there to say? Kim is missing.

Milton wanted to me to ring Sam straight away and fill her in on everything. He said this was too big for the three of us, that we would need help to find Kim, especially if Lucas was involved. I promised I would but I wanted to try find her myself first. After all it is possible that Kim got so freaked out about all those messages he had left that she had fled of her own free will.

Milton and Jerry were against looking ourselves but they eventually decided to come with me after I pointed out that I would out there searching for Kim with or without their help anyway.

"How do we know if Kim is still in town or not?" Jerry asked after a few hours or searching. We had searched pretty much the whole of Seaview but we still hadn't found any clues to point us in the right direction.

I sighed, stopping for a rest on the outskirts of town. "Honestly we don't but we won't find her if we don't look. She can't have got too far on foot though"

"Jack she is determined though you know as well as we do what Kim is like" Milton said. "If she wants to be alone we won't be able to find here easily"

"Yeah but she is also pregnant, the extra weight slows you down" Jerry said.

I hit him on the back of his head "You better not say that to Kim she would murder you! Come on we better keep searching, eventually we'll find something"

"He...l...p"

"wait do you hear that?" I asked as we were just walking away.

They both shrugged their shoulders.

"He...l...p"

"That" I said.

Someone was groaning and wheezing behind the bushes.

Cautiously, I peered over them to see a man, badly beaten beyond recognition, laying on his back. "Hello"

"Jack" he said.

Did he know me?

"or someone" Jerry muttered.

"Sorry do I know you?" I asked kneeling beside him. I didn't know what to do. Do I sit him up? Do I leave him where he is?

I think he tried to smile but his facial injuries made it look impossible to know for sure.

"It's...me...Max" he said. "do...you...not...recognise me?"

I released a breath I hadn't realised I had been holding. I couldn't find any words.

"What happened to you?" Milton asked, he had had his back to us, ringing for an ambulance, moments before.

"Lucas...he...after Kim...i tried...to...help...but...he... turned... on...me" He explained. Lucas must have hurt his ribs, he was finding it hard to breathe and speak. It took him almost five minutes to say that bit.

"Yeah that and more" Jerry muttered.

Max grabbed my wrist. "I'm...sorry...i need...you to...believe me"

I shook my head "Don't talk any more. You need to rest"

"Jack...Kim...she...needs help"

I nodded. Why does he always feel the need to point out the obvious? "How am I meant to help her when I have no idea where he has taken her? Tell me more"

The paramedics arrived and put him on a stretcher before he had chance to reply to me.

"I will tell the police not you boy" he said, sounding like my old uncle Max as he was pulled towards the waiting ambulance. "Lucas has totally lost it. He is dangerous, too dangerous for you to handle. Leave it to the police"

The paramedics put Max in the back of the ambulance and sped off towards the hospital.

Milton put his hand on my shoulder and began to walk me back towards my house. "Jack, he tried to help Kim. I phoned Sam she is on her way to the hospital to question him."

I nodded "i know he did but he could have tried sooner. Now Kim is alone with that unstable jerk and I can do nothing until Max decides to release the location where Lucas is hiding. He could be playing games with us all"

"She's strong she can hold on" Jerry said. "She's a fighter"

I hope Jerry is right. I hope she can. She just has to. I'm going to help her soon but I need to find out more from Max before I go charging in there. If Max is finally telling the truth about Lucas is loosing the plot then Kim and I may struggle to make it out alive this time and I need to be prepared for whatever he may throw at us.