Chapter Nineteen - Insane

The lights of the mall turn on five minutes later and I run around yelling for Elena like a madman. When I can't find her my heart races in terror as I realize that she's been taken. Ryder and Theo race over to Zoe and Ella who stand next to each other terrified. I run upstairs to check on Navy and Remi to find them passed out on the ground along with three other men. They're all bleeding, Remi is shot along with the other three and Navy has a head wound.

Cursing I call backup as I search for a first aid kit. I clean up their wounds as best as possible before securing tight bandages around them. Then I race down to the van outside the mall where Payton and Cleo have been operating from. But I find them collapsed in the middle of the alleyway with nobody in sight.

"Fuck!" I yell in frustration as I open the medical kit I had brought just in case and begin working on them.

Backup arrives midway as well as an ambulance and they take over. I explain the situation to everyone and after making sure Payton and Cleo are going to be okay we head back inside to get Navy, Remi and the other men. During it all I finally find my family again and this time mom, dad and Noah have joined. Instantly I feel a pang of guilt for leaving them but I brush it off knowing that if I had wasted time then I would have lost my team members.

"Roman we can't find Elena!" Ella cries worriedly as she looks around.

"What is going on? Do you know anything?" Dad asks as he drapes an arm across Mom's shoulders tightly.

"Elena's been kidnapped. The serial killer that I've been following has been targeting her. I had some of my team here and they've been shot and injured. This was all planned so that he could get her." I explain and watch as their eyes widen in fear. "Listen, I don't have time right now. I need you all to get home and an officer is waiting outside to escort you. I don't know when I'll be back but I need to find her."

"Be safe honey, okay?" Mom hugs me tightly and pulls my head down to kiss my forehead.

"I will, don't worry." I nod as everyone steps forward to hug me.

Noah glances back at me in worry as I watch them leave the mall. I smile reassuringly before they disappear around a corner. With a heavy sigh I turn and make my way outside to the back exit of the mall where my team is being loaded into ambulances. I text the others in the group chat about what happened and they respond right away that they'll meet me at the hospital. A small smile lifts my lips at them dropping everything to help me.

After settling everything with the officers I get into my car and drive to the hospital where Navy, Remi, Payton and Cleo are. My thoughts run rampant as I think about Elena and I instantly feel like such a failure. I told her she will be safe with me but he got to her. Running a hand through my hair in frustration I call Briar and tell her to get access to the mall cameras as well as find out if we can track Elena somehow.

The doctors give me an update with somber faces, telling me how Payton and Remi are in the operation theatre and that Cleo and Navy are still unconscious. Briar is driving back to the office to try and track Elena down as that's where all her equipment is. I can't leave until I have a location from her. It's killing me to sit here and do nothing while Elena is out there probably terrified. So, I wait as anxiety courses through me like a wildfire.

After a long wait, just as the doctors come out of the operation theatres the rest of the team joins me in the waiting room. Thankfully Payton's and Remi's wounds weren't fatal while Cleo and Navy have been tended to. I sigh in relief as they tell us that the nurses will be moving them to their rooms soon. Thanking them we turn to each other just as my phone rings. I pick up and put it on loudspeaker when I notice that it's Briar.

"They're taking her towards Houston. Black van with two dents in the back and no license plate." She informs me and my eyes widen. "As suspected all of the mall cameras were disabled so I accessed the ones in the city."

"Right, Frankie and Quincy you guys are staying here. The rest are coming with us." Mac states just as I hang up.

The two boys protest at the idea but eventually understand as they know themselves that they're not trained fully for these types of situations. Besides, they still need to wait until their probationary period is over before being let onto the field. The rest of us make our way out of the hospital and into my car.

I speed off towards Houston with Briar on the phone constantly giving us updates. She's been tracking them through street cameras and it turns out that there's only two men in the van along with Elena. At some point they stopped at a gas station before resuming their journey.

Hold on Elena. I'll find you, I think to myself.

I wake up later at god knows what hour. My head hurts like a bitch and I blink drowsily as I look around to discover I'm still laying on the floor of the van. But there's an awful smell that makes me gag and my eyes water. I look up to meet Brandon's vacant eyes and come to the startling realization that he's dead. A muffled noise of surprise and disgust escapes me. I sit up after moments of struggling and notice that Cody has his mouth and nose covered. He doesn't look phased at all, as if there's no dead body rotting away in the back.

I look past him to see that it's dark and we're in what seems to be the middle of nowhere. There's nothing but trees and fields stretching out for miles on either side. I spot a sign for a national forest on the right but we continue past it for another while. He seems to take me to the back of the forest before finally coming to a stop twenty minutes after I saw the last of the tightly packed trees.

I struggle when he opens the door and grabs me from the van, leaving Brandon out there as he carries me into a two-story house. Someone unlocks the door for him and I'm carried to a room at the very end. He unties the ropes at my ankles and loosens the one around my torso and arms to then tie me to the chair. I struggle and resist as much as I can before he finishes and rips off the duct tape.

"Fucking bastard!" I snarl at the stinging pain.

He smirks before leaving the room and I look around to see no windows. It's completely bare with nothing except another chair situated in a corner by the door. I groan when the pain in my head only becomes stronger and wishing that I was home with Roman. I wonder how he is. God I really hope he's not hurt, I think to myself.

But before I can ponder on my thoughts further the door opens once more and a young man, seemingly in his early twenties, steps in. He has brown hair but in a buzzcut with light brown eyes and bags underneath them. His stubble is scruffy and unkept, his build is quite lanky and he's very pale. He's dressed in casual sweatpants, a white t-shirt and black sneakers. I watch as he takes the chair and drags it to the middle of the room.

"Schmidt."

"How do you know my name?" He asks as his eyes flicker with surprise. His voice is surprisingly boyish and light.

"Oh please, I wasn't hit that hard to lose my memory." I roll my eyes and the action alone brings back the raging bitch inside my head. "Brandon said it while kidnapping me."

"Well, since you know my last name it's only fair that I tell you my first. It's Dan." He smiles creepily as his eyes rake over my body with a disgusting gleam.

"Dan, would you be a doll and get me some painkillers?" I grumble and watch his smile drop instantly.

"You don't give the orders around here!" He hisses as he jumps out of his chair and yanks on my hair.

"Well, if you want me to be co-operative I highly suggest you get me those fucking painkillers before I make your life hell!" I glare at him fiercely as the pounding in my head gets more intense. "And get your fucking hand out of my hair you dimwit! Can't you see I've got a wound?!"

He releases me with a glare before backhanding me hard. I bite my lip at the sting and refuse to cry out in pain when he punches me in the stomach and cheek next. He grips my chin tightly and tilts my head to level it with his. His eyes are cold, detached and uncaring as they gaze into mine.

"I'm going to enjoy breaking you Elena. That boyfriend of yours won't even find your body after I'm done with you." He chuckles like a psycho.

"Well he found all of your previous victims so I think I'll be just fine." I smile sarcastically which earns me another punch.

"Not if he's dead."

"What?" I stiffen in fear at the thought of him hurting Roman.

"Did you really think I don't have a plan to kill him? That I'd let the guy who's been hunting me down live?" He throws his head back with a raspy laugh. "I'm going to make him suffer and the last thing he'll see is me tasting a piece of his girlfriend."

"What's your deal with only killing women?"

"Women are lying, cheating whores!" He screams in my face and I flinch at the sudden volume.

"Just because someone cheated on you doesn't make it a valid reason for you to go on a killing spree!" I yell back as he paces the length of the room. "What the hell are you trying to achieve?! Wipe females off the face of the Earth?!"

"I don't need to have a goal!" He shouts and I scoff in disbelief.

"So, you're too far gone to stop? You've probably been a sadistic motherfucker since the day you were born! Tell me, did it start on toys?" I retort sarcastically which earns me another punch to the stomach.

"You talk too fucking much!" He seethes as he chokes me.

"Aw did I hurt your feelings? I guess you should've thought twice before messing with me you weak ass bitch!" I manage to get out and he lets me go with a roar.

He takes out a knife and plunges it into my thigh. I grunt as he laughs manically before starting towards the door. "Try not to bleed to death sweetheart."

"I'll do my best honey." I reply through gritted teeth.

He looks like he wants to come back and hit me again before he decides against it and finally leaves. I let out a breath of relief before squeezing my eyes shut when pain courses through my leg because of the stab wound. Time to come up with a plan and get the fuck out of here, I think to myself with a breathless chuckle.

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- R.W. ♡