When Bad Boys Fall

Hundred and Eight

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Jackie's POV

Present-day...

"Maddy?" I whispered as I saw the face of my best friend in a different picture, standing in front of the man who had been following me at the supermarket. "Maddy is responsible for everything?"

I let Lucas take the phone away from me as I felt weak. Everything made sense to me now. If Maddy was interacting with that man who was seen using Ruth's credit card, it could mean that Maddy was the one responsible for the kidnapping of Ruth and everything Ruth had said was the truth.

"I knew something was off about Maddy when she started being friends with you in high school. If Ruth is telling the truth, she should probably know this guy, right?" Lucas asked and I shrugged my shoulders, too speechless to form words.

Lucas grabbed my hand and pulled me toward the motel. He opened Jared's room door and we walked in. Once he shut the door, he left my hand and went to his sister who was still tied up. I watched as he knelt before her and showed her my phone's screen.

Ruth's eyes widened in panic and she started to breathe heavily. She wiggled on her seat, trying to move away which surprised me.

"Do you know this man?" Lucas asked.

"H-he is one of the men who kidnapped me. He's the one who hurt me and made me write those letters. Wh-what is he doing with Maddy?" She asked and made eye contact with me. "Please, tell me what's going on?"

I stepped forward with my hands clasped in front of my lap. I stood behind Lucas and began to fiddle with my fingers.

"Ruth, we want the truth. A lot is going on and you're the only one who can explain everything to us. Because everything that has happened points to you. So, I beg... Tell us the truth," I pleaded in a low voice while Ruth still looked confused.

"The only thing I can tell you is that I was captured and left to suffer for something I know nothing about. Why are you not believing me? Lucas, you are my brother. Believe me when I say I don't know what's going on."

Lucas stood up and went to the other side of the room. I watched him unzip his duffle bag and take out a familiar yellow file then he walked back to Ruth.

"In this file contains information about the bank transactions you made one year ago before I left for college. In this file, you sent a sum of $20,000 to Ashton Kingston, Daniel Zhou, Lincoln Turner, and Evan Kent. Secondly, you paid flight tickets for these set of people a few days after you sent them those $20,000. These boys were the ones who sexually assaulted Jackie on the day she told you I was with her phone which you promised to get for her, do you remember?"

I watched Ruth's expression closely. Her eyes narrowed as she began to think over what her brother had said.

"You sent those boys to assault my woman because you had an unhealthy love for me. You were obsessed with me according to those love letters and wanted Jackie out of the picture," Lucas said in a hard tone.

I wanted to calm him down but kept to myself. He had every right to be emotional about everything.

"Wait," Ruth said. "I remember now. One year ago, I received $80,000 in my account from Mrs. Kingston. I called Maddy to ask her why since I didn't have her mother's phone number and she told me that Ashton needed medical attention."

"Medical attention? For what? Ashton didn't need any medical attention," Lucas said and stood beside me in shock.

"I don't know. Maddy told me that the money was sent to my account by accident and that I need to send it back to them. I can show you the text thread between me and her since I never sent her any text since that day. My phone is at home as I had taken my laptop and bought a new phone that I would use in Haiti since my old one had some screen issues," Ruth explained, looking around. "Also, she called me one day and told me she needed help with some money. I was surprised someone of her status needed such from me. She told me it was about her cousin and that he needs to travel to a state in Nigeria for some sort of treatment. I was told to pay for four flight tickets and that was the last time she spoke to me."