The Nightmare Of Life

Chapter-41: I won't give up on you

With Abby on my heels, I barge into the police station and march up to the counter. "Where's Detective Porter?" I demand. The cop at the front desk stands there. "Miss Tiffany. How may I help you?" I turn to the detective walking towards me. "It's been two fucking weeks since Serena went missing, it looks like you people aren't even trying. I mean look at that fatass over there eating a donut, you should be actively trying to find her." Abby puts a hand on my shoulder trying to calm me down as the detective eyes me carefully. "I understand you are upset but rest assured I am trying the best that I can to find your friend. Like I already told you, we have been trying to find this man for months and nothing. We might have to face the fact that your friend could already be dead. I'm sorry, but you need to leave." I feel my face flare up as anger rises inside of me. "Listen here, you piece -" Abby gets in front of me and pushes me away from the detective. She grabs my arm and pulls me outside. Once outside, I shake her arm off me. "What the hell, babe." I yell. Abby takes a second before giving me a stern look. "I know you are hurting, but trying to get arrested isn't going to find Serena. You need to get your head on straight." I take in her words close my eyes and take a few deep breaths. After a second, I open my eyes and give Abby a weak nod. "You're right, I'm sorry. If the police aren't going to do their jobs, then I guess it's up to us." Abby looks at me, their brow raised. "What are you  implying?" I put a reassuring hand on her bicep. "Trust me." Abby gives me a weak smile. We get in my car and put on our seatbelts. "Babe, what are you planning?" Abby asks as I begin driving. "Jake told me what kind of car it was that was stalking Serena, I am sure that's the same car that took her. There are only three places Serena goes, that's home, the club, and work. I feel like if you and I watch her job while Jake watches the club, this person will show up. So that's what we are going to do." Abby looks out the window. "You know I am with you all the way, but what happens when this person shows up? You can't just confront them." I look at Abby, and knowing that she's right hurts because all I want is to see Serena again. "I know. Let's just go to Jake's house and go over the plan there. I promise that I will not try to put myself in danger." Abby takes my hand and gives it a light squeeze. "Like I said I am with you. Serena is very important to you, and I have only known her for a short time, but she has always been sweet to me. I will do everything I can to help you get her back." I look at Abby and give her a soft smile. "I'm sorry, Abs. I have been so focused on finding Serena that I haven't paid attention to us." Abby looks at me and sighs. "Tiffany, why are you sorry? Your best friend is missing. If I were to ever be mad, then I would not be a good person. Now let's go to Jake's and let's come up with a plan and get your girl back!" The rest of the ride to Jake's is quiet. Once we are parked, we walk hand in hand up to his apartment. Abby knocks on the door, and Alicia answers. She holds the door open and lets us walk into Jake standing at the edge of the kitchen against the counter. After she closes the door, Alicia walks over to Jake and takes his hand. "I got your text. What's your plan? Jake asks in a low tone. The last couple of weeks have been rough. Jake has closed down the club due to a family emergency, and even though he is very good at hiding his emotions, I can tell that he is hurting. I am happy that we both have Abby and Alicia because I feel like without them, we would implode, but like earlier today, they keep our heads on straight. "Okay, so here is what I was thinking. Since you and I know what the car looks like, I was thinking that we could watch the club's parking lot and the parking lot of her work. I am positive that they will show up." Jake and the group all remain silent for a second. "Since I closed the club, I haven't seen a car in that parking lot. So I think our best bet is to scope out her work, I was thinking of her house as well but this person seems to be smart so I don't think they will go back to her place. Why don't we take shifts? Alicia and I will go over there now while the kids are still in school, and once school gets out, we switch." Everyone nods in agreement. "Okay, I am positive that Alicia knows this person from work." I respond. "Okay, that's the plan. Alicia and I will go, but Tiffany, I need to talk to you quickly." Jake says in a low tone. We all disperse, and Jake takes me to his bedroom and closes the door. "Tiffany, you aren't going to like this, but starting Monday, I need to reopen the club. The club can only be closed down for a certain amount of time before I start to lose money. I know this isn't what you wanted to hear, but I wanted you to know that just because I am opening the club again doesn't mean I will stop trying to find Serena. I am with you every step of the way. I am telling you all of this because legally I have to give you options since you are my general manager but I know you so starting Monday you will be on paid leave. Once we find Serena and bring her come, that's when you can come back." I give him a weak smile. "Thank you, Jake. You are a great friend to not only Serena but me too." He pulls me into a strong hug before leaving. Abby and I follow them out of the house. We get to my car and get in. Abby takes my hand and gives it a light stroke. "We will find her. I know it." Her words hit me hard as I felt a tear leave my eye and trail down my cheek. "I miss her." I cry as I start my car. "I know, baby. Let's go home and get you some rest." After this, Abby and I go to my place and take a nap cuddled up together. After a few hours, we are now sitting across the street from Serena's work. We are currently eating potato chips and eyeing the building carefully. "Well, it's safe to say that this is my first stakeout. When do we get the fancy binoculars." Abby says with a small laugh. I look at her and chuckle to myself. "You're stupid." I respond, but just as she is about to respond, I see the car that matches the description. "Babe, look." I point. Her eyes go wide as she watches the car park where Serena would normally park. We watch carefully as the man goes inside the building. I start my car and begin to drive over there. "Babe, what are you doing." I park next to his car and get out. "Babe!" Abby yells as I walk over to his car and pull on the door handle. To my surprise, the door opens. I lean into his car and begin to look around. After a moment, I don't see anything until something in the corner of the floor on the passenger side catches my eye. I snatch it quickly get out of the car and close the door. I get back in my car and look at Abby. "Look." I say as I pull out the black skulled ring. "This is Serena's, I bought it for her on the cruise. I know it's hers because it has our initials carved on the back. This motherfucker has Serena." Abby looks at me as she takes the bracelet. I pull out my phone and begin to call Jake. "Hey. He has her Jake, this sick fuck has her." I cry. "Tiffany calm down and come over. Make sure to get his license plate." I take a deep breath before hanging up the phone. We drive over to Jake's in silence after Abby takes a picture of the car's plate. Once I am parked my emotions want to escape as this whole time all I have done is put on a brave face but in reality I am heartbroken. After a moment of composing myself, I get out of the car followed by Abby. We get inside and all sit at the dining room table. "Don't worry about the kiddos, I sent them to the pool with Alicia. Zyra and Taylor are staying as strong as they can. There have been a couple of nights where we had to stay up with Taylor and calm her down. We need to find Serena." Jake says in a weak tone. Abby shows Jake the photo. "How do you know he took her?" He asks as he takes Abby's phone. "I kinda sorta got into his car and inside I found this." I pull the ring out of my pocket and hand it to him, he takes it as he hands Abby's phone back to her. Just before Jake can respond Natasha walks in the door. Her face falls when she sees us. "Still nothing?" She asks in a sincere voice as she takes a seat next to Jake. I feel my emotions are getting the best of me again because a tear escapes its prison and falls down my cheek. "All we have is a photo of the car's license plate, but the police won't help so we have nothing." Jake responds with an angry sigh.  I wipe my face as Natasha perks up. "Wait, send me that photo, Liam's brother works at the police station. I am sure if I send Liam that picture his brother could figure out everything about this man." Abby quickly sends the photo to Jake and Jake sends it to Natasha. "Okay sent it, I am going to go call him and see if we can get this information faster, hang tight." With that, Natasha dashed up and ran to her room. Abby takes my hand and gives it a light kiss. My heart pounds out of my chest as the only thing I can think about is if she is okay. I feel another tear fall down my cheek. "What if this is all for nothing?" I cry as another tear escapes. "She is most likely already dead." I say this time my voice cracking. "Tiffany look at me please." Jake says. I look at him and he looks at me with confidence in his eyes. "We will find her I believe that, we have to believe that, and when we do she will be okay. Serena is a strong girl. Now I know that this is hard for you, and it's hard for me too, but if we lose our heads now then we will never find. She needs us." I take in everything just as Natasha dashes out of her room. "Here, I have his name, address and phone number." I take the paper from here and look at Jake. "There's only one thing we can do. We have to break into his house." Abby throws herself up and glares at me annoyed. "Okay, I can't let you do that." I push myself up and glare at her. "Well, what else are we supposed to do? The cops won't help so the best thing we can do is do everything ourselves." I can see anger in her eyes but also in her eyes is worry as she steps closer to me. "How far are you going to take this before you get hurt." I shake my head at her comment and look away, she takes my arm and forces me to look at her. I feel a rush of anger. "I would die for her." I respond. She looks at me taken aback. "I..." She tries to say but holds herself back. Lee stands up and pushes in his chair. "I will go with her. I will keep her safe I promise." Abby looks at Jake then at me and sighs. "I can't stop you but please be careful and Jake if anything happens to my girl I will kill you myself." Abby responds in a calmer tone than before. I slowly walk up to her and give her a gentle kiss on the cheek. "I appreciate your concern. I promise that I will be safe. I just need her back." Abby takes both of my hands and looks me in the eyes. "I know babe." For a second we just look at one another until she pulls me in for a soft kiss, her lips taste like potato chips. Once we pull away I give her a weak smile. "I appreciate you, babe." After one last peck on the lips, we turn our attention towards Jake who is talking to Natasha in the living room. I walk over while holding Abby's hand. "Okay Jake but you better be safe. If I go to work and I see you-" Natasha doesn't finish her sentence because Jake pulls her into a strong hug. "I am not going anywhere Nat you know that." They break the hug and look at us patiently waiting. "Okay, let's do this." Jake says as he walks up to me. "What about Ali?" I ask. Natasha and Jake share a look before Jake returns his attention to me. "Natasha is going to tell her, I want to tell her myself but I know she will convince me to stay and I need to go with you." I look at Jake and my face falls. "Jake, you don't have to go with me, I don't want to cause any rift between you and Alicia." I respond. "You won't." Alicia's voice says behind me. I turn and see Alicia standing in the doorway with the girls behind her. Suddenly before I can say a word Zyra and Taylor run up and pull me into a hug. "Babe, can I talk to you" Alicia says to Jake as I hold the girls tight. It breaks my heart to hear both of their noses sniffling. We break the hug and I get down on their level and look at them. I put one hand on each of their cheeks. "I promise I will find her and bring her home." I wipe the tears from their eyes just as Jake and Alicia return to us hand in hand. Emerald walks up takes Zyra's hand and pulls her into her bedroom with Taylor following closely. Jake gives me a knowing look as Alicia presses a soft kiss on his cheek. "Both of you be safe." Alicia says in a sweet yet stern tone. Jake and I say our byes before we leave the apartment. We walk to my car and get in. "Okay, so it's roughly midday so what's the plan here?" I ask. Jake sighs. "Okay, so here is what we can do, it's already known that this creep has her. I say we stalk his place and the moment he leaves we break into his house and search the whole place for Serena and if she isn't there we search for clues that will eventually lead us to her." I look at him and we lock eyes. "I appreciate you, you don't have to help me." He looks away at my words before sighing. "Serena is my best friend. I will do anything for her and the last thing I want is you to get hurt in all of this." He looks at me after he finishes and smiles. "You know what I think we should do after we find her?" He says in a somewhat upbeat tone. "What?" I ask curiously. "I think I should buy a huge mansion and we can all live together in it. Think about it you, me, Alicia, Serena, Abby, Natasha and the kiddos. I mean we all see each other on the daily anyway." I give him a genuine smile for the first time since Serena has been missing. "I'd like that, but let's get our girl back first." He gives me a stern nod before I start the car. We go and get some food wasting a little time before we decide to go over to the address. We are currently pulling up on the address which is a house in the middle of a circle of houses. "Park here." Jake says in a demanding tone. I park in between the address's house and the house next to it. I watch Jake's eyes and I see the man getting in his car and he sits there for a moment. It's roughly 8 at night. After a few more minutes the man quickly pulls out of his driveway and speeds off. Once the coast is clear Jake and I get out of the car and slowly walk up to the house. I walk up to the front door and begin to pick the lock. "What the hell?" Jake says in a low tone as I manage to get the door open. "What, I was not a goody to shoes when I was a kid." I respond as we slowly enter the house. "Okay, this is a one-story house so you take the left, and I'll take the right." Jake says in a commanding tone. We split up and the first thing I do is search for a basement. After a little while I come up with nothing. I begin to panic because there is no sign of Serena anywhere. "Tiffany come here!" Jake yells from the other room. I jog over to him holding a piece of paper in his hand. He hands it to me and I notice that it's a deed to another property out of town. It's a well-built one-story house that he built on a decent plot of land. I look up at Jake with a frown. "That's where he has her. It all makes perfect sense now. We need to go now!" I begin to walk out away but Jake grabs my arm and forces me to look at him. "We need to call the police and tell them where this place is." I look at him in disbelief as I shrug his arm off of me. "Jake, no! You saw what they do. We should go and get her back." He glares at me but based on the look in his eyes he agrees with me. "Fine we will go but on the way there I am calling the police. We don't know what we are getting ourselves into." I give him a look before marching out of the house with him following closely behind me. He dials 911 as we get into my car. I quickly put in the address then I speed off. "Yes sir, that's the address. I promise you. Okay, thank you." Jake says before he hangs up. "That was the detective, he and some units are going now. I think we might have caught a lucky break because when I found that deed it was taken out of a box. I think our kidnapper was in a rush. I am really worried for Serena's life. Step on it Tiff." I listen and push the pedal to the floor. Weaving through traffic like we are in an action movie getting chased by the cops we manage to escape the city and are now nearing closer to the man's second house. The house looms large and my heart skips a beat when I see a huge barbed-wired fence surrounding the house. "Now what?" I cry as I stop just outside the house. "It looks like he is parked just outside his house. I hate to say it but I think we need to drive through his fence and face whatever he wants to throw at us. There's no way to sneak in. Whoever this is, he is very prepared." I take a deep breath before looking at Jake. "No matter what happens, promise me that you will find her and keep her safe." He gives me a sad look now with a different look in his eyes. "I promise. Are you sure you're ready to do this Tiff." I give him a stern nod and take one last deep breath. After my emotions are in check I step on my gas pedal and as Jake holds on to the oh shit handle we ram tight through his fence. The impact takes out one of my headlights and cracks my windshield forcing me to stop the car. Jake and I slowly get out of the car. Suddenly a gun goes off and the bullet hits right next to me just as I move my head. "Eek" I cry as I dash behind my car where Jake is waiting for me. "I don't know who you assholes are but I suggest you get off my property this instant before I blow your goddamn head off." The man yells from his porch. I breath heavily trying to compose myself with the thought that if I didn't move my head in time I would be dead right now. My senses are all off that I don't notice Jake trying to get my attention. "TIFFANY!?" He yells finally able to get my attention. He has both of his hands on my shoulders and he is looking me in the eyes. "Breath, we need to stay focused." Jake says in a stern tone as another gunshot goes off and the bullet smacks the front of my car. "We need to move now, are you with me." Jake yells once again. I nod and pull myself together as another shot goes off this time the bullet shatters my windshield. Jake takes my hand and pulls me away from my car and we sneak behind his car. The night sky makes us more hidden from him. "Alright, come on out of hiding you pieces of shit." The man yells. The terror inside of me knowing that this deranged man is a few feet in front of me and the only thing protecting Jake and myself is his car. "Okay, Tiff here is what we need to do. I need you to stand up and distract him, while you do that I will sneak around and tackle him." Jake whispers to me. I shake my head no several times as fear seems to take over me completely. Jake puts both of his hands on my cheeks and forces me to face him. "Tiffany I promise I won't let this asshole hurt you. I know you are scared but think of Serena." I feel a tear fall down my cheek as I give Jake a stern nod. "Okay, okay." I cry as Jake lets go of me and begins to walk to the other side of the car. I take a huge deep breath before standing up and throwing my hands up. "Don't shoot. I just lost control of my car and smashed into your fence." I cry. The main aims his rifle from the porch. He lowers it once he sees me, the porch light beaming behind him. "I know you." He snarls before aiming his rifle at me again. I cover my face as he caresses the trigger. "Leave her alone!" Jake suddenly yells before he tackles the man to the ground, the gun goes off and the bullet just missed me. "Ah!" I scream as Jake gets a couple of good punches on the man. "Go and find her now!" Jake yells as he continues to fight the man. I feel my fear keep me locked in place with my mind yelling at me from the inside to move. "Tiffany move!" Jake yells. I look at him startled as because of my distraction the man gets the upper hand on him. I finally conquered my fear and ran inside the house. I run to the first room I see and open the door to nothing but a bed. "Serena!" I yell as I walk up to another door and open it to a woman's dead body leaning in the corner of the room, her wrist and throat slit. I know it's not Serena because of the person's hair but this body is very fresh because the blood is still coming out of her body. I put my hand over my mouth and quickly closed the door. I continue to search the house the best that I can until I see one last door and my gut tells me that this is the one but before I can open the door I am pushed into it. The man grabs my shoulder and throws me onto the floor away from the door. A beat-up Jake rushes the man but he sidesteps him and pulls out a hunting knife. "Jake watch out!" I yell. Just as the man is about to stab Jake he catches his hand and tries to hold the knife away from his body. I push myself up and run towards the man pushing him away from Jake. The man stumbles back his face bruised and battered just like Jake's. Jake stands by my side and puts up his fists. "You will have to kill me to get to her." Jake snarls. "So be it." The man responds as they lunge at each other but I watch in fear as the man overpowers Jake and stabs him in the shoulder. Jake screams as the man pulls the knife out and throws Jake hard against the wall knocking him out. My body trembles as the man looks at me and begins to slowly walk towards me. "I'll deal with that little bitch later, look, you are just like your friend, so pretty when they are afraid." The man says in a creepy voice as he stalks closer towards me. I back away from him until I feel my back hit a wall. He clasps his hand around my throat and lifts me off the ground. All I can hear is myself choking and all I can see is the look in this deranged man's eyes. He raises his knife and tries to stab me but I use both of my hands to catch the knife and hold it away from my stomach the best that I can but the lack of air is getting to me, making me weaker as the knife inches closer. Suddenly as my vision begins to fade there are many bright lights in the room. "LET HER GO AND GET ON THE GROUND NOW!" A man's voice yells. I feel the pressure in my throat subside and I am dropped to the ground. Coughing I slowly push myself up thinking of only one thing. I slowly crawl to the door and open it. I turn on the light and slowly make my way down the stairs. "Serena!" I cry as my voice isn't that loud due to the lack of oxygen. I see someone lying down in the middle of the floor with a blanket wrapped around them. I rush over to the person and take the cover off revealing Serena, she has a bandage wrapped around her left shoulder and she is pale almost like she has lost a lot of blood. "Serena!" I cry screaming for her to wake up. Slowly her eyes flutter open and she looks at me. "T...Tiffany... H...How.." She cries as I help her sit up and wrap her in a hug. She holds me as tight as she can. We break the hug and gaze into one another's eyes. Before she has a chance to say anything I pull her into a passionate kiss, kissing her deep and slow. It's like all of my emotions are placed into this one kiss. After a moment I pull away and let her rest her head on my chest. "Ma'am are you down there!" A cop's voice yells out. "Yes! Hurry she's not in good condition!" I yell in response. I watch as a few paramedics rush down the stairs and help Serena up. Tears flow down my face like a waterfall as I watch them help a barely conscious Serena up the stairs. I slowly follow them up the stairs and as we walk outside it looks like a murder scene, There are cop cars everywhere and a couple of ambulances as well, flashing lights light up the property like a Christmas tree lights up your living room. I notice Jake sitting on the back of one wearing a sling around his arm and has some bandages on his face. I run over to him and he stands up and we pull one another into a hug. "I'm so sorry I couldn't protect you." He cries as he holds me tight. I let him go and look him in his eyes. "No, Serena is alive because of you. Thank you so much. Serena is lucky to have such an amazing person like you. I am going to go be with her, will you be okay?" He gives me a weak smile. "Assuming my fiancée doesn't kill me when I get home I will be fine, go." We share one last hug and I go to leave but he calls out to me and I face him. "I want you to know that I care about you too. It wasn't just Serena I was trying to protect tonight." I give him a sweet smile. "I love you too." I respond before rushing over to the ambulance where Serena is. They are just about to leave when I speed up my pace. "I'm going with her!" I yell. One of the paramedics opens the back door and lets me get inside before shutting the door behind me. I sit next to Serena take her hand and hold it tight.