It All Started With The Kidnapping

chapter 7- Uncovering the Truth

Theo pov

It's been two weeks, and Elijah and I have been hanging out with Luna and Sara. We've all become really good friends in a short time, though Luna doesn't really talk about herself—she mainly listens to us. Britney came back to school a few days ago after being suspended for a week.

As the bell rang to signal the end of the school day, I walked out to my car, waiting for Elijah to come out. My phone started to ring. I looked at the caller ID and answered, "Hello."

"Hey, I got some information about that Luna girl," said the voice on the other end.

Before I could respond, I saw Elijah coming out of school, looking pissed off. "Okay, we'll be at the warehouse in a few. Tell me then," I said, hanging up without even saying goodbye. I put my phone in my pocket just as Elijah reached the car and got in without a word. I opened the driver's side door and got in, noticing his bloody knuckles. "You want to talk about it?" I asked. He remained silent, staring out the window, so I started the car and drove to the warehouse.

While I was driving, he finally spoke up, "I got into a fight." I glanced at him; he seemed so pissed off, but I could see the hurt in his eyes. Something must have happened to make him look like this.

As I slowed down at a stoplight, I asked, "What happened?"

He looked out the window and mumbled something I couldn't understand. When the light turned green, I floored it to the warehouse, opened the garage, and parked one of my many expensive cars. Finally, he said, "I got into a fight with some guy who doesn't even go to our school."

I looked at him and asked, "What did this guy do to piss you off?"

He hesitated, clearly debating whether to tell me or not, before finally saying, "I got into a fight because I was protecting Luna."

What the hell? Why did no one tell me that?

Oh, this kid must have a death wish because I can make that happen. Nobody messes with her without me knowing. "What was he doing? Is she okay?" I asked, feeling overprotective but determined to help her and take her away from everyone who hurts her.

He looked at me and said, "I was walking down the history hall on my way out of school when I realized I forgot something in my locker. As I went back to get it, I heard someone yelling for help. I went to see what was happening and saw this guy punching her in the stomach repeatedly while she was crying for help. He had tied her arms behind her back so she couldn't fight back. The next thing I knew, I was charging in, grabbing the guy, and beating the living hell out of him. Then I got Luna away from the guy, cut the rope, and made sure she was alright before walking out to your car."

Thank God Elijah was there to help her, because I don't know what would have happened if he hadn't. We've been protecting her at school from anyone who tries to mess with her.

We got out of the car and walked to the front of the warehouse. I typed in the code, and we walked through the halls in silence. When we reached the main area, Elijah and I went our separate ways. I headed down a few more halls to the computer room where all our hackers work. There, I was greeted by Renee, who was shoving cheese balls into her mouth. When she saw me, she mumbled, "Hey, butthole."

I rolled my eyes and smiled at her goofy personality. "You told me you found some information." She handed me a file, and as I opened it, she pulled up some things on her computer.

As I looked through the file, she started reading the details to me. "Well, she was born on 12/25/03, so that makes her 17 right now. As you know, she goes to Stony Brook High School. After school, she works at a café, and on the weekends, she works at a bar."

I wasn't expecting her to work at a bar, but I guess there's a lot I don't know about her. Renee continued, "Her parents are Sally and John Jackson, and she has one brother named Mason."

No way, I can't believe that.

To make sure I was thinking of the same family, I asked, "Mason, as in the leader of the Black Shadows mafia, or just a random kid named Mason?"

She nodded. "Yes, stupid, the leader of the Black Shadows mafia. Why would I mention some random kid if I knew it wasn't him?" Damn, no need to get sassy with me. It doesn't make sense—why is she in New York if they live in California? And why is she with the Underworld Mafia if she was from the Black Shadows? This doesn't add up. There are so many questions and no answers. I need to know why she's here.

I turned to leave, thinking she was done, but Renee called out, "Where do you think you're going? I'm not finished yet." I stopped, turned around, and walked back to her desk, giving her a look to continue.

"Well, like I was saying before you rudely walked away, in the past year, she's been to the hospital a lot. She even had to have a couple of emergency surgeries."

What the hell—emergency surgeries? What has happened to this poor girl?

I was shocked. I knew she was abused, but I didn't realize it was that severe. "What happened to her?" I asked.

Renee frowned. "All the surgeries and hospital visits were at the downtown hospital. The only thing I couldn't find was her birth certificate."

That's strange. Renee can find anything, but she couldn't find this simple document. Something seems fishy. "Why was she in the hospital so many times?" I asked.

She spoke with a frown, and I've known Renee for years—she's never sad. She's always a ball of energy, so this must be bad. "Well, the records say that one time she came in with a bullet wound to her ribs. It was so severe that she needed emergency surgery or she would have died. Then, a couple of other times, she had significant blood loss. I couldn't find out why, but I did find a doctor's note mentioning that Luna seemed starved and had so many bruises and scars that it looked like she was being abused. They called the cops every time she went to the hospital because of her condition, launching an investigation. But when they questioned her, she never said a word about what happened, so the case was dropped. That's all I could gather about her."

Damn. I feel terrible for her. How can she go through every day like that? I can't imagine what she feels.

I swear, I will make him regret ever laying a hand on her. "Thanks for the info. See you later, sis," I said.

I left the computer room and headed toward the meeting area. People nodded as I passed, showing respect since I was their leader. When I entered the room, I saw Elijah talking to Luke. "Elijah, I need to talk with you," I called out. He said something to Luke and then walked over to me.

"Hey, what's up?" he asked, noticing my anger and knowing I was contemplating murder while also trying to figure out how to help Luna. This now involved three mafias that despise each other, all connected to Luna.

"I want a meeting with the leader of the Black Shadows," I saidHe looked at me like I'd lost my mind. We were enemies with the Black Shadows and would rather kill them than meet with them. "Why the hell do you want that?" he asked.

I looked at him seriously. "They might be Luna's parents."

He was so shocked it seemed his eyes were about to fall out. "Come again?"

I rolled my eyes. "I'm not repeating myself. You heard me right the first time."

He shook his head in disbelief. "Okay, I guess I'll set up a meeting. I can't believe she is their daughter."

"Thanks, man," I said. simply.

It was a Friday night, and for the first time, we didn't have anything going on. "I'm heading to a bar. Want to come?" I asked.

He smiled and nodded. We left the warehouse and made our way to a downtown club. Little did we know, everything would change for everyone tonight—something none of us were prepared for.