Too Much Clickbait - Sequel to Clickbait

37

     Heath's P.O.V
     I raced myself over to Brennen's, ignoring the calls that blew my phone up from Zane. As I got to his house, I saw his front door was already open, a red flag getting set off in my head. I turned my truck off, hoping out and walking to the door slowly. I pushed it open, only to see Brennen sitting in the middle of his kitchen floor crying with his dog. The anger that was once in my system vanished when he looked up at me, petrified, before realizing it was me. "Heath! Heath, dude! They took her!"
     My mind began racing just as fast as he was talking. "Breathe, man. What the fuck happened?"
     My stomach turned as he paused, getting himself off of the kitchen floor with his dog still attached to his chest. "I tried calling her to stop her from going to your place... I don't know who it was, but someone came here looking for her. She was in this ski-mask shit and-"
     "Your first thought wasn't to call the police?" I snapped, getting in his face.
     "Honestly, no!" He screamed, his eyes bloodshot from tears. "I knew I had a better chance of getting to her before the police did. I don't, I just... I fucked up. I get it, this one is on me."
     "What did they say they wanted?" I didn't want to deny Brennen as right now, it was taking everything in me not to kill him myself.
     His dog grew antsy and he set him down, rolling his eyes. "I don't really know. They just kept saying they wanted to know where she was, so I said her home... They knew I was lying-"
     "You keep saying 'they'... Were there multiple people?" Brennen shook his head, rapidly, yes, as I crossed my arms over my chest. "How many?"
     "Two." Brennen looked haunted by the memory. "They... Heath, they were bad people. I don't mean evil, I mean they were sick in the head. Especially one of them... She was on a leash attached to the main one's belt. I swear to God, Heath, I'm not making this up! I have... Holy shit!"
     I followed Brennen as he raced to his living room, grabbing his camera. He looked at it, handing it off to me after pressing a button. "Why are you giving me-"
     "It's been recording all morning. They came in when I was shooting a video. Give it to the police or something, I just... I don't want to fucking see it again, man." I nodded my head, going to exit his house when Brennen grabbed ahold of my arm, turning me around. His eyes grew big, watering up again. His voice cracked randomly as he began to beg me. "Please... Please, Heath. Please find her and make sure she is safe."
     I saved my comments for another time, nodding. I felt my chest tighten as I coughed, walking out and quickly back to my truck to take another shot of my inhaler before I called Zane.

*****

     My head began to pulse as I watched the video for the four hundredth time in my truck. I threw the camera off to the passenger's seat, slamming my hands on the steering wheel. I began to rapidly punch before I felt my knuckles run cold and I stopped, seeing they were split open. I went to continue on my temper tantrum when I looked at my phone, seeing Amber was calling me. I hesitated before answering, putting on a brave face. "Hey. Any news?"
     "You never told me Nathan was Katie's ex, Heath." Amber shot out. Before I could speak out, she began to explain herself. "The case I was working on in Los Angeles? That was Isabella Lepore, his sister's case."
     "I don't understand how she did this shit, Ambie. We all have restraining orders against her and her mother." I shook my head.
     "A restraining order is nothing but a piece of paper that tells you what you can and can not do. It's not like any of you have bodyguards to protect you in case of shit like this." Amber retracted her attitude when she saw my face. "Look, his sister... She was charged with dependent adult neglect but the case was dropped when she agreed to put her mother in a suitable home for her."
     "Home?" I raised my eyebrow, appalled at what she was saying. "His mother was, like, forty-five tops at the hearing. What do you mean a home?"
     "His mother Candace has Schizophrenia." Her words trickled in the air for a moment. She took this as an opportunity to continue. "Heath, listen... I know she's your friend, but you need to let the police handle this. They're dangerous. If you get hurt-"
     I rolled my eyes, ignoring her as I stifled another cough attack. "Where was she Isabella living last?" Amber stayed silent, her eyes pleading with me not to ask again. "Amber tell me yourself or I'll go through your papers you left in my drawer."
     "24 Lasix Avenue." She saw the confusion on my face when she said the address. "It's in downtown."
     "Thank you." I went to hang up before she stopped me by calling my name.
     "I don't know if the mother is there, Heath. Please- I know-"
     "I'm calling the police before everyone else. I'm not getting shot over some psycho." Amber let out a sigh of relief. "I'll call you when this is all over."
     Though, there was something inside of me that I couldn't ignore that told me this wasn't that end to anything, but was only the beginning.