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s e v e n t e e n

For VanShipperz, who want their OC added.

"You're private investigators! Key word being investigators!"

Max sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "We're well aware of that, Jon. But you have to understand that when we don't have much to go off of, it makes everything harder. Are you sure there isn't anything else that could help?"

"I've told you everything!"

"Alright, alright... Adam, let's go back to the part where-"

A knock on the door made all three males go silent. Jonathan stood and walked over to it. He opened it without looking through the peep hole and was surprised to see Ryan standing there.

Especially since he looked guilty of something.

Jonathan cocked a brow and flatly said, "Yes?"

"Can I come in?"

"Why?"

"I need to talk to you."

"I'm busy-"

"-with the detectives. I know. That's why I need to talk to you now."

"Alright." Jonathan moved out of the way. "Fine. Come in."

Ryan stepped in and walked over to the table where Max and Adam were analyzing things quietly to themselves. Jonathan joined them once again and waited for Ryan to spill what he had to say.

"I haven't been honest with you, Jon," Ryan sighed, "and I'm really, really sorry. But I think I know where Luke took Evan."

This was news to all of them.

"What?!" Jonathan yelled. "Where?! How do you- Ryan!"

"Let him speak, man," Adam jumped in.

"I knew you were going to be mad at me. But I'm mad at me, too. Look, let me just tell you everything and then you can bash me later, okay?"

Jonathan grit his teeth. "Fine."

"Okay. Well to start, this isn't the first time Luke has done this. We had a class together when he came to this college and he instantly fell in love with me just like he did with Evan at the party. The difference, though, is that I liked him back. So when he kidnapped me, I didn't even really realize what was going on. I didn't think of it as kidnapping until later on. He made me do so many things... I don't like to think about it. That's why it took me so long to bring myself to come over and tell you all of this. I did it for Evan's sake. I can't imagine what... Luke has a weird combination of Possessive Personality Disorder and Psychosis. When he likes something, he loves it, and he becomes possessive of what he loves; but he doesn't even know that he's doing it. It's like he's in a coma and a demon has taken over his body. I mean, we call you Delirious when really, we should be calling him delirious. The place he took me to was this really nice house in Kingston, New York. Driving there from here takes little more than two hours. We could have found Evan so much sooner if I had just opened my mouth sooner, but what happened in that house when I was there... Thinking about it makes me want to throw up. I'm sorry, Jon. I am really very sorry."

The room was silent as everyone processed everything.

Jonathan couldn't believe what he was hearing. His best friend was some crazy kidnapper? How could he have not known? Luke always acted like an average Joe. But that's how all kidnappers and killers were. They blended in with the crowd. Then there's the fact that Ryan had been kidnapped by Luke, yet here he was...

"How did you get away?" Max questioned, as if he were reading Jonathan's mind.

"I had help from a friend. His name was Ora. We were best friends. He knew something was suspicious when Luke suddenly left, came back, and then we were both gone. So he spent time trying to find me and save me, but I had already experienced things with Luke that it was too late to truly save me. So he distracted Luke while I ran away and the rest is history."

"Ora as in Ora Mindanao?"

Ryan was taken back when Jonathan said his full name. "Y-Yeah. Did you know him?"

"Yeah, we grew up together. What happened to him?"

"Luke told me he died. I'm willing to bet he killed him when he tried to save me. I will never forgive myself..."

"Wait, so why do you still hang around with Luke if he...?"

Ryan sighed again. "Blackmail. He said if I ran away from him again, he would pin Ora's death on me."

"Damn," was all Jonathan could say in response to everything and damn was right. He had been best friends with a psycho and he didn't even know it.

"So where did you say Luke took you? Kingston?" Max asked.

"Yes."

"Well the four of us better get going because if Luke is doing to Evan what he did to Ryan, then we don't have much time before things get worse. It' already been five days since he was kidnapped."

"Th-The four of us?" Ryan stuttered.

"You're the only one who knows where exactly the house is. You're gonna have to come with." Adam gave him a serious look.

"I-I can't. I... No. I can't go back to... That house is- No. Just thinking about it..."

Jonathan put his hands on Ryan's shoulders and shook him back and forth.

"Ryan, you have to do this. For Evan. Do you want him to go through what you went through? What if he's doing worse to Evan? What if-"

Jonathan stopped talking abruptly and took his hands away from Ryan. He covered his face with them and turned away, where he began to take in deep breaths. Thinking about everything Luke could be doing his poor nerd was painful. He didn't want his precious baby to be hurt, but he knew it was too late for that.

A squeak from a chair made Jonathan turn back to the three. Ryan was now standing and staring at him.

"I'll go with you. But I am not getting out of the car. And as soon as we have Evan, we leave. Got it?"

Jonathan nodded and put his hands down. "Got it."

"Alright, looks like it's settled," Max said, turning away from Adam to look at Jonathan and Ryan. "We're going to Kingston, New York."