In the attic of Jade's childhood was an old trunk, locked. And even though she couldn't pry it open, nor did she have the key, the muffled sobs coming from inside told her more than she wanted to remember.
☆ Winner of The Fiction Awards 2019 ☆
🌼...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Third Person POV
Jordan's eyes were squinted in concentration as he scrutinized every inch of the screen. He refused to blink, afraid he'd miss a clue - a gesture, a flash, a face, anything. He clicked rewind for the umpteenth time and the image distorted briefly as the CCTV footage reversed.
He knew the entire scenery by heart now, every little movement, every detail. For the past few hours he had watched every footage of every surveillance camera, from all different angles. It didn't matter how many times he had seen the tapes, he had lost count, but he was willing to watch it for as long as needed until he found Jade.
Jade.
Her name was playing in his head like a broken record, reminding him every second of what was missing in his life right now. Her absence was like a gaping hole in his heart he couldn't fill, an emptiness that kept expanding with every second he couldn't hold her close. His fingers twitched, aching to touch her and make sure she was safe and sound. But those same hands were also twitching to get a hold on the bastards that dared to take his little sister away from him.
Jordan's eyes started to sting - from staring into the screen for too long or from the tears threatening to well up ... maybe it was both.
The sound of the video tape rewinding stopped, cutting his train of thoughts. Jordan pushed the play button and watched closely.
8:24 p.m.
Preston appears in the parking lot. He seems to be in a rush but stops abruptly. He turns and Jade comes into view. She was talking calmly but Jordan noticed the light furrow of her brows - she was trying not to get upset. Preston started leaving again but Jade managed to change his mind.
Jordan narrowed his eyes, trying to make out the words but the footage wasn't clear enough. Their talk lasted approximately seven minutes. By the end of their conversation, Preston's hard features had softened considerably and his sister's eyes were glistening with unshed tears.
8:31 p.m.
The footage jumped to a different camera, a different angle. A man was spotted walking around the cars. He was dressed in dark jeans, black jacket and boots. His face was mainly obscured by the hat on top of his head. This man knew exactly where each surveillance camera was located, Jordan could tell by the way he kept his face out of sight.
8:32 p.m.
Jade suddenly stops dead in her tracks and takes in her surroundings. A different man suddenly appears in front of her causing her to take a step back. This man was as hard to identify as his partner - equally dark clothes and face turned away from the camera's.
