Chapter 6
1823 Words
Justin was at his desk thinking about Anna when his assistant, carrying a stack of folders, walked into the room.
“Sir, here are the reports for this week’s numbers.”
He didn’t look at her and continued staring into space.
“She said yes,” he muttered to himself.
She craned her neck and looked at her boss oddly.
“Sir?” she asked, and Justin looked up at her.
“Someone that has been in my life for as far as I can remember…” he started to say, realizing he was being unprofessional and straightened.
“Just leave the stack on my desk.”
She made a face, did as he asked, and walked out. Justin thought momentarily and decided he wanted to hear Anna’s voice. He pulled out his cell and dialed her number.
“Simone.”
“Hi, gorgeous! It’s Justin,” he said, doodling on a pad of paper.
“Mr. Hardy! What can I do for you?” she asked.
Her voice was like heaven to his ears, and he grinned.
“Uh, I don’t want you to get offended by my asking, but do you need formal attire for the ball?”
She wondered why he was calling and asking about clothes.
“No, Mr. Hardy, no offense taken, and yes, I have formal attire.”
“I was just asking because I could send a car, and you can get whatever you like, all expenses paid.”
She smiled at his attempt to swoon her, but she was all set on the swooning and laughed.
“What’s so funny?” he asked, clueless.
“Thank you, Mr. Hardy, for your concern, but I am all set.”
Without saying bye, she hung up the phone. He reared his head back and set his cell on his desk.
Did she sound flattered or upset that he called her?
He didn’t know why, but he wanted to make up for all the wrong he did to her when they were kids. He now hated himself for the way he treated her. No wonder why she acted the way she did towards him.
He had to make her see that he wanted to be friends and maybe something more. However, he didn’t know what to do. Perhaps just be himself, but what was that? How do you impress a girl who already has everything she could ever want?
********
Tom and Pete were at their lockers, and they had just finished football practice and gotten out of the shower. They were getting dressed and getting ready to go home for the day.
“Are you going home after we leave?” asked Petez, pulling on his sweatshirt, and Tom shook his head.
“No, I am going to the Claw to meet with Kirsten. She said she had something important to talk to me about.”
Pete shrugged his shoulders. He didn’t have a girlfriend, and he didn’t want one. Too much about feelings, and if they didn’t have their way, they would find someone who would be at their beck and call. Not him, not his style. Tom finished lacing up his boots and headed out to his truck.
“See ya.”
“See ya.”
Tom walked out to the parking lot and reached his truck. The sun was already beginning to set, and the wind had picked up a little. He pulled out the keys and unlocked the door. He was startled by being grabbed, and then everything went black.
A few moments later, Pete walked out to the parking lot with a few of his teammates and noticed that Tom’s truck was still in its parking spot. He saw the door was open and walked over to it with a couple of guys.
“That’s weird,” said one of the guys as they reached the truck.
The door was open, and Tom’s backpack and keys were on the ground.
“Tom!” yelled Pete, and the others joined in.
“Tom! Tom!” they yelled.
There was no sign of him. Pete took out his cell phone and called Tom’s phone. He heard his friend’s annoying ringtone from his backpack and looked at the other guys in horror.
“We need to call the sheriff,” the other guys said and ran to their cars.
“Hope you find him, Pete. Let us know tomorrow at school what you find out,” they called.
Pete nodded and waved them off. He was Tom’s best friend. Those guys were only teammates. He grabbed Tom’s things, locked the truck, and called the sheriff as he drove home.
******
The phone rang at the station, and Anna grabbed it.
“Glee Coun…Okay, calm down…Tell me exactly what happened,” she said calmly, and Paul watched her write some things down on paper.
“Okay, we will be right out,” she said and hung up the phone.
Anna looked at Paul sincerely.
“What?” he asked, and she sighed.
“Kirsten Balmer has just been reported missing.”
He looked at her in horror. He pulled out his cell and dialed his brother’s number. Tom didn’t answer, and Paul looked at the clock.
“He’s at football practice. He will call me back,” said Paul uneasily, and Anna nodded.
They both got in the cruiser and headed to the Balmer residence.
******
Kirsten was abducted from her bedroom. The girl’s things scattered everywhere, and the dresser was also knocked over. It looked like Kirsten put up a fight before she was taken.
Kirsten’s Aunt, Ms. Balmer, had been at work all day and came home to Kirsten’s room like this. Paul and Anna took notes, gathered evidence, and told Ms. Balmer they would be in touch.
**********
Anna and Paul started typing the report, and the sheriff called Paul into her office. Anna gave him a smug look, and he pushed her face as he got up. He waved his fingers and followed the sheriff into the office.
A few minutes later, Paul came out, hanging his head and tears streaming down his face. Anna looked at him in question, and he blew a shaky breath.
“Tom’s missing. Pete found his backpack, cell, and keys on the ground by his truck.”
She got up and hugged him tight.
“I’m so sorry, Paul. We will find him, I promise you that,” she said thoughtfully.
“No matter what it takes.”
He nodded sadly, and she pulled back and wiped his tears away. They walked to their cars, and he headed home.
********
Anna went home, took a shower, and ate dinner. After she helped clean the kitchen, she went to her room and noticed her cell phone blinking. She grabbed it off her dresser and checked her messages.
‘I’m at Michelle’s tonight. Don’t feel like talking.’
She made a sad face and texted Paul back.
‘Okay, see you tomorrow. Get some rest.’
She slipped into comfy shorts and a tank top and crawled onto her bed. She stared at the ceiling and wanted to talk to someone and vent about everything happening. She picked up her phone and dialed Xander’s number.
“Hello?”
“Got a minute?”
“Is this business or pleasure?” he asked.
She rolled her eyes. He had turned into such a d**k. She began to feel uncomfortable talking to him on the phone and hated the feeling.
“As a friend,” she said coolly.
“Actually, I will have to call you back, Anna. I am kind of in the middle of something,” he stated and hung up the phone.
She stared at her phone in shock and frowned.
Wow, he really is a d**k!
She thought as she looked through her phone and saw Justin’s number. She hit the talk button and then hit the end button. What was she doing? He was the bully.
She swallowed hard and redialed his number. She let it ring twice and hung up the phone. She sighed and stared at the ceiling again.
She wasn’t sure what she was doing and nearly jumped out of her skin when her phone rang. She sighed when she saw it was Justin calling back and answered it.
“Hello.”
“Hi, gorgeous.”
His voice was soothing to her, and she relaxed instantly.
“Hi, Justin,” she said calmly.
“You called and hung up so fast that I didn’t have a chance to answer. Is everything okay?”
Anna thought momentarily and blew a long breath.
“Not really,” she said honestly.
“What’s wrong?”
“You’re not too busy?”
“No, not for a friend,” he said with a smile.
She smiled shyly and felt a tickle in her heart.
“Really? I’m not interrupting anything?”
“No, gorgeous. I’m all years,” he said, and she snickered.
“I’m all yours?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.
There was a pause on the other end, and she laughed.
“I meant ears, Anna,” Justin laughed.
“I know.”
“Now, tell me. What’s bothering you?”
Anna’s smile faded, and she bit her lip.
“Well, now, two more kids have come up missing, and one of them is Paul’s brother Tom, and the girl was his girlfriend.”
There was a pause, and she rolled on her stomach.
“Are you sure they didn’t run off together?” he asked, and she sighed.
“I wish that were the case, but no, they were kidnapped from two different areas,” she cried.
“Anna, I’m sorry.”
She felt tears begin to prick her eyes and let the tears fall. He didn’t say a word. He just listened while she cried momentarily, and then she dried her tears.
“Sorry, Justin.”
“Don’t be. What are friends for?”
“Thank you.”
He smiled. He liked that she called him, and he felt he must have done something right for her to reach out.
“Hey, gorgeous?”
“Yeah?”
“I just wanted to say I look forward to spending tomorrow evening with you at the party.”
“Hmm. Me, too,” she said, honestly feeling that way.
“Really?” he asked.
She could tell he was happy to hear that. She felt a little flutter in her heart and took a deep breath.
“Night, Justin.”
“Night.”
She hung up the phone.
That was unexpected. What was that flutter in her heart? Was that her beginning to have feelings for Justin? Or was she just relieved to vent to someone? She felt like she should contain whatever it was, just in case. However, maybe Justin has changed. She fell deeply into her thoughts and fell into a deep sleep.
- Writer
