Kidnapped

Chapter 25

Chapter 25:

"Jake?" I attempted to say, but it was more like a whisper. He was in the car with his head down, so I couldn't see his face. Was it really him?

Dave was sitting next to him, staring forward at something. He had a cast on his left arm, and there were crutches on the front seat. Then Dave turned in my direction and in a few seconds he was attempting to limp over to me- his right foot was also in a cast.

"Dave!" I said, running towards him and giving him a huge hug. He stumbled backwards a few steps, but I held him in place so he wouldn't fall.

"Erica, you're okay!" Dave said into my ear as he hugged me back. I felt tears of happiness falling down my cheeks.

"You are, too."

"Now I am. I was so worried about you! Leo told me you were safe but I couldn't be sure until I saw you."

"Well that's better than me! I had no idea where you were! I woke up in the back of this guy's car and he brought me here!"

"You woke up? Did you pass out?" Dave asked.

"Yeah. Someone knocked me out before. . ." I stopped and froze, suddenly remembering Jake. I didn't move away from Dave, though. "Is it really him?" I whispered to Dave.

"Yes it is really me, can't I have a hug, too?" A third voice said. I let go of Dave and turned around to where the voice had come from.

It was Jake.

We stared at each other for a few minutes in silence. Maybe we were both so shocked that we couldn't move, or maybe we were just too afraid that if we did move, the other would disappear.

"Jake." I whispered, and then threw my arms around him. I picked him up and swung him around in a circle. I couldn't believe it.

"Erica. . ." Jake said.

"Hmm?"

"You're . . . choking . . . me. . ." Jake said.

"Oh!" I replied, letting him go from my really tight hug. "I'm sorry!" I said, hugging him again, but not as tight. "I can't believe it's you!"

"I can't believe it's you," Jake replied. "They told me you were gone."

"They?" I asked, letting him go from the hug and bending over to look at his face.

"The mean people that took me. They told me I would never be able to see you again." He said. I glanced at Dave.

"What else did they say?" I asked.

"They didn't say anything else to me, but I heard them talking about money and something about a waste of time. I think they were talking about me." Jake told me. "Then they shoved me in a dark place and I couldn't get out. That was when you came, and I tried to get to you."

"When you were in the back of the van!" I said, glancing at Dave again.

"Yeah, then I fell and it hurt really bad because of my arm. See?" Jake said, then held out his arm. I cringed.

There was a bullet wound up near his shoulder. It wasn't bleeding or anything, but it was still healing. Anyone could tell that it must have hurt him. A lot.

"Oh, Jake." I said, wrapping my arms around him. "I'm so sorry."

"It's not your fault." He replied softly.

"Jake, can you tell me what happened after that?"

"I don't know. All I remember is waking up in the hospital. There was this nice lady. I heard her say something about me, she said I was lucky because my heart stopped three times, but they saved me."