Rumour Has It {Book 2}

Chapter 16: Alice

*Mack's POV*

"Have you come up with anything yet?" I inquired impatiently.
"Plans take time, Mack, you know that." Jack replied.
"Yeah, but never this much time. You always come up with one in like a hour." I complained.
Jack grabbed his phone, typed something in, and put the phone to his ear.
I paused not really knowing what he was doing.
He left the room and returned shortly after. "The gang will be here in ten." He announced.
"I thought you said not to tell them." I commented, raising an eyebrow.
"Yeah, I did, but we're not in this alone anymore, M." Jack stated. "Maybe that's why we can't come up with a plan, because we need everyone here."
A few minutes later there was a knock at the door. Our friends came in, even Magnus, and sat at the table.
"So what's the idea?" Jerica started.
"Mack knows a way into the house where Ellie is being kept, but we need a plan in order to save her."

*Ellie's POV*

"What were you thinking, Jan?" I asked, eyeing the small redhead who sat with her back against the wall.
"I... I was thinking that if I told Dad I knew then he couldn't keep you." Janna shrugged, picking at her sleeve.
I crawled over to her. Madison hadn't chained either of us up. "Why? Why were you in Mum's room."
Janna sighed. "After you left the other day, I got to thinking about how Mom kept a box of pictures of us kids. At the bottom of the box was a yellow envelope that we weren't allowed to touch." Janna paused, leaning her head on me. "So I opened the envelope and as I thought there were pictures of you and Jerica together and you alone."
"But why confront your father?"
"I knew the minute I saw the photos that he was the reason you disappeared. He caught me looking at them. Told me to forget what I saw, but I couldn't forget. So I told him just that." Janna shook her head.
"Well, kiddo," I kissed her head. "That was a very brave thing to do, and I'm proud of you. But nevertheless I don't want you hurt."
"I'll be fine." She assured me. "Can I ask you something?"
I nodded. "Yeah, of course, you can."
Janna looked up and for the first time in a long time, in the dim light, I didn't see the little eight year girl I'd met. I expected to see a scarred young girl, but instead I saw a redhead whose eyes showed no fear or doubt. She knew she'd be alright, she believed enough for both of us.
"Do we have the same mother?"
My breath hitched, the new question startling a bit at first. "Yeah." I managed out after a second. "Yeah, we do."
With a smile, Janna pulled something out of her back pocket. It was photographs, correction lots of photographs. "I thought you might like to see these." She said quietly, the little girl seemed to return again.
"You know I do." I reached for the pictures. There were several of Jerica and I up until the age of six, school photos, and even some of me and my friends. It was amazing how much Jane had kept. How much she cared.
The doors to the cellar flew open, bursting the moment like a bobble.
JJ dropped down into the room with a worried look. "Alice will be here in five minutes so I need you to come with me." He jerked me up.
"Jeez, what's with you people and jerking me." I muttered, rolling my eyes.
"As for you, Janna, stay here." He started toward the door, keeping me in front of him. "Not that you really have a choice." He added with a chuckle.
"So Alice is coming." I tried not to laugh. "I haven't seen her in almost six months. What made her suddenly have to come check on us?"
Jackson Jones may have organized a kidnapping and had the idea, but Alice Owens called the shots.
"She saw the stunt on the news." Jackson said with fake calmness. "Figured it was time."
"Time for what?"
No response.
"What's it time for, JJ?" I tried again.
"You'll see." He lead me to yet another room I'd never seen.
The doors looked about three-hundred each, and screeched as Mr. Jones opened them.
A long wood table sat on a marbled floor. The walls were a dirty white color with words etched around the trim.
At the table sat five people. Alice sat at the head, and stood as we entered. "Hello, Eleanor, come sit, please." Alice greeted politely.
I knew she wasn't happy to see me one bit. I forced a smile and sat beside Phillip. "Hello, Miss Owens, to what do I owe this honor?"
"Honor? More like Horror." Sophia who sat on the other side of me whispered, causing me to smile.
"Well, I'll be quite clear with you, Eleanor." Alice's blue eyes pierced through me and into my soul. "The stunt you pulled was excellent, but your pesky little friends, like my son, still have not stopped the search for you." She paused and folded her hands on the table. "Which means you still threaten our business, and that is not a good thing."
"I am aware of this, Ma'am." I stated, nodding my head.
"Therefore I have come up with a plan." Alice stood and stalked over to where I sat. "I need you to do me a favor." She bent down next to me. "I need you to make your friends stop caring. I need you to break their hearts, tell 'em you're fine and you actually just ran away. Tell them whatever you want. Just do it." She stood again. "Or choose someone in this room to die." She motioned to the people around me.
I looked down, not wanting to meet the stares that awaited me. "I'll do it."

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Roughly 3 or so chapters left