"It's you and me. Together," he says. "Us against the world."
*****
All my life, I've never trusted men. The image of them planted in my head is the figure of my abusive stepfather who has made my mother and I live in hell.
But then, an encounter w...
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The police are at my house now, and the atmosphere is tensed, mostly because we only have one hour until the transaction.
Yes, we've decided to go against the kidnapper's threat. We're still going to have the cops with us -- we have told them everything and handed them the evidence.
And now they are preparing the ambush, gathering their teams and keeping up with the investigation.
Based on what the police has traced from the call, it turns out that it came from a secluded street -- the phone was found inside a trash can.
It seems that the kidnapper called from a vehicle, stopping at an empty street where the traffic camera wouldn't catch them.
If it's true that he is Lais' stepfather, Tuck, then he might indeed know New York like the back of his hand.
He has sent me the address to hand him the money. It's in a case now, guarded by the police. It's almost time to go there, and I can't help but feel extremely anxious.
I just want to see Lais and hold her in my arms again.
But then, the police has warned me that the kidnapper might be keeping her in another place. It's not guaranteed that I will find her on the spot, and it frustrates me.
"You don't understand," I say to the cop leading the ambush, my voice shaking from all the emotions I'm holding inside. From the pain I'm trying to bear. "She has a PTSD," I rasp.
The thought of Lais being tortured hurts me the most -- my heart feels like being sliced continuously.
The cop nods, sympathy in his eyes.
"We're trying our best to find her as soon as possible. Don't worry," he assures.
His eyes then darted on Dad and Vaughn, who are standing at my sides as I speak to him.
"For safety reason, we will only allow Jake to come with us, as he's the person that the kidnapper asked," he states.
Dad sighs, looking stressful. Who wouldn't if they knew that their son was going to face danger?
"Allow me to come," Vaughn insists.
Looking at the determination in Vaughn's eyes, the cop sighs, giving in.
"Alright. Just one more person, and that is you," he says. "Just in case things get out of control, which we will prevent that from happening anyway, I'll expect you to keep your best friend grounded and sane."
I don't blame him for assuming that I'll lose control, since he has witnessed how emotional I already am before the transaction even begins.
"We have to move now," he states. "From where the warehouse is located, we should reach the place in less than 20 minutes."
