24. Jack
24
JACK
Not that I expected a welcome party at the airport, but I did assume someone would have been there to pick me up. After countless phone calls and texts to Vince , Wade , Ellie , and Archer all went unanswered, I finally decided to take a cab back to my apartment.
I continued to try to reach out to everyone for the hour drive home, but no one responded.
When we pulled up to the front of my building, the first thing I noticed was several police vehicles with lights on. As I walked to the main door to the building, I saw the officers in the front lobby of Ranger Shield Security .
This couldn’t be good. I wondered if this was why no one answered my calls. My original plan was to head straight to my apartment, but now I found myself entering the reception area.
I walked in to find a young woman with silver-blonde hair directing the cops, her voice sharp with urgency. A tall man stood at her back, his posture tense, as if ready to intervene if needed.
She was stunning. Her hair bounced as she turned back and forth, issuing instructions to the officers in the room. There was fire in her eyes—not arrogance, but determination. I suspected she was Ruthie , our receptionist, though having never met her, I couldn’t be sure.
Not seeing anyone else I recognized, I decided to speak up, introduce myself, and find out what was going on.
"Excuse me," I said, but her voice carried over mine, unwavering.
The man at her back was the only one to take notice of me, though he remained silent. I tried again, louder this time.
"Excuse me—can someone tell me what’s going on?"
This time, she turned, her gaze sharp and slightly annoyed as it landed on me. “ Listen here shitwhistle, I don’t know who you are, but you can’t be here right now.”
I felt my eyes widen in shock as well as my lips twitch as I thought about what she called me. This woman was a firecracker.
“Ruthie, I think this guy…” the taller man beside her started, confirming my suspicion about her identity.
"This guy can wait, Diego ," she said firmly, cutting him off.
Ah, so this must be Diego , the new hire the guys had mentioned. I assumed he may know who I was so I nodded to him. He tried to interrupt, but before he could speak again, she continued.
"Every minute we waste answering his questions," she said, pointing at me, "is a minute that could be used to help the cops find Ellie ."
Wait. Did she just say my sister’s name? I decided I’d had enough letting the little firecracker take over the conversation.
“Ellie Hutchinson ?” I asked. “ What happened to Ellie ?” my voice got louder, and I moved back closer to the cops.
“Sir, if you,” one of the cops tried to interrupt me but I wasn’t having it.
“That’s my sister. I’m Jack Hutchinson , her brother. What happened, officer?” I demanded.
The room went silent as everyone stared at me.
“I’m Diego Martin , new hire,” he reached out to shake my hand.
“Heard about you, nice to meet you. Can you tell me what’s going on?” I shook his hand and asked him.
Diego, along with two of the officers filled me in on what little they knew about my sister being kidnapped. They mentioned Ruthie had given Ellie a tracker, which they were using to find her.
Throughout the conversation, Ruthie had been silent—a stark contrast to her previous firecracker attitude.
“They found her,” one of the cops announced from the corner of the room while on his phone.
At the same time, my phone buzzed in my pocket. I pulled it out to see Vince’s name on the screen.
“I’m at the office and have been briefed on Ellie being kidnapped,” I announced. “ Sitrep ?”
“We found her. She’s alive and on her way to the hospital with Wade . Relay to Diego and Ruthie . One of them can drive you. I’ll meet you there.”
He hung up and I noticed he said she was alive but didn’t give any details as to how badly she was injured. I didn’t waste time. I relayed what I heard from Vince to the room.
“I’m coming with you,” Ruthie decreed.
“I’ll stay here and handle whatever the cops need,” Diego added.
“That’s fine, but I don’t have my car keys on me.” I assumed they were still in my apartment somewhere, but I hadn’t even been up there yet.
“I’ll drive, let’s go,” Ruthie replied.
Not that I didn’t appreciate the offer, but she was clearly emotional and likely not in the best state to drive. Diego must have sensed that too.
“That’s Dane and Axel walking in behind you,” Diego told me. “ They’re our brand-new hires. Dane can drive you, and Axel can stay here to assist with the cops.”
“Fine, let’s go,” Ruthie agreed, before quickly walking toward the door.
I slid into the passenger seat as Ruthie hopped in behind Dane . I could hear her sniffles few times before she broke her silence.
“I’m sorry,” she said quietly.
“Ruthie, this isn’t your fault, get that shit out of your mind,” Dane responded.
“I didn’t mean it that way,” she said.
I turned my head to look at her and she was staring right at me.
“I was a total bitch to you. I’m sorry,” her voice hitched. “ It’s just that your sister is the only friend I’ve made since moving here and I was really stressed out. When you barged in, I just assumed you were some rando looking for a job or something.”
“I get it,” I told her. “ I would have done the same thing for my friends too. I’m happy Ellie has you. Especially since it sounds like the necklace charm was your doing. I should be thanking you.”
She nodded but didn’t say anything else. The rest of the ride was quiet as we made our way to the hospital.
My priorities when we got there would be to know that my sister would be okay, and to find out if her ex was dead. Because if he wasn’t, he would be soon.