"Is it really a problem that she hasn't been coming to parties? I think she's just really trying to focus on her studies and she's been very conscious of her health." Caitlyn tried to defend her.
"No, that's fine. It's just all of us have been worried that she's depressed. We just really want her to be happy and okay. When your two were pledging she was really present." Heather went on. "When she passed out on the stairs we were scared she was spreading herself too thin and now she's not spreading herself at all."
"Please, don't think we're attacking your friend." Jasmine added. "We just wanted to talk to you first to see if we should be worried at all before confronting her with our concerns."
"Let me talk to her first." Caitlyn offered. "I really don't think anything serious is going on with her." Her smile that she flashed felt fake even to herself. She left the kitchen and rushed up the stairs to their bedroom. Caitlyn jumped back when she saw Jackson standing in the middle of the bedroom. "Holy shit!" She clasped her hand over her mouth.
"Leila isn't here?" He asked staring at her.
"No, I thought she was with you." Caitlyn shut the door behind her and marched over to her bed plopping down. "So you're telling me that she hasn't been with you all this time?"
"No..." Jackson closed his eyes and punched the top of Leila's desk. "Fuck."
"Hey calm down cowboy!" She shouted at him. "It's fine, she's probably just walking around with her phone turned off." But he was clutching his fist glaring at the ceiling shaking his head.
"She thought she was being followed by someone." Jackson closed his eyes. "She told me she couldn't see who it was but..." His voice cracked with fire. "I know who did it. Well I know the group of people who did it." Caitlyn jumped on to her feet.
"Are you telling me that she's been kidnapped?"
"When I was younger, I got involved with the wrong sort of people." He explained but she continued to gape at him. "I'll take care of it." Jackson said making a move towards the window.
"What the hell do you think you're going to go do?" Caitlyn stepped into his way. Placing her hands on her hips she squared her body up to his and looked up at him. "We need to call the police. They need to be the ones handling this!"
"Are you insane? They would kill her if we go to the cops!" Jackson replied exasperated but she didn't flinch. "Give me three hours. Okay? Three hours to get her back. Can you agree to that? If I don't call you in three hours then you may contact the authorities." Caitlyn considered it for a while before she stepped away from the window.
Jackson raced down to his car. He had only a vague idea of where to find them. Speeding down the highway, he didn't worry about police cars or turn signals as he weaved in and out of lanes. He took an exit on the right into the city's projects. The route now felt familiar and his instincts took over as he turned his car down the streets. All he could think about was Leila and what they might be doing to her. He thought about the baby and how he didn't want to let it down so much before it was even born. He didn't even what to think about what Leila would do if something happened to their child, she had barely started to forgive herself from early on. He jumped the curb in front of the house parking in the lawn. He jumped out of his car and banged on the front door.
"Open up Daggers!" He yelled there was no sound coming from inside the house but he knew someone was home. It was part of their rules, one member had to be at the house at all times. The logic was if the police came knocking that member could give the others a heads up. It was Lincoln's idea. Lincoln Mitchell was the leader of the Daggers and had once been Jackson's mentor. "Open up or I am coming in!" Jackson threw his body against the door and it didn't budge. He took a step back and saw a curtain flutter on the second floor. He looked around at ground near the door and found a loose a brick. He slammed it through the glass of the window right by the front door. It shattered easily and he reached in to the hole unlocking the door from the inside. As he pulled his arm back through he sliced open the top of his forearm. "God damn it!" Jackson shouted. He ripped off one his sleeves and tried it around his arm. Once inside the house he saw a young boy who had to have been the same age that he was when he hung around with the Daggers. "Where are they?" He didn't want to intimidate he boy but he wasn't sure he had much of a choice.
"Are you Jax?" The boy said staring him down. Jackson could have sworn that he saw the boy's hand trembling.
"Where do they have her? I do not want to you hurt but I will if I have too and clearly you know that." Jackson wasn't proud of it anymore but even before they asked him to officially join he was never the member that would get left behind at the house.