Chapter 2

                                    

                                          

"LUKE!" Nathan shouted as he rushed back to the counter. 
"What's up?" the blonde-haired brown-eyed model-looking guy asked as he walked through the door that led to the storage in the back of the store. 
Nathan grabbed Luke by his shirt and dragged him out of the store. "See that couple?" He pointed to the back of the pair that was walking away from them. Luke nodded, "That's Wendy and she just safe phrased. Follow them while I call the family." He turned to face Luke who wore a shocked face. "Do NOT lose her, Lucian." 
Luke didn't even respond, he just pulled out of Nathan's grip and took off blending into the crowd. Nathan rushed back into the store. "GABRIEL!" 
"What the fuck?" Gabe asked as he dropped the shirt he was folding. "I didn't fucking do it!" 
"Redline NOW Gabe!" Nathan shouted as he rushed toward the man. "Wendy...she...here...she...Wendy...safe phrase...NOW GABE!" 
"Wendy? Fucking Wendy?" Gabe gasped. "Fuck! Shit! Yeah," Gabe dropped the shirt and pulled his cell phone out. He hit the emergency button and then started the process of shutting the store. 

"What happened? Are you okay? Report! What's going on?" multiple voices called out causing Gabe to pull the phone away from his ear before they all made him go deaf. 
"Listen up! We have a situation here in the mall. It's Wendy!" Gabe exclaimed as he posted a sign on their doors saying they were closed for the day due to technical issues. 
"She told me our safe phrase," Nathan blurted out. "She fucking safe phrased!" 
"What?" Multiple voices screamed in anger. 
"Luke is following her!" Nathan said once someone ordered them to be quiet. "Track his phone." 
"Oy, you telling me that asshole prick is with Wendy?" Gabe asked as he slapped the counter. 
"Asshole prick?" someone asked. 
"The guy that came to pick up shoes was a fucking asshole," Gabe nodded even though they couldn't see him. "He was rude and arrogant and a fucking prick. Damn, what the fuck is she doing with him?" 
"I don't fucking know, but she used her safe phrase so she obviously is in danger at the moment," Nathan growled as he finished locking up the store before making a beeline for the mall exit. 
"Luke is still tracking," Gabe called out as he followed Nathan to their vehicles. "It seems they are heading southeast on the main highway. Should we follow or reconvene at the estate?" 
"I believe it would be appropriate to reconvene at the estate. Luke should remain stationed near Wendy and relay as much information as possible while we get prepared. We don't know what situation she is in. Going in blind won't be good for anyone. We need more information first." 
"Alright Mr. Blackbourne," Nathan growled as he slammed his hand on his steering wheel. As much as he just wanted to go where Luke was, he knew that Mr. Blackbourne was correct. He was the leader of the group for a reason. "Damn it," he muttered as he took the turn to head to his home. 
"We need your information, Mr. Griffin," Mr. Blackbourne explained. "You were the one to talk to her so you are the best one to give us all the details we need." 
"I get it," Nathan sighed, "I'm on my way." 
Nathan hung up the call and turned on music to try and help him remain calm. He cursed under his breath as Blink 182's "I Miss You" started playing. Wendy used to love that song strictly because it involved Jack and Sally from Nightmare Before Christmas. That was her second favorite movie and they used to listen to it together all the time. 
His mind drifted back into his memories as he drove the automatic route to the estate. Nathan and his friends first met Wendy in middle school when she moved to Charleston. She was a shy little thing back then but she had a passion for running, it was one of the first things that caught Nathan's attention. He started running with her and by the end of her first day there, she had declared him her best friend. He was the one who introduced her to his best friends, the now Blackbourne Team. 
She was shocked that they claimed her as their best friend after just taking Nathan's word but she soon came to love having nine male best friends. While she was close to the others, everyone knew that Nathan was her bestest friend. When she was nervous about her outfit, she would go to Gabe since he was always in the know about fashion and hair. He would often carry a brush, hair ties, and nail polish with him so he could always dress her up. Kota was the one she would go to when she needed help with homework. Victor was the one to help her read music and talk to her about music. Luke would always sneak her candy and help with her gymnastics. With her suffering from anxiety, Owen was the one she always sought out when she needed help with staying grounded or helping her regain control of herself when she felt like she was spiraling. Silas and North would tell her stories about Greece when she wanted to go on an imagination adventure as she would describe it, although Silas would tell her stories about the ocean while North would tell her stories about the stars. Since science was her worst subject and Sean had already decided he would be a doctor, she would always ask him questions to not only test his knowledge but to also try and understand what she couldn't see. But everyone knew that while she sought each of them out for various reasons, her security was always Nathan. He was her safe place and they were okay with it. She tried not to have favorites but as they often teased her they each were a favorite for a different reason but Nathan was her favorite favorite of the group. 
Just as he pulled into the estate driveway, he blinked and the memories faded away once more. Taking a deep breath, he headed inside to tell everyone about the surprise reunion with his Wendy Girl.