Chapter Twenty-Four: Californiacation

                                    

                                          


                          
Alec's POV:
                          
*Buzzzzzzz*
                          
   I was startled by the sound as I starred out of the train window.  I looked over at Marcie who was fast asleep.  I dug the cell phone from my back pocket and clicked the button.
                          
"Yes?"
                          
"Where is she?" a deep voice answered back to me.
                          
"We're on a train across the country, it takes some time!" I whispered violently.
                          
"If you aren't here in twenty-four hours it's your head on the chopping block!" he demanded, hanging up the phone.
                          
   I shoved my phone back in my pocket, annoyed at the man on the end of the call.  I had to admit, four months was a lot of time but he has to cut me some slack, I nearly fell to my death off a fucking mountain for Pete's sake.  I knew nothing was going to happen, he was just trying to scare me.
                          
"Who was that?" Marcie said rubbing her eyes and yawning.
                          
"What the phone call?" I said hoping she didn't hear the whole conversation. "It was uh.. wrong number." I lied.  She didn't have to know.. yet.
                          
   I don't know when I planned on telling her but I had to do it sooner rather than later.  I played this out far too long, it's time she knows the truth about this whole ordeal, about everything.  I thought to myself for a long while on how I'd break it to her.  Straight and forward.  Well maybe that was too harsh.  Maybe I should play the nice guy  and tell her a sob story.  I don't know if she'd fall for one of those again..  I'll just have to tell her the truth.  No, she'll hate me forever.. I'll figure it out when the time comes, I guess.
                          


                          
Marcie's POV:
                          
   Since we couldn't go to Paris, Alec promised we'd go to a Cafe once we got to California.  He said they're crawling with them.  It turns out Alec used to live in Cali when he was young.  He grew up in a town called Stockton so he wanted to take me there.  I thought it was sweet of him to want to show me his childhood.  I didn't know much about his personal life really.  I only had heard about his younger brother just a couple of weeks ago.  I really wanted to know more about him but he doesn't like answering questions much.
                          
"What was your mom like?" I asked suddenly awaiting his reaction to my seemingly random question.
                          
"What?"
                          
"Your mom?  Was she beautiful?" I spoke again after sipping my coffee and folding my hands together under my chin.
                          
"I don't know." he answered in an annoying tone.  
                          
   He seemed really antsy today.  He kept looking all around at all the people on the street and pulling his hat down to hide his face like he was some kind of movie star.
                          
"How do you not know if your mom was beautiful or not?" I laughed trying to get his attention.
                          
"She wasn't really around much." he shrugged not looking in my direction once.  "I took care of my younger brother for the most part."
                          
"What about your dad?" I wondered
                          
"Left when I was a baby.  Never really got to meet him."
                          
   It was pretty sad really.  Alec and his young brother alone?  I wonder what that must of felt like.  My mother died when I was young but at least I have memories of her.  And my father doesn't do much but at least he's around.  It kind of made me feel like I have really taken all the people in my life for granted. 
                          
"Hurry up and finish your coffee, we need to get going." he urged me with a serious tone, still looking all around.
                          
"Okay, I'll use the restroom and then we can go.  Happy?" I mocked him and stuck my tongue out.
                          
"Yes." he put on a fake grin for me and motioned me towards the back wall where the big restroom sign was.  Alec was annoying; like little brother annoying.  But I loved it at the same time.  I walked towards the big, bright, neon sign and pushed the swinging door open with my butt.  I swiveled around towards the stalls when suddenly a dark bag was shoved over my face and my arms were being held down from behind me.  I kicked and yelled but someone threw their hand over my mouth.  I bit as hard as I could but they didn't budge.  I then was swung into the air as someone carried me off.  I felt panic rush through my body.  I no longer heard the dull roar of peoples voices but the loud humming and beeping of cars along the freeway.  I was thrown into a trunk of some sort and they slammed the door shut.  The loud sound left ringing in my ears.  I don't know how to get out of this.  While they were carrying me out of the cafe they hog tied me and slipped a cloth into my mouth, tying it behind my neck.  I screamed out for help but there were only muffled sounds.  No one could hear me where ever I was.  I decided I was going to try and get the bag off my head.  I swung my foot up in the air and began flicking my flip flop up and down trying to get a hold of the fabric.  I seemed to be almost there when the vehicle took a sharp turn and I went rolling all the way to the right side, hitting my head on a bucket or something.  Another sharp turn the other way and I flew to the left.  Then another sharp turn, and another.  Finally everything stopped and I heard a door open followed by a deep voice.
                          
"In here." the voice demanded.
                          
I was yanked to my feet.  I could barely stand I was so scared.  The bright sun was shining through the dark fabric over my face creating ting twinkling beams.  The warm sun faded quickly as I was pushed into a room, tripping on a single stair and falling to my knees.  There was faint screaming coming from another room.  I was yanked off the floor and thrown over a shoulder.  My ribs screamed as they pressed against a toned shoulder blade.  The faint sounds from another room seemed to be getting closer and closer.  Is this were I die?  I was so scared I couldn't even cry.  My breathing fluctuating every step the man took.  Suddenly I heard a door creek open and the faint screaming was now completely filling my ears.
                          
"Where is she?" the deep voice billowed into the atmosphere.  "I told you twenty-four hours!"
                          
"She was with me, I swear!" a familiar voice choked. "They just took me I didn't have a chance to-"
                          
    The voice was suddenly cut off as I was slung from the mans shoulder onto the floor, hitting my head on impact.  The dark fabric was ripped from my face to show a tall bulky man with a box cut and a mustache.  In his right hand, I couldn't believe my eyes.  A knot formed in my throat and tears poured up in my eyes.  There Alec was, being held up in the air by his neck, his face was beaten to a bloody pulp and he was struggling to get a breath.  I screamed and everyone looked right at me.
                          
"We found her, sir." a voice called from behind me.
                          
   And just like that the burly man released Alec from his grip as he fell to the ground choking.  The man walked over to me with a big smile on his face.
                          
"Ahhh.  I have been waiting for you Marcie Brooks."