Page 6 of His Witness To Have

Brie had a hard time sleeping. The message kept haunting her all day, and she had no idea who it was from. She normally wouldn't have given such a message a second thought anddismissed it as a wrong number, but something about that message sent a familiar shiver down her spine.

She made sure she didn't go out alone just to avoid being a victim of another unfortunate circumstance and told Rachel to be cautious also.

Brie was jittery. She suddenly started feeling unsafe and couldn't shake the feeling of being watched. She told Rachel about the text the next day, and her friend told her not to worry about it, dismissing it as a text sent from a wrong number.The same thing I would've said.

Brie's phone lit up again at that moment in the middle of their conversation, but this time, the sender of the text was someone totally unexpected… It read:

I'm in Chicago for business; let's meet up.

It was from Bryan…

The startled look on Brie's face could not be explained. She stared at her phone as if she had just seen a ghost and hesitated to pick it up even when the text flashed right before her eyes.

Why was Bryan texting her? Why did he suddenly want to meet up with her after their last not-so-friendly encounter in Destiny Falls? Had he forgotten about how he made her feel soinferior compared to his trophy wife? All the pain she went through because of him, and he just expected her to sweep it all under the carpet and meet up? He must be joking.

She left the text unanswered, and her mind shot back to Mack. He was there for her when she felt completely useless. He made her feel more like a woman than Bryan ever did all the years theydated. If only he was here now, she wouldn't have even considered picking up Bryan's call. If only she could just see him one moretime, that maybe he would've made her forget about her bad thoughts.

Her thoughts suddenly got interrupted by the loud ringing of her phone. She looked at the caller ID, and her mood turned sour. Bryan was calling, and she had no intention of picking up. Rachel walked out of the room, and by the time she was back, Brie's phone was blowing up with calls from Bryan while she sat there staring at the phone like a fascinated child.

"I think you should pick up. At least see what he wants," she said, stuffing a cinnamon roll into her mouth.

Brie was nervous. She wasn't ready for this, but she was curious as to why Bryan suddenly needed to see her.

"Hello?" she answered, with a hint of nervousness in her voice.

"Hi, Brie. It's Bryan. In case you… Um… Deleted my number." He didn't sound like his usual cocky self.

"Hey, Bryan. What's up?" she said in a softer tone.

"I really need to see you as soon as possible. I need your help."

The words struck her hard. Bryan needed her help? With what?

"What do you need me for? I'm not really useful in a lot of things…" she muttered.

"My sister has been kidnapped. I think it's the same guy that kidnapped you and your friend a few weeks back."

Brie went cold. "Your sister was kidnapped?! What? When?"

Bryan let out a sigh. It was obvious he was exhausted from his tone. "She went hiking with her friend up Mount Olive, and they didn't come back."

She suddenly remembered the news she heard about the recent abduction.

"What do you need me for?" she asked again.

"I want you to come with me to the police station. Write out a statement. Describe what the guy looks like. Anything that would lead them to rescue my sister."

Brie started feeling bad for him. This was probably what Mack felt like when she was abducted. The restlessness, the mental struggle, and having to accommodate the thought that your special one could be dead at any time. She could hear the terror and anxiety in his voice. She had never seen this side of Bryan.

"Calm down, Bryan. I'm sure the police are already doing something about it. It's going to be al–"

"Please!" Bryan said, cutting her off. "They'll probably do better if they have a little push. Especially since you've been a victim."

Brie didn't know what to say. She had promised not to get involved with the police or anything relating to the kidnapping.She wanted to stay away from all that and not relive the experience, but it was difficult, knowing that someone else was going through the exact same ordeal she went through.

"Bryan… I'll… I'll think about it, okay? I've been through a lot recently, so I need some time."

Bryan was silent for a few seconds. Brie held her breath and hoped he didn't yell at her the way he used to whenever she didn't do what he wanted.

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