Page 8 of His Witness To Have

"Sir! I just returned from the abandoned den of the Brotherhood of Blood, and I found something very disturbing. I advise that we mobilize some men and the forensics team to take a closer look," he said very quickly.

The deputy chief was shocked. “You went to a danger zone? By yourself?” he quizzed, maintaining this disgusted look on his face as he kept looking at the exhausted agent in his office.

“Sir! We have no time for this! Please, we need to go back to the building! What I saw could be a clue to help us in this case.”

“And how am I sure you’re not just talking gibberish?” he questioned with a stern voice.

“Please, sir, let’s just get some men to follow me back. I have something to show them.”

And with that, a team was quickly put together, and Mack led them back to the building. They ascended the staircase, and ongetting to the corridor, Mack noticed something even more unusual. The door he had kicked down had been replaced as if it was never damaged in the first place; he had a bad feeling about that as he stopped in his tracks right in front of the door.

The other members of the team pushed a stunned Mack away from the door, entered the room, and saw nothing. The shrine had disappeared.

The FBI agents were confused and set out to search other parts of the building. To Mack's paralyzing dismay and to their disappointment, nothing was found in the building. Everything was gone…

CHAPTER EIGHT

Brie tossed and turned in bed. She was to meet Bryan the following morning at the police station, and although she felt uneasy about it, it felt like the right thing to do. She knew she was compromising her safety again, but she felt obligated to atleast help, one way or the other, to prevent other women from having to go through the same ordeal she went through in the hands of the Brotherhood of Blood. Maybe, just maybe, they would find a way to put an end to all this madness.

She had decided to remain anonymous to every question they asked and to also request maximum protection by the police to safeguard Rachel and her. She didn't want to take any chances, and she prayed that she wasn't making a mistake.

The morning came sooner than Brie expected and at 8 am, she was already out of bed, preparing her mind, body, and soul for the tedious day ahead of her.

By 10 am, she was out of the house and walked to get a taxi to take her into town. She couldn't relax and felt tense throughout the entire taxi ride.

Bryan had told her to meet him in front of the Chicago bank, which was a short walk to the police station. She hadn't been in that area in months, but she still remembered when she had to go there almost every day to aid the case however way she could.

The taxi dropped her off at her destination, and she swiftly paid the fare. Bryan was nowhere in sight, so she paced around the front of the bank for a while. She spotted a tall, dark manly figure approaching her, and she was gripped with fear. Could that be Bryan? She hadn't seen him in a while, so she wasn't too sure.

The man wore a baseball cap so she couldn't make out his face. He drew nearer and nearer, and Brie started sensing this dangerous vibe from the mad.What if it wasn't Bryan?She got scared, and she wanted to quickly enter the bank for safety when the man reached out to grab her by the hand. She was about to scream, but the figure quickly pulled off his baseball cap, and Bryan's facial features started coming into focus.

"Hey," he said with an apologetic look in his eye. "I didn't mean to scare you like that."

"You scared the hell out of me!" she said defensively. "Why did you dress like that?"

Bryan looked down at his clothes and realized he might be mistaken for something dangerous in present-day Chicago. "I'm sorry, but I didn't want to be recognized by anyone here on the street."

Brie was confused. "Recognized?" she questioned. "I thought you still lived in Destiny Falls with your wife?"

Saying the word 'wife' triggered something in Brie. She didn't think she'd feel anything, but I guess she hadn't totally buried her past with Bryan.

He cast a look of surprise on her. "I moved out of Destiny Falls years ago. I never really settled in one place. I was practically out and about due to business, so I have some pretty solid connections here and there." Brie just kept staring at him.

"I also work in this bank here," he said, looking up at the story building behind them. "I ran away from work today. Another reason I don't want to be seen around here." Brie was impressed, but she couldn't do anything but stare at him. "And as for Paula? We finalized our divorce last month," he continued. This time, Brie couldn't hide the look of utter shock on her face.

"Why?"

“She didn't like the fact that I wasn't settled. I guess she couldn't take it anymore, so she decided to split."

Brie couldn't explain why everything Bryan said so far relieved her. Bryan was changing. He didn't seem like the same man whohad snickered at her at the diner in Destiny Falls. He felt… Different.

"So, are you willing to help me out?" he asked as if waiting for a clear confirmation from her.

She forced a weak smile. "I wouldn't have left my house today if I wasn't going to," she said. "Shall we?"

They walked down the road and passed the animal shelter she used to work at. It was closed temporarily. After her and Rachelwere kidnapped, Rachel's sister had to call in the animal protection agency to pick up the animals into their care. Since neither she nor Rachel was ready to go back to work anytime soon, Brie couldn't help but feel overwhelmed. A lot of things had happened within those few months that she was thankful she made it out alive and healthy.

They got to the police station, and she saw an FBI station wagon parked out in front. Her heart skipped a bit as her mind shot back to Mack.Could he be here?

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