Saving Little Jenna by Ruth Kennedy

Chapter 19: Clark

My worst nightmare had finally come true. My baby girl had been taken away from me and I had failed to keep my promise of protecting her. I was terrified at the thought of never seeing her sweet face again, never getting to hear the sweet voice of her giggling, or hear her call me Daddy.

Marcus, John and I had just finished decorating for the party when Michael called me. I knew something was wrong the moment he referred to me as Clark instead of uncle. When he told me what had happened, blood froze in my veins and my knees threatened to buckle. It was supposed to be the only time I was ever going to leave Jenna alone, but Otis had found her right then. It was more likely he'd been watching us from a distance and waiting for me to leave her alone. Maybe he'd been spying on us from that suspicious red car parked nearby our house for the past few days.

As soon as I'd hung up the phone, I ran outside and into the car before honking on the horn. John led Marcus outside and got into the car without any questions. The fear on my face must've been enough for John to understand what was going on.

Thank God I lived only fifteen minutes away from John's place, but I drove there in ten. When we rushed inside, Michael had been pacing around in the living room and Kristen was on the couch looking just as terrified.

"Uncle Clark, you're here!" Michael frowned and joined his hands pleadingly. "I'm so sorry I couldn't save her. I should've been looking after her."

"It isn't your fault, Michael." I patted him on the shoulder. "It's mine. I failed in my duties of being a good Daddy. She put her faith in me and I let her down. This is the moment I lose everything that matters, and I've only got myself to blame."

"Not so fast!" John stepped forward, grabbed me by the shoulders, and shook me vigorously. "Time is of the essence and this isn't the time to wallow. There was a time when nothing seemed impossible to you, and it was how you built your business from the ground up. You never just gave up, and you're definitely not giving up now. We need that determined Clark right now. Put your genius mind to work and think hard, meanwhile-" turning to Michael- "Michael, darling. Did you happen to see which direction they drove off in?"

"Wait!" I almost shouted before Michael could reply, my eyes widening with hope. "I just remembered something. When Jenna ran away from me weeks ago, I bought her a phone and put a parental app on it, just in case she ran away again. It's supposed to track her live location, but I've never checked if it works before."

"Great!" John clapped his hands together. "Let's save Jenna and fuck up this sick son of a bitch. He deserves a beating or two."

I pulled the phone out of my pocket, praying to God the app actually worked and she still had her phone with her. Everyone else huddled around me and stared at the screen as I opened the app. It loaded for a few seconds before showing a blinking red dot on a map.

"There she is!" I threw a fist in the air as adrenaline rushed through me. "She seems to be in this motel and it's only fifteen minutes away."

"We'll come along, uncle Clark!" Michael said as we rushed towards the front door. "Not as Littles, but as Jenna's friends. Sometimes, the family you make is greater than the one you're born in. We fight for our own because we stick together in this community. She needs to see how much her friends care about her."

"Michael's right." Kristen nodded. "Jenna and I have had our differences, but she's one of us. And when someone threatens one of us, they threaten all of us."

"Not a good idea, darling." John stepped forward and took Michael's hand. "This is a very dangerous man we're dealing with. We Daddies wouldn't be able to live with ourselves if something bad were to happen to any of you. The best way for you two to help us is by staying here and remaining safe yourselves. This is a serious situation and it's very important that you listen to us."

Michael sighed and looked at Kristen defeatedly. "Fine. I'll stay here and Kristen will look after me."

"I knew you'd understand." John kissed Michael on the forehead before running out the door and getting into the car with us.

"So here's the plan," I said, starting the car and practically racing it. "Marcus will stay in the car since he hasn't had any formal training in combat. Marcus, you need to look out for Otis in case he tries to run away, in which case you should follow him. John, I hate to put your life in danger, but I need you with me in there. We'll have the upper hand if we outnumber him."

"I meant it when I became Jenna's uncle," John rolled down the window to let in some air. "As Michael said, we fight for our own. Let's just hope Otis isn't armed."

I was glad I had John with me. I wouldn't have remembered about the tracking app had he not inspired me with his little speech and asked me to think hard.

When we were halfway there, a terrible thought popped up in my head. "What if something bad happened to Jenna by the time we reached there? What if he wasn't here to take her back? What if all he wanted was to hurt her? I'll never forgive myself if something happens to her."

"Remember what I've taught you, Clark," John said. "The things you teach your Little always apply to yourself too. The what-ifs are always scarier than reality. Never assume the worst, only hope for the best."

The moment we reached there I brought the car to a sudden screeching halt. John and I got out while Marcus swiftly jumped in the front seat and took the wheel. When I looked back, he seemed ready to take off should Otis try to run away.

We went up to the reception and asked for Otis' room number. It wasn’t a surprise he'd chosen 666, the number of the beast. Hurrying up the stairs, I knocked on the door as hard as I could. There was silence on the other end before a shadow moved across the closed blinds. At least Otis was here. If he had done anything to my baby girl, I would strangle him with my own two hands. Senior citizens were supposed to be treated with respect, but this was a monster who had lost his way ages ago.

"We can't give him time to come up with a plan," John said, standing before the door. "Best take him by surprise."

I stood next to him and nodded, both of us charging towards the door and slamming our bodies against it in unison. The third time we did that, the flimsy door broke open and John fell onto the floor inside, rolling a couple of times before standing up next to a bed with Jenna tied up in it. I thanked the stars Jenna was alive and well.

Otis stood before me and he was uglier than I'd imagined. Just as I'd feared, there was a gun in his hand and it was pointed right at me. I slipped into the mindset when I used to get into fights years ago and the lingo came back to me naturally.

"Motherfucker, you're hard to look at." I pulled up my fists before my face, ready to take him by surprise. "No wonder you started a cult just to get laid. You wouldn't be getting any action otherwise. But you came to the wrong neighborhood, fool. We take care of our own in our community."

Otis scoffed. "I wouldn't be so cocky if I was you. Leave this moment or I'll shoot you right in that pretty face of yours. Satan has spoken his will and Jenna is to my eleventh wife. I'm just a pawn fulfilling my role in Satan’s great plan."

"Listen to him, Daddy!" Jenna shouted with tears in her eyes as John began to untie the complicated knots restraining her. "I don't want you to die!"

I set my priorities straight on my way over. No matter what happened, Jenna had to come out of this unharmed. I couldn't back down now just because my life was in danger. I'd gladly sacrifice my life if it meant saving Jenna's, and at least then I'd be able to keep my promise. I looked over at a horrified Jenna. It was a good way to go if my baby girl's sweet face was the last thing I got to see. If Otis shot me, I knew John's training was just as good as mine, so he'd attack Otis from behind and save Jenna. I'd gladly use my death as a distraction if it meant saving her.

"I love you, sweetheart," I said to Jenna, who screamed realizing what I was about to do.

I nodded ever so slightly to John, who I hoped knew what it meant back from the days of our street fights. As it turned out, he did.

"Hey, asshole!" John shouted, surprising Otis and causing him to turn his head.

Just as he began to move the gun to point in John's direction, I snatched it out of his hands and pointed it right at him, the action so fast it took less than a second. In fact, I'd done it so swiftly Otis hadn’t even realized the gun was missing when he pointed his empty hands at John.

Realizing what had happened, Otis raised his hands above his head and turned toward me, a sour look on his face.

"I'll return for what is mine," he said, looking at Jenna and walking toward the front entrance.

"You're not going anywhere," I said, pointing the gun right at him. "I'll shoot, and I mean it."

He ignored my warning and walked right out the door. I ran after him but stopped a few steps later. My baby girl needed me and her safety was my priority. Hopefully, Marcus would do his part and follow him when he tried to run away.

Running back inside, I helped John untie her other hand. Within moments, she was free. Before I could check up on her, I had to know if Marcus had managed to follow Otis.

Rushing back outside, I saw Otis from the balcony I was in. Jenna and John soon joined me. Otis was running down the stairs and towards his car. Marcus looked ready to step on the gas, but the moment Otis opened the door of his car, Michael and Kristen jumped out of it. Otis frowned as he stared at them in confusion.

I was just as confused. They must've sneaked out the moment we left and followed us here in Michael's car. I had pointed to the red car to show Marcus it belonged to Otis, the same one parked outside our home the past few days. Michael must've seen it and sneaked inside with Kristen to prevent him from running away.

"This is for trying to hurt our friend!" Michael shouted at the top of his voice before sucker punching him in the gut, just like he used to do with the block of towers I sometimes helped him build, except ten times harder.

Otis grabbed onto his tummy and yelled in pain as the wind got knocked out of his body, collapsing onto the ground seconds later.

"Yeah, and this is for all the nasty things you did to innocent people." Kristen kicked him right in the nuts, causing Otis to howl in pain.

"Let's hit some sense into him!" Michael said and it was all Kristen needed to hear.

Together, they began kicking all over his body as he writhed and rolled around in pain.

I ran down to join them as fast as I could while Jenna and John continued to watch from the balcony.

"That's enough," I said, putting my hands up.

"Sorry," Michael said, kicking him in the tummy one last time as a giggle escaped him. "Got lost in the moment. Daddy taught me a thing or two about combat. Thought I might put it to use."

"Great job, you two!" I said with my hands on my waist as sirens wailed in the distance. "He could've escaped if not for your bravery. But the authorities will take it from here. "

Michael's chest swelled up with pride as he put his hands on his waist too and raised his chin, looking up at the sky like a superhero standing over a villain as he lightly put a foot on Otis’ chest.