42. Failing terribly

"Tell her, you're on your way, anything, just stall for ten more minutes," Jill instructed me to type a message to Ann's inbox. we were actually a block away from the town's public library. My doppelganger, Jill, said that their team was heading to Ann's place, and their footage showed that a car had left the premises.

"They need to search the place for Brice, we need her out of the house to make sure we find him. If he's not there, we need to find clues at her house to find Brice." Jill was the only one with me in the car, Grady got called out for an emergency at the office. Something about an important client who needs his expertise.

"Right." I bit my lip and started typing my lies then hit send. My heart was pounding so fast that my hand was shaking when I let go of my phone. Jill put her hand on mine and told me that everything is going to be okay. "You're with the best, Ella, we will find him."

"I know you will, you have too. Oh, my god...it's all my fault, I know Ann. I should've known she's..."

"We didn't put her on our list, and we're the professional. She slipped under our radar. Ella, don't blame yourself. Sometimes things just happen, but we can get to her now, we can save Brice. It's happening. He'll be safe and that's all that matters." Jill moved her hand to my back and gently assuring me once again that everything was going according to plan. "You just need to focus, stay in the car, and wait for my instruction."

I took a deep breath and smiled at her. "Okay, we're doing this." I calmed myself down and spend the next fifteen minutes waiting in the black tinted windows SUV, waiting for our team that was moving into Ann's hideout.

I don't actually need to see Ann if we heard from them that they've rescued Brice. Our silence was interrupted by a message, Ann just replied to my inbox stating that if I'm going to be late then we need to reschedule our meet for another day.

"Shit!" Jill cursed and quickly pulled her mobile to call her team, but I know I couldn't let her go and that's when I quickly type a message when Jill's not looking, saying I'm minutes away. Then I decided to get out of the car and run to the town's library leaving Jill cursing, calling out for me from the car, Keeping her voice lower. I know Jill didn't want to attract any attention. I know she wouldn't risk blowing the cover, I know Jill couldn't do anything but follow my lead as we were continuing with plan B.

We had talked about plan B, but she strongly said that it was only if it's instructed and approved by my brothers. I still don't get why my brothers were the ones running the plan, but I let the curiosity for Grady that night go for another time.

My legs were taking me to the front of the town's library. I stopped and take a deep breath when I reached the steps of the public library.

"Ella, it's good to see you." Ann's voice startled me, I know they have eyes on me. We had talked about the plan. I saw the man by his hotdog cart on the curb meters away from me, the red napkin on his shoulder was his tell. Then there was a woman with a fake baby in the stroller, and also the homeless man resting just under the decorative statue.  They were all watching me, silently telling me to keep myself calm.

"Ann,"

"Come on, Brice is waiting for us."

"Huh?"

"Oh, don't play coy with me, Ella. I know this is your way of reaching out. You know I got him, right?" her cold crazy smile that I've never seen before made me shudder, I could feel the goosebumps on the back of my neck.

"Ann, please...please let him go. You can take me instead." I know it was a stupid thing for me to say, she had Brice already.

Why would she want me? Right?
Well, maybe she needed me.
Or, she just wants me dead.

"Come on, we should go for a little drive." She said calmly while taking my hand in hers, but not before she open her satchel and show me her handgun silently threatening me not to do anything stupid.

So, I went with her hoping that they had found Brice at Ann's hideout. I was not worried about my life, I know my brothers will find me. Hopefully, I would still be alive by then.

I could feel their eyes on me, the undercover agents were moving their lips I assumed to communicate that I was on the move and that I was with Ann.

We were in her car minutes later. "Why are you doing this Ann? I thought we're friends?"

Her laugh sent a chill down my spine as she told me that she'd known Brice from way back in high school. I didn't understand what she mean by that and was going to ask further when she cursed and make an abrupt turn and speed up the car.

"Put this on." She threw me a set of handcuffs and quickly pointed her gun at me while her other hand was holding the steering wheel. I didn't hesitate and put them on, her eyes were wild when she said that we're being followed, that I set her up. She maneuvered the car expertly and took us quickly to blend into the highway, zigzagging passing several cars, trying to shake the agents behind us.

Ann was heading to her hideout, but I can't let her go there. I have no idea if they had Brice or not and if Brice is not there, they will need more time to search the place.

"They're at your place." I blurted out.

"What?!" she almost crashed the car when she took a quick left and exit the highway.

"They've found your place, I tried to stall you so they can find Brice there." I spilled everything out when she kept quiet, but I could see that her mind was buzzing.

"Brice," she smirked and let out her creepy smile, again, that left me cold on the inside. Fuck! is he even still alive?

"Where is Brice?"

"Well, maybe I'll tell you if you behave yourself." She said happily just like a true freaking maniac, and goosebumps trickle from the back of my neck to the top of my arms.

"You know I was furious when I found out that you two were dating months back." She started her story while fixing her eyes on the road. "You went off the grid for a while, no comments, no DMs, nothing in the chatter. Then weeks later I saw you shopping rings with him." Her hand slapped my thigh, hard, making me wince.

"Oh," I stupidly said making her let out the creepy villain laughter which still left me with the cold eerie feel. But I let her keep on talking about how she met Brice, and how their love was going to be the forever kind.

She talked about how she's been taking care of Brice, cooking for him, talking to him for hours and she make it sound normal that I felt jealous. Ann tugged her lips to the sides, grinning thinking she had hit a nerve. Which was true and she couldn't look any happier.

Damn it, Brice!
Did they find you yet?
I hope they did, cause I don't know how long until she decided to kill me.