Chapter 65: Recovery – Marcus

Marcus looked at his phone and saw a picture of two girls in a bed. They were asleep and wearing t-shirts and panties. He zoomed and saw one was the blonde girl he met at the party who looked just like Cassie. She kicked some serious ass when those girls jumped his shorty outside. He thought her name was Beatrice, the other one was little and looked very young. She had dark hair and was cute as a button. He zoomed in on her and her legs were phenomenal. Those little white panties were nice as well. He looked at the text with the picture and it said, “Just like last weekend.” He laughed; she could make him laugh from across the country.

He drifted through his classes for the next week and thought of her almost every minute. He wondered why he bothered with this semester but then he remembered her blasting him for thinking of giving up the credits. She was a spitfire, and he could not wait for May when he would move to Clearbrook and into the apartment with her. He smiled every time he thought of that.

He was walking back to his dorm and looking at her latest text when his phone rang.

“Hey shorty.” He said and he heard a pause.

“Marcus?” A voice that was not his shorty.

“Who is this?” He said.

“Marcus, this is Helen Jones, Cassie’s mom.” Helen said.

“Oh ok, hi Mrs. Jones.” He said.

“Sorry for the confusion, I am calling on Cassie’s phone.” She said.

“Hey, what’s up?” He said.

“Marcus, she is gone.” Helen said and he heard a sob. His heart stopped. What did she just say?

“What do you mean gone?” He said. He heard sniffling.

“She went to school this morning for a meeting, and she was supposed to call me after it was over. She never did and she is missing.” Helen said. Marcus sat down on the ground outside his dorm. He could feel his heart rate increasing.

“Ma’am, I don’t understand.” He said. He heard more sniffling.

“They found her book bag, but she is gone. The police are investigating but it is like she just disappeared.” Helen said and he heard more sobbing. Marcus fought back the tears.

“Can I come there?” Marcus said, not sure what else he was supposed to do.

“I would love to see you. I have heard so much about you and it would be nice to have someone here. I am in the apartment.” Helen said.

“Ok, I will get on a flight and be there tonight.” Marcus said.

“Thank you, Marcus. I am so sorry to have to deliver this news.” Helen said.

Helen opened the door later that night to a large black man who looked destroyed. She took his hand and led him to the table. She got a bottle of water and handed it to him.

“Helen, what happened?” Marcus said. Helen took a deep breath and wondered if she could truly bring him up to speed. Cassie had kept this from him, and she wanted to honor her daughter’s wishes, but she was afraid he would not understand.

“Marcus, I think they were in trouble.” Helen said.

“What kind of trouble, who else?” Marcus said.

“Jennifer is missing too.” She said.

“I don’t know her.” Marcus said and Helen sighed.

“She is a freshman at school that Cassie took under her wing. I think they got mixed up in some bad stuff. They went into a meeting with their coach this morning and they are all missing.” Helen said.

“What kind of bad stuff? Cassie mentioned that her coach had something on her and that is actually why we met.” Marcus said.

“Yes, he did have something on her. He was blackmailing her and Jennifer and they were forced to do some bad things.” Helen said and Marcus put his head in his hands.

“Fuck! I knew something was not right, but I didn’t say anything.” Marcus said. Helen put her hand on his arm.

“Marcus, this is not your fault. I let them go to this meeting, if anyone is to blame it is me.” Helen said and he looked at her.

“What are the police saying?” Marcus said.

“Nothing much yet, they are looking into it. They found their bookbags in the coach’s office but nothing else.” Helen said.

“What did the coach say?” Marcus said.

“He is missing as well.” Helen said.

“I don’t understand.” Marcus said.

“I don’t either honey.” Helen said and started to cry.

Marcus looked at her and realized he was an idiot. This woman just lost her daughter, and he was acting like his feelings were the most important in the room. He scooted his chair over and put his arms around her. She cried into his shoulder, and he tried not to soak her hair with his own tears.

Marcus sat on the plane in a daze. He had spent three days with Helen, and they comforted each other as much as possible. The police had nothing, and it was making him angry. They had some cockamamie idea that they ran away. Jennifer had an entry in her social services file that she had run away twice before so they assumed she did it again and took Cassie with her. That was so much bullshit he couldn’t even begin to believe it.

“Sir, do you need anything?” He heard a voice and looked up to see a pretty blonde flight attendant bending over and looking at him.

Her breasts were huge and hanging down her open blouse. He could tell there were a couple of buttons open that shouldn’t be. He looked at her face and she was pretty, but he could not look at her and not see Cassie. The blonde hair falling over her shoulders clouded his mind.

“No ma’am, I am good.” He said and she looked stunned. He guessed her hanging boob trick worked every time before. She huffed and moved away. He sighed and looked out of the window.

“Sorry about that. She is not used to cute guys ignoring her.” He heard and turned his head to see a brunette flight attendant sitting in the empty seat next to him.

“Yeah, it seemed that way.” He said and she smiled. Her smile was pretty, and her face was next door cute. Her hair was shoulder length and wavy.

“You seem sad, it is none of my business, but you let me know if you need anything at all.” She said.

“Water and a pillow would be nice.” He said and she nodded.

“Absolutely. My name is Kelly, I will be right back.” She said and stood up. He noticed her body was nice, even under her thick uniform. His cock stayed soft as his heart hurt for a short little blonde.

She brought him a bottle of water and a pillow and another warm smile.

“Thank you, Kelly. Marcus.” He said and took the water.

“Nice to meet you, Marcus. Let me know if you need anything else. She won’t be back.” She said and smirked.

“Yeah, I figured.” He said.

She nodded and left him. He drank half the water and then fluffed the pillow. He would land in Oklahoma at 12:30 in the morning. Tomorrow was going to suck.

The next four days all sucked, and then he flew back to Helen. The police were officially stupid, and he was now angry. He had talked to Johnny while he was there, and he promised to make some calls. Cassie was special to Johnny as well; she brought him a D1 offensive tackle to his little country school. He spent the weekend holding Helen while she cried. He met Beatrice again, she was mad. He had never seen such a small girl look so dangerous. He remembered her tossing those girls in the air at that party and he smiled. He begrudgingly got on the redeye flight again Sunday night. Helen told him Cassie would be pissed if he didn’t finish the semester.

“Hey Marcus, fancy meeting you here.” He looked up and saw Kelly smiling at him again.

“Hey Kelly, we have to stop meeting like this.” He said and she laughed. She had a cute laugh.

“Bottle and pillow?” She said and he nodded.

“A blanket too, it is like a meat locker in here.” He said and she smiled.

She brought him his stuff and sat down next to him. He saw her eyes were light brown and they were pretty. He thought about Cassie’s blue eyes and his chest hurt.

“What would make someone so big so sad?” Kelly said and he looked at her. She seemed actually interested in the answer. He didn’t get the impression she just wanted to make conversation.

“A girl.” He said and she nodded.

“Yeah, I figured. The smallest of us can bring down the biggest of you.” She said and he chuckled.

“She is very small.” He said.

“Everyone is very small next to you.” She said and he smiled. She was funny and it made him feel comfortable. He hadn’t laughed in a long time.

“True, but she is small compared to most anyone.” He said.

“Again, none of my business but I am a good listener if you ever need to talk.” She said.

“Thank you, I may take you up on that one day.” He said. She stood up and smiled.

“But not today. I understand. Hit the button if you need anything else.” She said.

“Thank you, Kelly.” He said. He watched her walk away and he looked out of the window and thought about Cassie. He chuckled when he thought about her calling him a giant man. He wiped his eyes and fluffed his pillow.

He walked through his classes the next week, his mind struggling to focus. He leveraged the athlete card that he swore he never would, and he got some tutoring and some extra time from his professors. The tutoring was interesting, he had to send away the first one. She was a small little blonde and he couldn’t even look at her without tearing up. She was very confused, and he felt bad. The next one was better, dark hair with thick glasses and not a very clear complexion. She was a sweet girl, and he was able to work with her and not think about his shorty.

He knocked on the door and Helen answered. He saw Beatrice sitting at the table. He walked in, grabbed a bottle out of the fridge and sat down. He looked at Beatrice and she had a nasty black eye.

“What happened?” He said and she smiled.

“I have a task force.” She said.

“A what?” He said.

“I applied to the FBI for a consultant position and was approved with Charley’s help.” She said.

“Who is Charley?” Marcus said and Helen laughed.

“We need to bring you up to speed. I started calling the FBI last week because I was tired of the runaround from the police.” Helen said and he huffed.

“I get that, what did they say?” He said and she frowned.

“Well, the first few times they were nice and then they started treating me like a crazy lady. Finally, I got an agent that would talk to me, her name is Charley. She is young and I think they just handed me to her because they were tired of taking my calls.” Helen said.

“Is she coming over?” Beatrice said and Helen nodded.

“Yes, she should be here around 5:00.” Helen said.

“What is she coming over for?” Marcus said.

“Ok, so I told Charley the whole story and she is digging into it. Beatrice got a little impatient and went a different route.” Helen said and Marcus chuckled. He looked at Beatrice and she smiled.

“I got the consultant credentials and then I asked for volunteers to form a task force to start looking into it. Let’s just say the FBI is still a little bit of a good old boys club and I had to convince them to help me.” She said.

“With your face?” Marcus said and Beatrice laughed.

“What’s that saying? You should have seen the other guy?” She said.

“Oh.” Marcus said and Helen chuckled.

“Beatrice is very determined.” Helen said.

“So, I have a task force and we met yesterday for a briefing. We don’t have much yet but now I have access to some social media scanning so I can start digging. There has to be something, they can’t just drop off the map.” Beatrice said and Helen sniffled. Beatrice touched her arm.

“We talked about this, they are young and pretty. No one would go to the trouble to get into the school and snatch them just to kill them. We are pretty sure their coach is involved so that is a good sign as well. This was not a random kidnapping.” Beatrice said and Helen nodded.

“I know, I just worry, and it is so frustrating.” Helen said.

“Something will break, stay strong.” Beatrice said and Helen took a breath.

“Is there anything we can do?” Marcus said and Beatrice looked at him.

“Your job is to keep this one sane.” Beatrice said and squeezed Helen’s arm.

“I can do that.” Marcus said and smiled.

“I figured, I know Cassie was smitten with you and I knew it wasn’t just your football ability.” Beatrice said and smiled.

Marcus sat on the plane, smothered in his thoughts. He stared at the back of the seat in front of him and saw her face in the blue fabric. Her pretty eyes, her cute face, and that smile. He chuckled when he thought about some of the crazy things she said to him. He missed her terribly and now that he was alone, he could wallow in his self-pity.

“Penny for your thoughts?” He looked up and saw Kelly’s pretty smile.

“Hey, sorry, just zoned out.” He said and she nodded.

“The usual?” She said and he nodded.

He looked out the window and wondered what his life would be like if he lost her for good. He would play at Clearbrook for a year, he made a promise. Then he would get drafted and start his professional career and be filthy rich. He chuckled as he thought about sitting alone in a mansion and being miserable.

“As ordered.” He looked up and Kelly was holding out his water. He took it and she sat down and put his pillow on his lap. She was holding his blanket.

“You know, the heart is strong and resilient. We think it is permanently broken but in time it becomes a scar that reminds us of the pain but doesn’t hurt nearly as much.” She said.

“I hear that, but it seems impossible.” He said and she smiled.

“It always does, what was her name?” She said and he looked at her cute face again. She was interested and she was kind. He needed someone to talk to that wasn’t hurting as much as he was.

“Cassie.” He said and she nodded.

“Pretty name. I am assuming she was blonde.” She said and he was stunned.

“How did you know that?” He said.

“The way you looked at my plastic co-worker and didn’t bat an eye.” She said and he chuckled.

“You are very observant.” He said.

“Yeah, it comes in handy sometimes and sometimes it is a curse.” She said and he nodded.

“So, you want to tell me about her?” She said. He looked at her again.

“Yeah, I do.” He said and she smiled.

The flight was over before he knew it. He had talked the entire time and she sat and listened, only getting up a couple of times to take care of someone else. His heart felt a little better just dumping it all out. She listened closely and asked good questions. It would be nice to have someone to talk to about it. He heard the pilot make the landing announcement and she touched his arm.

“Marcus, thank you. I hope it helped. She sounds like a lovely girl; I can’t wait to meet her.” Kelly said and smiled.

He pulled out his phone and flipped to a picture of her standing in the airport in her bare feet and her pajamas. It was the last time he had seen her, and it was his favorite picture. Kelly looked at it and gasped.

“She is adorable and very short.” Kelly said and he laughed.

The next week was better, but he still had trouble focusing. He had to skip a weekend with Helen to get a project done and he was grumpy and angry the following week. Everyone avoided him, even his tutor walked on eggshells with him. He apologized to her, and he felt a little better.

Helen opened the door, and she was smiling. He had not seen her smile in a long time. She hugged him and he put his arms around her.

“Helen, what is going on?” He said and he saw Beatrice sitting at the table with another girl.

He walked in and grabbed his water. He sat down and watched Beatrice and the girl work on a laptop.

“Marcus, we have something.” Helen said and he looked at her.

She was holding a magazine and she put it on the table and slid it over. He looked down and saw an ad for what looked like bathing suits. He saw a beach umbrella and three girls sitting around like they were at the beach. He looked closer and his heart stopped. She was wearing a red bikini and she was smiling. He looked at Helen and she had tears in her eyes.

“She’s alive Marcus.” Helen said and started sobbing. Beatrice looked up and he moved closer to Helen and hugged her. Beatrice looked back down and started talking.

Marcus held Helen and rubbed her back while she cried. He had done this a lot and it felt comfortable now. He knew now how Cassie was such a special girl, she had a special mom. He kissed her on the top of the head. He saw Beatrice lean back and look at the other girl.

“I am going, I will ask for backup, but I am going regardless.” Beatrice said and the girl sighed.

“B, they will not approve it before we get more information. All you have are bathing suit pictures and they are not illegal.” The other girl said.

“I don’t give a fuck; we know where he is now, and I want him. He is our first lead, Charley.” Beatrice said. She saw him looking at her and she sat up.

“Marcus, this is Charley. Charley, Marcus Robertson.” Beatrice said and Marcus saw the young girl’s eyes light up.

“You are Marcus Robertson?” Charley said and Marcus nodded.

“Holy shit! My dad is gonna freak, he went to Clearbrook, and I graduated from there 3 years ago. He has talked about you for the last month.” Charley said.

“Thank you, I guess.” He said.

“Wait, hold up. You’re Marcus and you’re here. Helen is Cassie’s mom, she ... wait, she is your shorty, from the ESPN interview.” Charley said and he nodded.

“Shit, I knew it, I knew there was something the way you talked. She got you to come here. Beatrice, we have to find this girl.” Charley said and Beatrice laughed.

“Well, now that you are properly motivated, can we continue?” Beatrice said. Charley lowered her head and hid behind her laptop.

“B, did you find him?” Helen said and wiped her eyes.

“Yes, Helen, his name is Serge Florentine, and he is in Prague.” Beatrice said.

“Who is that?” Marcus said.

“The photographer that took those. We think they were from three weeks ago roughly, that would make it about a week after they were taken. This is a good sign; they are alive and are obviously being used for something.” Beatrice said and he nodded.

“Marcus, this is Jennifer.” Helen said. She moved the magazine and pointed to a small brunette in a yellow bikini. She was cute as a button and her smile was precious. She looked very young.

“How old is she?” Marcus said and Beatrice sighed.

“She is 14.” Helen said and Marcus gasped. He looked back at the picture, and he saw the youth.

“Who is the other girl?” Marcus said and Helen shook her head.

“We don’t know, we will run facial recognition, but I am not sure we will find anything. The good news is that they are not alone, this was not a random kidnapping, they are part of a group. This photographer is well known and international so there is huge money behind it as well.” Beatrice said.

“What do we do now?” Marcus said and Beatrice smiled.

“Well, you keep doing what you are doing, and I am going to Prague.” Beatrice said and Charley groaned. Marcus squeezed Helen and she sighed.

Marcus walked onto the plane again and Kelly was there. She was in first class and leaning over and talking to an older man. He moved down the aisle and the old man smiled and thanked her. She was very pretty, and he liked her smile. She stood up as he got close and put her hand on his arm.

“Your seat has been changed to 3A, right here.” She said and he looked down at the large seat with the massive console next to it. He looked back at her, and she was smiling.

“Sorry about the inconvenience but coach is full, and we needed to make an adjustment.” She said.

He put his bag in the overhead and sat down in the seat next to the window. It was large and he fit in it, that was a change. He looked up at her and she winked and then walked down the aisle. He hit the button on the side and the back moved. He leaned back, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath. This was nice, he could get used to this. He thought about getting drafted next year, everyone told him he was first round and that would get him millions in his rookie contract alone. He would fly first class all the time then. He turned his head and looked at the empty seat next to him. A tear ran down his cheek, he would not enjoy it nearly as much without her sitting right there next to him. He closed his eyes and tried to remember her smile.

“You know, it is ok to cry.” He heard and opened his eyes to see Kelly holding out a tissue. He took it and wiped his cheeks.

“Thanks, sorry about that.” He said.

“You really love her, huh?” She said and he nodded.

“It is silly really, I only spent two days with her.” He said and she smiled.

“Sometimes that’s all it takes. Any news?” She said.

“Yes, they found some pictures in a magazine, she was modeling bathing suits.” He said and she cocked her head.

“They kidnapped her so she could model for them?” She said.

“They are thinking it is worse than that, they would not go to that length to get bathing suit models.” He said and she nodded.

“True, but it is good news that you found the pictures. She is alive.” She said and he nodded.

“Yes, that is good.” He said. She touched his arm.

“Let me know if you need anything, your usual is in the compartment in front of you.” She said and he opened the compartment to pull out a blanket and pillow.

“Thanks for this, it is nice.” He said and she nodded.

“It was funny that we just had a few too many people back there.” She said and smiled.

“Yeah, that is funny.” He said. She stood up and he watched her check on the other first-class passengers.

She was really sweet and a nice person. He would be all over that normally but for some reason it didn’t seem right to him. That sounded silly too, he wasn’t married. Shit, he wasn’t even sure he was exactly dating, but it still seemed weird. He closed his eyes and leaned against the window. He fell asleep quickly.

He felt a touch and turned his head. Kelly was sitting next to him, and the cabin was dark. He sat up and looked at her. She was smiling and touching his arm. He did feel something this time, her face was so pretty, and her eyes sparkled. She rubbed his arm and looked into his eyes.

“You know, if you need me, even to distract you, it is ok.” She said softly and smiled.

He leaned over and she moved closer. Her lips were soft and smooth, and she smelled and tasted like flowers. He pulled off the soft kiss and looked at her.

“I don’t want to hurt you.” He said.

“I know but I am a big girl and I understand. You just seem so sad, and I thought it would help.” She said.

“Yes, it does help.” He said.

“Good, then do it again.” She said.

He leaned over and kissed her again. He felt her small tongue slide into his mouth, and he touched it. She tasted even better when he slid his tongue into her mouth. He put his hand behind her head and pulled her closer. He kissed her deeply and ran his hand around her neck and head. She moved perfectly and it felt like they were on the same wavelength. He pulled back and looked at her, her eyes were glassy and looked unfocused. He smiled and kissed her cute nose.

“How are you single?” He said and she smiled.

“What makes you think I am single?” She said and he pulled back. She giggled.

“Sorry, I am, that was mean. I have high standards and most men fall far short.” She said.

“I see so I meet these standards?” He said and she nodded.

“Oh yes. Your capacity to love is impressive and you passed the blonde bimbo test with flying colors.” She said and he laughed.

“So that was a test?” He said and she nodded.

“I didn’t set it up, I just knew it was going to happen and I like watching how the men react. You looked right through her like she wasn’t even there, very impressive.” She said.

“I can’t look at blondes without seeing her.” He said and she nodded.

“That makes sense. One of the few times my dark hair paid off.” She said.

“Your hair is beautiful.” He said.

“But not as beautiful as hers?” She said and he frowned.

“I am sorry, this is different for me. I know your situation and I just want to help. You can use me for whatever you need.” She said.

“You are much too nice to be used by anyone.” He said.

“Thank you, that is sweet, but you are not anyone. You are special and this is a major exception. I have never done anything like this, but I have never met anyone like you.” She said and he smiled.

“How about one more kiss and then I need to get some sleep and I am sure you have other passengers to help.” He said and she smiled.

“They are all asleep, but I think that is a great plan, especially the first part.” She said and smiled.

He pulled her head closer and kissed her deeply for about a minute. He felt her hand touch his arm and rub it as he wrapped his hand around the back of her neck. He pulled back slowly, their lips separating gently. He moved his hand around and pushed some hair behind her ear. She moaned and closed her eyes. He kissed her nose, and she opened her eyes.

“Thank you, Kelly.” He said and she smiled.

“Any time Marcus.” She said and sat up and took a deep breath. He picked up her hand and kissed it. She looked at him and smiled.

“Just a little too late, damn my luck.” She said and stood up. He held her hand and let it go as she stood up.

“I will wake you when we get close.” She said and ran her hands down her skirt, more of a habit than to fix any wrinkles. He noticed the dark hose and thick skirt, very much the attendant uniform.

“Thank you, Kelly.” He said and watched her walk to the front of the plane.

He wondered what would have happened had he met her a few months ago. He fluffed his pillow and leaned against the window. He thought about having Kelly sitting in the empty seat and then he felt a cold wave over his heart. That would mean he would not have his shorty and that would not work. He closed his eyes.

His week flew by, and he was again standing in front of the door to the apartment. He knocked and Helen opened it, he knew she had been crying, her eyes were puffy, and her cheeks were wet. She smiled at him and walked into a hug. He wrapped her arms around her and held her in the doorway. She started crying again and he squeezed her. He heard Beatrice’s voice and then Charley’s. They were talking fast and seemed to be arguing a little. He pulled Helen back and looked at her.

“Helen, what’s going on?” He said and she sniffled.

“B found more pictures.” She said and turned. She took his hand and led him into the apartment. Beatrice and Charley were looking at a laptop. Beatrice looked up and nodded at him. He sat at the table. Helen walked over and got him a water bottle. She sat down and sighed.

“Helen, talk to me.” He said and she slid a magazine over. It had some strange words on it he could not read. There was a young girl on the cover in red lingerie. She looked very young and much too young to be wearing that type of lingerie.

“What is this?” He said and Helen wiped her eyes and nose with a tissue.

“I am sorry Marcus; I am kind of a mess. Beatrice just got back this morning. It starts on page 14.” She said.

He opened the magazine and saw other pictures of other young girls. He got to page 14, and his heart froze. She was on her hands and knees on a bed and wearing a nightie of some sort. Her breasts were hanging and very visible. He looked at the other pictures and the other two girls were there wearing similar risqué outfits.

“Jennifer is just a baby, look at her.” Helen said and sobbed. He looked back and saw Jennifer lying on the bed with her legs spread, she was wearing a lace bra and panties and stockings. You could not see anything but her nipples, but it looked bad.

He looked at Beatrice. She was looking at Helen and he saw her face looked sad. She did not look sad very often, at least the times he saw her.

“We are pretty sure these are all from the same session. They must have done multiple sets. The girls are the same and the photographer is the same.” She said and he looked back and saw Cassie standing next to the bed in red lingerie. Her breasts looked nice in the bra and her legs were in stockings with a garter belt. He felt his cock lurch as he looked at his girlfriend and he didn’t like the way it made him feel.

“Marcus, it gets worse. Honey, I don’t want to show you the others.” Helen said and he looked at her. She was holding another magazine.

“Helen, I need to know everything. Believe me, my imagination is probably far worse.” He said and she nodded.

“I don’t think so, Marcus, I am so sorry.” She said and slid another magazine over.

He saw the title was a different language again, but his eyes went to the cover picture quickly. It was Cassie with a huge black cock in her mouth, she was looking right at him, like she was seeing him looking at her. He felt his throat tighten and the sob escaped his lips. Helen got up and put her arms around him from the back as he cried.