Lance, quick to react, caught her, lifting her into his arms.

“Careful. I've got you."

“Alright.” Bettie looped her arms around Lance's neck, her wrists red from being tied up.

"Bettie?"

"Yes?"

“Were you frightened when you were pushed down?"

"Yeah."

“How are you so calm now, though? You seem different from when you were at the flour mill." Lance felt anxious, considering if the shock had influenced her mentally.

"I was just trying to keep my calm." Bettie's composure shattered as frustration twisted her face, her teeth clenched. "Oh, my! I'm beyond angry, Lance. My legs feel like they're made of jelly. I thought I was done for, seriously! I felt like my soul jumped out of my body, and I didn't even get a chance to say goodbye. My heart is pounding, can you feel it?" Her heart nearly stopped beating.

"I thought you were paralyzed with fear. Don't worry. ALL you need is some rest now." Lance tightened his hold around Bettie.

"How did you find me?"

“Someone called me." Lance's face displayed a blend of emotions, hard to interpret. He was at work when Allen suddenly called. He first thought something had happened to Kaleb, but Allen simply gave him an address to find Bettie. He hurried over, no questions asked.

Before Bettie was pushed down, the man had said, “Who gave you the right to mess with my sister? While she suffers in detention, you're out here enjoying your life..." Clearly, he had to be Keilani's brother, no doubt about it!

Bettie was livid, venting, “Lance, you won't believe this. The guy who kidnapped me? Turns out he's Keilani's brother. And you had the guts to tell me he was nice just yesterday. Nice? That's ridiculous! I could tell he was trouble. You better steer clear of him. He's nothing but a fake. Just like Keilani, they're two of a kind!"

Lance was at a loss for words. After a moment, he asked, "How did you figure out that the guy who kidnapped you was Keilani's brother?"

Bettie looked at Lance, barely hiding her sneer. “He had a unique accent. Plus, he didn't hesitate to tell me. Said Keilani was his sister and he wanted revenge for her."

Lance cursed silently. It dawned on him that he'd been framed! That sneaky old man!

"Since when do bad guys introduce themselves? It sounds like he wanted to trick you into thinking it was Keilani's brother, but it might have been someone else," Lance reasoned it out.

"Who else would do such a thing? Even without his confession, I'd have figured it out." Bettie fixed Lance with a stern look. “Defend him one more time, and our wedding is off."

Lance relented. "Fine."