Ji and I reached down at the same time. He picked up the picture and I went for the note.

It simply wrote, "I warned you."

It didn't make much sense to me until Ji and I traded.

The Polaroid was of Jessica, unconscious on the very floor we were standing on right now.

I shut my eyes and clenched my jaw. The image fell from my hands, a corner landing in the blood- Jessica's blood.

I couldn't even cry. I was so angry and felt so hopeless.

"Great. Just great. How do I tell her parents that first I almost let her get kidnapped, then I actually let her get kidnapped?" I said.

"We'll find her, promise." He pulled out his phone. "Moshi moshi? An emergency, a ten-year-old girl was taken."

"What are you gonna say when they ask why we were being threatened?"

"Because you're new staff and received threats." he whispered, blocking the phone with his hand. He pulled his hand away. "She was last seen in a hotel." He looked for the stationary to remember what it was called. "Yes, that one. Room 517. There's blood on the floor and a note and a photograph."

He went on to describe Jess. Most of it was identical to what he'd said the day of her first kidnapping. Or maybe this wasn't a kidnapping? Maybe it was... Kimmy, think positive. What the hell, where's the positive here? I was going insane. I was having an argument with myself in my own mind. I sat down on the edge of my bed, fearing that I'd collapse.

I bet she hated me for being so stubborn and selfish and refusing to break up with Jiyong. 

Ji wrapped his arms around my shoulders. "The police are coming. They'll be here and they'll find her and all will be well again." he kissed the side of my head. His voice was small, he sounded afraid. What did he fear for?

"I should've listened." I said.

"Maybe I should've listened to Jess." he said. "Maybe it would've been better, or maybe it wouldn't have changed anything."

"What do you mean, Ji?" I groaned. I wasn't in the mood for thinking. Thinking=bad. Thinking=no.

"What if even if we did break things off, she didn't find out right away and took Jess anyway, thinking we were still together."

"You're looking too far into it. If we broke things off, I wouldn't leave with you this morning. I wouldn't leave at all."

"I suppose so." he seemed to think for a bit, then there was a banging on the door. It made me jump. He got up and answered the door.

An officer walked in, showed his badge and invited his two teammates inside. They asked Ji some questions. They tried to ask some to me as well, but due to my current psychological state, I couldn't answer much. I remained monotonously laconic.

The police took the paper and the photo in separate plastic bags. They also took a sample of the blood. One of them took a bunch of photos.

They put polic