Chapter 212

Josiah waited for Howard to continue, but Howard paused, shaking his head. "Never mind," he said.

"Howard," Josiah said, his curiosity tinged with frustration, "Don't do this. What's going on? Why are you keeping things from me?"

Howard smiled and chuckled. "We'll talk later. I'm heading to the hospital to see Yvette. You can keep Grandma company with dinner."

So she's going to see Yvette, Josiah thought.

"Alright," Josiah nodded. But he couldn't shake the feeling that something was amiss with Howard, something difficult to discuss. What could it be? Why is it so hard to even bring it up to him? he wondered.

Josiah slept poorly that night, his concerns for Sienna weighing heavily on his mind. The next morning, instead of going straight to the office, he went to the entrance of Sunshine Neighborhood. He knew Sienna usually went to Lightning Dance in the afternoon, but he wanted to check on her before work, to see if she felt any better than the previous day.

He picked up his phone, hesitating. He wasn't sure if Sienna was awake yet. He wanted to check on her, but she'd said it wasn't convenient. Just as he was debating, he saw Sienna walking out of the gate, carrying her bag and looking rushed.

"Hi, Sienna," Josiah said, quickly pulling up and parking beside her. "Where are you headed? Let me give you a ride."

"Okay," Sienna said, immediately getting into the car.

As they drove, Josiah noticed she still seemed drowsy and guessed, "Did you just wake up?"

"Yeah," Sienna replied, pausing and nodding. She glanced at herself in the mirror, surprised at how obvious her sleepiness was. She'd struggled with insomnia and only managed to fall asleep late, waking up late as a result. Tara, unaware of Lightning Dance's break, had changed her work hours without calling Sienna.

Sienna kept checking her phone, urging Josiah, "Can you go faster?" Lightning Dance required clocking in, and being late incurred penalties, including loss of a perfect attendance bonus.

"Sure," Josiah said, pressing the gas pedal. However, the morning traffic slowed them. He glanced at her anxious expression. "In such a hurry. I guess you haven't had breakfast?"

"No," Sienna shook her head. At that point, she didn't have time to think about food.

Without hesitation, Josiah grabbed his phone and dialed a number. "It's me. Go to Seasonal Bakery and get some pies. Yeah, send them to Lightning Dance. Hurry up."

Sienna heard every word. Is he buying this for me? she wondered.

Josiah hung up and looked at her, giving a slight nod. "Wait a moment. They'll be here soon. Your favorite pies, right?"

Right. But how could he remember so well? she wondered. A strange feeling washed over her, and her tongue felt numb as she muttered, "Yes, that's right."

The rest of the ride was silent. When they arrived at Lightning Dance, Sienna quickly thanked him. "Thank you," she said, about to get out of the car.

"Sienna," Josiah stopped her, "Wait. The pies will be here soon!"

"I can't wait," Sienna said, shaking off his hand, her tone urgent. "I have to clock in. I appreciate your kindness, but I can't stay."

Without another word, she waved him off and rushed inside.

"Why do you need to appreciate me?" Josiah shook his head in helplessness, muttering. "You can't skip breakfast. It's not good for you." He was concerned about her health, more than anything.

The pies from Seasonal Bakery weren't easy to come by, and after waiting over ten minutes, someone finally arrived with the order.

"Hello, Mr. Flynn," someone called.

"Here," Josiah took the bag, instructing the person, "Tell Mr. Reed I'll be about forty minutes late. If anything comes up, he can handle it first."

"Yes, Mr. Flynn," the person replied.

Josiah, having finished his instructions, carried the bag into Lightning Dance. Thankfully, as the boss, he didn't have to clock in like Sienna.

Inside, Sienna had clocked in, no longer in a hurry. She'd made it with just two seconds to spare. Now, she was leisurely changing clothes in the locker room. It wasn't a weekend, and there were no morning children's classes, so it was their free time.

"Sienna," someone called from the locker room door. "Someone's looking for you at the east side door."

"Alright, thanks," Sienna replied, heading toward the east side door. Who could be looking for me? she wondered. The east side door was for employees; outsiders rarely knew about it. Could it be someone I know? she wondered.

After locking her locker, she went to the east side door. Just as Josiah approached the locker room door, he bumped into Rosie. "Excuse me, could you help me find Sienna?"

Rosie went inside, returning moments later. "Sienna isn't here. A colleague said someone was looking for her, and she went to the east side door."

"Alright, thanks," Josiah said, smiling politely before leaving.

Rosie stood there, a bit stunned. Oh, my… Mr. Flynn really is quite the looker, especially when he smiles. It has a certain captivating charm. No wonder Sienna might get caught up with him, she thought.

At the east side door, Sienna craned her neck, looking around. There was no one in sight, but a dusty, unwashed van was parked nearby. Then, she noticed it had no license plate.

"This doesn't look right," Sienna thought, her instincts signaling danger. She turned to run.

But just as she did, the van door slid open with a loud screech, and a man in his twenties stepped out. Without warning, he grabbed her.

"Le...go..." Sienna began, but the man quickly covered her mouth. He was strong and easily lifted her into the van.

"Gag her," a woman's voice called from inside.

The woman shoved a towel in Sienna's mouth and tossed over a rope. "Tie her up." Then she took the driver's seat and started the engine.

As the van pulled away, the man slammed the door shut. In that brief moment, Sienna saw Josiah running toward her, and he saw her too. "Sienna!"

"Mmm," Sienna's heart raced as she saw him coming, desperate to respond. She instinctively leaned toward the van door, but the man held her shoulder tightly.

He glared at her. "Stay still. You're not going anywhere. No one can save you. Think you can run? You're a joke." The woman floored the gas pedal.

"Sienna!" Josiah screamed, pushing himself harder, but all he could do was watch the van speed off. But he didn't stop. There was no time to think.

He gritted his teeth and ran, using every ounce of strength to chase the van. While running, he pulled out his phone and dialed a number. "Where are you? Get back here now. I'm at the east side door of Lightning Dance. Hurry!"

The call was to his subordinate who'd delivered the pies. The man couldn't have gone far, and he was closest to Josiah. Josiah hung up and pushed himself harder. "Sienna, don't be scared. Hang on…"

Inside the van, the man was stunned. "This guy's still chasing us? How's he running so fast?" Not only was he surprised, but Sienna was too. Could Josiah really be so good at running? But looking at his gritted teeth and strained face, it was clear he wasn't making it look easy. He can't keep this up for much longer, she thought.