Penny's POV
When I woke up, I was tied to a chair and there was tape over my mouth. I remembered trying to go backstage and a woman dragging me away. Something was put over my nose and mouth, I started to fall and a man picked me up. I looked up and I could've sworn it was my ex-husband Merlin.
But that wasn't possible, he was sentenced to 40 years in prison and I would have been notified if he was released. I was terrified and my head was throbbing from a hangover.
The woman who pulled me out of the crowd at the concert walked into the room. I looked at her and saw the bruises on her face that I didn't see when I was drunk. She yelled "Hey Merle! Snow White is awake."
Merle? This can't be happening this has got to be a nightmare. I have to wake up, I was trying to move and get out of the ropes and off the chair. Then he walked in, the worthless piece of trash.
"Well, well, well, if it isn't the Penster. The holy and good."
His voice and that nickname made my skin crawl. I looked at him with pure rage and tried again to get free.
"What's a matter princess? Don't like being confined? Think how I've felt for over 20 years."
He walked toward me, "Oh yeah, there's something I've wanted to give you all these years." He back-handed me across my face. "Oh no, that messed up that side your pretty face, we don't want your rich rock star husband to see you like that." Then he back handed me with his other hand. "There, now both sides match." Then he repeated the same again on both sides.
The memories started flooding back, the pain, the bruises, the fear and that terrible night. Tears started flowing out of my sore eyes, burning down my cheeks.
"Here we go, little Penny boo hoo. I don't give a shit about your tears, Penny!" He raised his hand again.
His girlfriend said. "Merle, that's probably enough for now. They might want a picture of her before they will pay up."
"I'm just giving this Bitch what she deserves for taking away 20 years of my life." He ripped the tape off my mouth and started to walk away. "Bitch, if you start yelling I will kill you right now. Fuck the money."
I knew he was totally serious, I kept my mouth shut. "Wanda, have her write the letter."
Wanda walked over to me. "Aww shit, he really fucked you up. I know how that backhand feels, but he's never hit me like that." She said.
"Why do you stay?" Then I remembered I did the same. "Never mind, I know."
"He wants you to write the ransom note to your husband. I really suggest you do it."
"What choice do I have?"
She untied my right arm, put a TV tray in front of me and a pen and paper. I knew I had to find a way in this note to tell them who had kidnapped me. If nothing else, it would point them in the right direction of who to look for after they find my body. There was only one thing I could think of, I just had to hope someone saw it that would understand.

Brian's POV
I called Max and told him what had happened, we both agreed that it would not be good to tell Chloe just yet. We didn't want her to get too upset and go into labor or worse. There were two other people I knew I had to call.

"Hello"
"Hi Allen, it's Brian"
"Hey man, it's pretty late isn't it?" He said
"I wouldn't normally call you this late, but someone took Penny."
"What do you mean someone took her?"
"She was at the concert and she was kidnapped."
"What the Hell? Where are you?" I could hear he was pissed.
"Columbus"
"Text me the address, I'm on my way."
The call with Tess went pretty much the same way and she was on her way too.

I looked at Bianca, Wane, Stephanie and Jay. "You guys don't have to stay here, you should probably get the ladies home."
"Wane, will you take Stephanie home? I'm not going anywhere." Jay said. "What can I do to help?"
"Thanks Jay, can you find a Private Investigator to help us find her? I know the police are working on it, but I am not willing to just put this into their hands."
"No problem Brian, I'm on it." He said. "We are going to get her back, don't worry."
"I wish I knew that for sure." I said quietly.

Tess and Allen were both there in under an hour. They had decided not to tell their Mom at this point. Not long after they arrived, I got a text from Penny's phone.

You have a love note waiting for you...It then gave instructions of a park bench where we found a note and Penny's cell phone. The police took her phone and opened the note, they had me wear gloves when holding it. Tess, Allen and Jay were right there with me, I was shaking as I read it. It was in Penny's handwriting.

My Dearest Brian,
These People will kill me if you do not Pay 2 million dollars. You will be contacted on where to leave the money. If they see any Police, he will kill me immediately.
I Love You, Please help me and Please, Please forgive me for not listening to you.
Penny.

I asked Tess "That is Penny's handwriting, right?"
"Yes, but there's something really odd. Every one of the P's are capitalized and written different than her normal." Tess said
"You're right, they look like a circle with a line drawn to the side." I said.
Tess suddenly looked horrified "Oh my God!"
Allen said "Mother Fucker!"
I was so confused, "What? What is it?"
"We know who has Penny!" Tess said, she was frozen still.
Allen was still cussing "Damn Mother Fucking, Cock Sucking Son of a Bitch!"
"Who is it and how do you know? Jay, do you know?"
"I think I might, it's not because of you or the band. I saw the letters before she got the restraining order so the prison would stop him from writing her."
"PRISON! WHO?"
Tess finally spoke, very softly "Merlin"
"Her second husband? Alright, it's time someone told me what happened with this Merlin? Jay, do you know?"
"I only know bits and pieces. Tess or Allen are going to have to tell both of us the whole story." Jay said.
Allen looked at Tess "I'll go tell the police, so they know who and what we are dealing with. You tell these two."
Tess motioned for us to sit down on the bench.

Tess’s POV
This was going to be tough to tell them, not only were they terrible memories for me. My sister had sworn me never to discuss her living nightmare with anyone. I had no choice now, they both needed to know.

"Not too long after Chloe's father died, Penny started seeing this guy she met named Merlin. We saw he liked to drink, but even when he wasn't drinking he was a jerk to Penny. He was always putting her down. We tried to get her not to marry him, but she wouldn't listen. She was around 25 years old and thought she could change the world, including him."
"After they married he started putting her down more and wanted to control everything she did. He told her what she could wear and even forbid any purple, not only in clothing but anywhere. He hated anything that she loved and that gave her a personal identity. The physical abuse started soon after they were married. Penny was having Mom and Dad keep Chloe most of the time. A few times she left after he passed out and came to my house or theirs. But he would always track her down and threaten her to make her come back. She lived in fear for herself and for Chloe, but she didn't know how to get out."
"They had been married a year when Penny became pregnant. Although she did not want to have a child in that environment, he insisted that she give him a son. She hoped that a baby would change Merlin and she prayed for a boy. He did seem better for a while, very proud that he was going to have a 'son'. He had eased up on drinking, on Chloe and most of all on Penny. Then Penny had an ultrasound and they said the baby was a girl, she was 6 months pregnant. Merlin was furious, he blamed Penny for the baby not being a boy and accused her of having an affair. He went out drinking and Penny knew it was going to be bad when he got back. She took Chloe to Mom and Dad's, she didn't want him to come there so she went home.
When she got back to their apartment he was waiting for her. He beat her, punching her and kicking her so hard she went into labor, he just left her there. She gave birth right there in the apartment by herself. The baby died from trauma injuries not more than 15 minutes after she was born. The neighbors had called the police and me. This wasn't the first time they had to."
"I walked into the apartment, there was my little sister holding the tiny baby, singing to her. Penny was bleeding. I walked up and knelt down next to her. She was in shock. I asked her to let me hold the baby, but she wouldn't. She said the baby only wanted her Mommy. The police and ambulance had arrived but stood back while I tried to talk to Penny. It was clear that she was in a very fragile mental state."
It was hard to tell them, I couldn't stop crying and I was reliving memories I had kept suppressed all these years. Brian and Jay both were in tears.
"I remember saying to her 'Sweetheart, you need to let these people take you and the baby to the hospital. You don't want the baby and Chloe to lose their Mommy do you?' She looked at me and said 'Layla, her name is Layla.' Finally, I talked her into letting me take the baby."
"Penny lost consciousness on the way to the hospital and had to be rushed into surgery. She nearly died. She was in a Coma for several days. We actually hoped for her sake that she wouldn't remember it all when she woke up."
"She remembered everything and she focused on putting Merlin behind bars. He was arrested and convicted of murder for the baby and felonious assault for Penny. Which should have been attempted murder. He was sentenced to 40 years in prison. Merlin vowed that someday when he did get out, he would make Penny pay for ruining HIS life. She was supposed to be notified if he came up for parole. I'm not sure why that didn't happen."
"Was that why she couldn't have any more children?" Jay asked.
"Yes and that's why she pushed away anyone who got too close. It's also why she fought Brian about quitting and letting him take care of her. After that, she was hell bent on being able to support herself and Chloe. Jay, that was why she always kept your money separate. Once the trial was over, she never spoke of it again and we were not permitted to either. She never grieved, she never let herself. She pushed ahead for justice for the baby, for Chloe growing up, for you Jay and ultimately for you Brian."
Brian was just staring straight ahead. "He is who she was talking about when she was drunk and he is the man in the sketchbook. But how do you know it's him from Penny's note?"
"I know." Jay said "That's how Merlin writes P's. When she would get letters addressed to her and the P was like that, Chloe and I were told to destroy them immediately."
"Penny wrote them like that hoping we'd notice. My little sister is brilliant"
"So you're telling me, that this crazy bastard has Penny? I can't believe no one told me this. I at least needed know that this idiot had vowed revenge on her."
"We all thought he would be in prison for another 20 years. If it helps, she did tell me that she was going to tell you when the band was on hiatus this summer."
Jay said. "She told me when I saw the letters from prison that he was there from killing someone in a car accident when he was driving drunk."
"Chloe remembers that her Mom was pregnant and lost the baby, but she thinks it was because of being in the car with Merlin when the car accident happened." I explained.
Just then a policeman came up with Allen and asked to speak to Brian.

Brian's POV
"Mr. Jenkins informed of us who potentially has your wife. We are going to track down everything we can on what Merlin Cooper has done since being released from prison. We also need to have your calls recorded and tracked on your phone, in case he calls." The officer said.
"Yes of course." After the officer walked away I didn't want to even say the words, but I knew I had to ask.
"He's going to kill her whether he gets the money or not, isn't he?"
Allen answered. "He doesn't think we know it's him, but he knows that she does and he blames her for ruining his life. His main goal is to hurt her; the money is just a bonus."
"Do you know how our last conversation ended? I flipped her off after she told me "Fuck You". I walked away from her. What if that's the last time I ever see her? I should have protected her, I should have done more to stop her!"
Tess put her arm around my shoulders, "Brian, you had an argument. You were trying to protect her and she was being her usual stubborn self. You know she loves you and she knows you love her. There was no way for either one of you to know that he was out there."
"If he hadn't got her here, he would have found another way." Allen said.
Just then my phone rang, Caller ID was blocked.

"Hello?"
It was a woman's voice. "You have 24 hours to get the cash. You will be contacted after that as to how exchange it for your wife. Make sure you are ready with the money; he will only give you a half hour to deliver it. If you do not pay the money, he will kill her."
"I want to speak to her, so I know she's ok."
"She is alive, but he will not let you speak to her. You will be sent proof."
The line went dead.

Notes