Chapter 79

Maxwell paced back and forth in the old warehouse, looking at his watch every few minutes. Alice sat in the corner, tied up, her once-pretty wedding dress now dirty and torn. She watched Maxwell, feeling scared and sad for him, wondering how her friend had become this scary, desperate man.

There was a knock at the door. Maxwell's head jerked up, his eyes wide. "Finally," he muttered, hurrying to open it.

An old man in priest clothes stood there, looking nervous and confused. "Mr. Johnson? I'm Father Thomas. I got your... strange request."

Maxwell pulled the priest inside, quickly closing the door. "Yes, thank you for coming, Father. Like I said, this is a special situation."

Father Thomas's eyes got big when he saw the room - the dirty warehouse, the tied-up woman in a wedding dress, the jumpy man who had called him. "Young man, what's going on here?" he asked, his voice shaky.

"Father, please help me!" Alice cried out. "He took me. He's trying to make me marry him!"

The priest steppe