Project Integrate Series Boxed Set

by Campbell, Jamie

  “The gate is down, what do I do?” Lochie asked frantically.

  “Slow down and act normal. They’ve got no reason to believe we’re doing anything wrong.” He did as told and I crossed my fingers it would work. If security had called down to them or if Rob had checked up on me, then we were completely stuffed. “If they start telling us we can’t leave, do you think your car can make it through the boom gate?”

  “I can try.” That was the spirit – and exactly what I needed to hear.

  We reached the boom gate and waited. Normally what would happen would be the security guard checked his sheet, found the car registration number, and then ticked it off. He would normally then wave us through. I had been through the process at least a hundred times.

  I hoped I didn’t look as guilty as I felt. It was the first time I had intentionally disobeyed the Department and I wasn’t exactly one for rebellion. The whole idea made me sick to the stomach. Yet with Lola’s life at stake, I was prepared to do whatever I had to for her.

  Time seemed to slow down to an impossibly slow pace as we reached the security guard. He did his usual check, taking way too long. My eyes kept flicking to the side mirror, just waiting to see Rob running after me. Or someone else with a big, fat gun.

  “You’re good, have a nice day,” he said, waving us through.

  Lochie kept his eyes on the road and pulled out casually through the gates. Only when we were out of earshot of the security station did he floor the accelerator.

  “Where to?”

  “Back to Portview, we have to find Lola by ourselves.”

  “They’re not going to help?” He stole a glance at me, trying to gauge my reaction. I was numb now, I doubted my face betrayed anything.

  “Nope,” I replied. “But you don’t have to help anymore. Taking me here, going to the beach with me last night, it’s already way over anything you owe me. You don’t have to do this.”

  “I’m not having this discussion again. If you’re stupid enough to do this, then I’m stupid enough to go with you.”

  “It’s different now. What I’m doing is now officially illegal and I’m sure the Department will start hunting me down the second they realize I’m not on level five getting a new implant put into my shoulder. You don’t have to get messed up in this.”

  “I’m already messed up in it. I’m not going to back down now.” He shot me a grin. “Besides, I’m counting up the favors you owe me and I’m never going to have to do my own laundry ever again.”

  I returned his smile, shrugging off his comment like it was no big deal. “The joke will be on you, I suck at laundry. Everything I own turns either pink or grey after a few washes.”

  “You’ll have a good opportunity to learn then.”

  If someone had told me I would be glad to be in Lochie’s company only a few days ago, I would have laughed at them. If they said he would be the only one keeping me sane, I would have thought they were insane. Now, that was the sad truth. I didn’t know exactly what had changed between us, but he was being decidedly less annoying than he usually was. Or perhaps it was just the dire situation and I was delirious.

  We drove back to town in silence. I still couldn’t believe Lochie wasn’t demanding answers from me. It was the quietest I had ever seen him. Perhaps I should have had him kidnapped years ago if that was all it took to keep his mouth shut.

  As we approached the town boundary, it was time to strategize. “Do you remember the way back to the house? The one where they were keeping us?”

  “I think I do. What’s the plan?”

  “Go back there and get Lola,” I offered. I never said my plan was well thought out or detailed.

  “Sounds good to me,” Lochie sighed, tapping a tune onto the steering wheel. He continued driving, I lost track of where we were. After enough corners, the streets all looked the same. It wasn’t like I was paying much attention when we fled in the early hours of the morning. Thankfully Lochie did.

  We eventually approached the house which looked familiar. The car wasn’t back in the driveway, obviously they hadn’t found it at the beach yet. The place looked quiet but that could have been a ruse. It wouldn’t be like they would advertise the fact they had a secret prison in the basement.

  Lochie pulled up and parked a few houses away, not wanting to declare our presence. We climbed out of the car and approached the house carefully. It was scary being back there. All my instincts told me to turn around and run but I had to find Lola. If I walked away now I would never forgive myself.

  The street was deserted which made me relieved and nervous at the same time. I didn’t exactly want any people wondering what we were doing lurking around the house but it would have been nice to have some witnesses if we were about to be imprisoned again. It’s not like I could call anyone for help this time.

  Without saying a word, Lochie followed close behind as we crept around to the back of the house. The windows were all covered in blinds, making it nearly impossible to see inside. My ears strained trying to hear any sign of someone on the other side of the walls. All I got was silence.

  “Do you want to go inside?” Lochie whispered. He was so close I could feel his breath on the back of my neck. It was comforting having him there, even if I wouldn’t admit it to a soul.

  “I think we have to,” I replied. “Maybe we should have brought a weapon or something.” I couldn’t believe I didn’t think of it earlier. I wasn’t exactly one for violence, I was never even allowed to say nasty things to people, but it would have been comforting having something to fight the men with.

  “I’ve got the fishing knife.” Lochie held up his hand so I could see. Thank goodness one of us was thinking clearly.

  We moved around to the back door and tried the handle – it was locked. Chances were they all were going to be. I looked around and spotted a rock in the garden bed. It wasn’t much but it wasn’t the size of the object that mattered, but how hard you smashed it against the window.

  I hoped it wouldn’t be too loud and started tapping the rock on the window beside the door. After a few goes, the glass shattered. Another tap and the shards fell inwards.

  Lochie pushed me aside before I reached in. With his longer arm, he carefully reached through and opened the door from the inside. The glass still remaining in the pane looked sharp, I expected to see blood flowing down his arm at any moment. Thankfully, it came back relatively unscathed.

  We waited for another moment to see if our noise had attracted any attention from inside. It was difficult to sneak up on them if we announced our arrival by breaking a window.

  I silently looked at Lochie and he nodded, it was time to find Lola. We crept in slowly, making every footstep count. The further we went, the more apparent it was that the house wasn’t actually lived in. There was no furniture anywhere. The entire place was completely devoid of anything that would make it a home. There weren’t even snacks in the kitchen. Everything was entirely empty.

  We reached the top of the stairs, the same ones we had fled up earlier that day. The memories of our time in the cell down there flooded my mind. None of them were any good. The fight or flight instincts were definitely kicking in.

  “You don’t have to do this,” Lochie repeated, he kept reminding me every chance he got. “We can go to the police.”

  I shook my head and took a deep breath. The police wouldn’t even begin to be able to help me. The moment my name got flagged in the system, they would receive a telephone call from the Department and detain me. There was nothing they could do.

  I took the first tentative step, expecting to see the men who had detained us step in front of me at any moment. All my senses were on high alert, just waiting for the moment we would be captured – again.

  We reached the bottom of the stairs and still there was no sound or sight of anyone. All I could hear was my own ragged breathing and Lochie’s soft footsteps. I swear, if I heard any sudden sound, I would jump to the roof I was so on edge.


  The hallway led right to a door at the end of the corridor. Another two doors branched off to the sides. That gave us three options – plus the one to run away as fast as possible.

  We approached the first door and I placed my ear on the wood. I couldn’t hear anything except my own blood rushing in my ears. I tried the handle and it moved. Glancing at Lochie, he raised his knife, ready for whatever might be on the opposite side.

  I pushed it open, cringing as it creaked. It probably wasn’t that noisy, but it may as well have been fireworks in the quiet house. I finally got a glimpse of what was inside – it was empty. It looked familiar, it could have been the room which I was first taken to. The one where I encountered the man who gave me the bruises that were still making my jaw hurt.

  We turned around and moved onto the next door, going through the same process as with the other. My memory was spotty, but I thought for sure it was the room where Lochie and I had been kept together. I didn’t remember having to run down an entire corridor to get out.

  Just like the first one, the next was empty too. The little window was exactly as I had remembered it. That only left the door at the end. Lola had to be in there. Which meant her captors probably were too.

  My legs were shaky as I made my way there. The moment I opened that door, everything would change. Either we’d find Lola and get out of there. Or we’d find Lola and the men in suits and have to fight our way out. I didn’t like to think of the third option where we found Lola and it was too late. I would end up on the floor in a comatose state if I considered that option.

  Lochie and I both pressed our ears against the door this time. It all seemed quiet but that didn’t mean anything. If Lola was being gagged like I was, then she wouldn’t be making any noise. Especially considering she had been kidnapped for nearly twenty-four hours.

  It was now or never. I threw open the door, hoping to use the element of surprise. Lochie raised his knife, ready to attack. I was poised to do whatever I needed to, every muscle in my body ready.

  But the room was devoid of people. Lochie and I were the only ones standing there. “She has to be here,” I sighed. “I was so sure we’d find her.”

  “She was here,” Lochie said, holding up a handbag. He had pulled out the purse and was holding up Lola’s school ID. Her smiling photo made me feel even worse.

  There was another handbag splayed on the floor – mine. I grabbed it and went through the contents. Nothing seemed to be missing. “This is definitely where we were yesterday too.”

  I stared at the brick walls of the room, wishing they could talk to me. If they could, I’m sure they would be able to tell me exactly where the men took Lola. I just prayed she was alive when she left.

  “If she’s not here, then it’s a good sign Lola’s alright,” Lochie said, taking a step closer to me. I turned around to face him, trying to work out what he meant.

  “How can she be alright?”

  “They left your bags, like they didn’t care about linking you to this house. If they killed Lola, they would have left her body too,” Lochie explained. “She’s got to be still alive. We just have to find her.”

  I wanted to scream and ask him exactly how we were going to do that but none of this was Lochie’s fault. He didn’t deserve to incur my wrath when he was the only one helping me. I could at least keep my frustrations to myself.

  I started walking, it was pointless staying in the cell. If the men came back, they would only lock us up and ensure we wouldn’t be able to escape again.

  “I’m going to talk to the neighbors and see if they heard anything,” I mumbled on my way out. A few seconds later, footsteps followed me.

  We left through the back door, the same way we had come in. I took one side of the street and Lochie the other.

  The first door I knocked on was answered by an old man, hard of hearing. I had to repeat myself several times before he understood I wasn’t trying to sell him anything.

  “I just need to know what happened to your neighbors? Did you see them leave today? Or maybe in the middle of the night?” My voice was so loud, I was pretty sure the entire neighborhood heard my question.

  Confusion crossed the old man’s face for a moment while he processed the information. I could almost see the cogs working hard in his brain as he tried to remember. Finally, he shook his head, shrugging at the same time. “We haven’t had neighbors in that house for months. It’s been empty. I have no idea what you’re talking about, girl.”

  “There were some men staying there. Big ones, tall.”

  “Are you on drugs? Everyone’s on drugs these days.”

  “I’m not on drugs. They were there yesterday, their car was in the driveway.” Besides painting a picture for this man, I didn’t know what else I could do to convince him I was serious. And not on drugs.

  “Been nobody there for months. Now go bother someone else, I’m busy.” With that said, he closed the door in my face. I stood on the stoop, trying to convince myself the next house would be more helpful. He was just one of the houses in the street, there were plenty more that could have the information I needed.

  We door knocked for another half an hour before giving up and returning to the car. Lochie had the same amount of luck as I did. According to everyone in the street, the house we had been kept in against our will had been unlived in for at least four months. The previous occupants had gone bankrupt and the bank had foreclosed on them. It had stood gathering dust ever since.

  Before Lochie started the car, he turned to me. “We’re going to find her. The men that contacted you will do it again. They won’t give up and they won’t do anything with Lola until they have you.”

  I wanted to believe him and I tried really hard but it was so difficult to trust that everything would be okay. There were no guarantees, no promises. Words were just words at the end of the day, they didn’t mean anything.

  “Amery, it’s going to be okay,” Lochie continued. He placed his hand on my leg, trying to comfort me. His touch filled me with unexpected warmth. “I promise we’ll figure everything out.”

  I put my hand over his. “Thanks. For everything.”

  The moments passed as we sat there staring at each other. It felt like one of us should say something but neither of us did. We just sat there like fools, wasting time.

  “We should probably go,” I suggested, breaking whatever was happening between us.

  “It’s getting dark, there isn’t anything more we can do tonight.” He started the car.

  “We can’t just give up.”

  “We’re not, we’re recharging our batteries. You have had zero sleep, you’re dead on your feet. I’m not taking you anywhere else until you’ve got some shut eye.”

  That was the old Lochie I knew, the irritating one. “If you need sleep, then fine, go sleep. I need to find Lola and I don’t need you to do it.”

  “La la la la la,” Lochie started singing. What the hell was he doing? Was he five years old?

  “I’m serious, Lochie. I won’t even be able to sleep. Not with Lola out there somewhere.” He completely ignored me, continuing to drown out my voice with his singsong one. “Lochie, listen to me! I’m not going to stop for the night. Darkness never killed anyone. If you don’t let me out, I swear I will open this door and jump.”

  Without stopping his singing, he hit the child lock on the door and gave me a satisfying grin.

  “This is kidnapping.”

  Finally, he shut up. “This is being sensible. How much longer do you think you can go on without rest or food? Because I bet it wouldn’t be for more than an hour. You’re not a superhero.”

  I had to fight the urge to pout and continue fighting. To be honest, I was just too tired to be contrary. I was beyond exhausted but my sense of urgency at finding Lola was keeping me going. But it wouldn’t last for too much longer. With everything else going on, I needed to be on my best game and it definitely wasn’t going to happen in my current state.

  Silence s
ettled between us, I didn’t even ask where he was taking me. It wasn’t going to make any difference so it didn’t really matter.

  CHAPTER 20

  “Mom, I didn’t think you’d be home yet,” Lochie started. “Doesn’t Jordan have physical therapy tonight?” I stood at Lochie’s side, trying to be as invisible as possible in the foyer of his house.

  “Jordan’s got a sniffle, I cancelled the appointment,” his mother said, eying me suspiciously. I obviously wasn’t doing a good job of blending into the wall. “Who’s your friend?”

  Lochie took a step to the side, pressing his hand into the small of my back so I had no choice except to stand forward. “This is Amery, the girl I was doing the English project with.”

  “Oh, that Amery. It’s lovely to finally see you again. The last time I saw you, you were just a little toddler.” She looked at me kindly which only added to my confusion. Considering I was the one constantly fighting with her son, I didn’t expect she would put on a warm welcome for me. “Dinner is in the oven, I can make another plate?”

  “That would be great, thanks Mom,” Lochie said as he followed his mother into the kitchen. I awkwardly went too, a little less keen. His mother was almost as tall as he was, her caramel hair the exact same color as his. I suspected his brother was probably the same again.

  The smell of the food made my stomach grumble. I watched Mrs. Mercury as she expertly placed vegetables and a piece of chicken in a tomato sauce on a plate. Within only a few minutes, we were eating the delicious meal. I thought my parents were great cooks, but Mrs. Mercury was something else all together.

  She sat across the table, staring between us. “You’re both bruised. What on Earth have you been up to?”

  Lochie and I exchanged a glanced. I still wasn’t entirely happy he brought me here instead of being out there searching for Lola so I wasn’t going to help him. He could deal with his mother.