by S. J. Sylvis
“Piper is taking you home, right? And then bringing you back to my house in a couple of hours?”
She nodded again.
“Okay, stay on the main roads at all times. Surround yourself with lots of traffic. Don’t take any shortcuts.”
“I know, I’ll see you in a few.”
“Alright.”
As Haley began to turn around, I grabbed her by her arm and pulled her small frame back to mine. I planted a long, hard kiss on her mouth, pouring my feelings into her. When she pulled away, I said, “I love you.” And her soft smile instantly made me feel ten times better.
“I love you.”
Then, she walked away and headed for Piper’s car.
Eric came to stand beside me, and I asked, “Was it that bad?”
He let out a sigh. “Yeah. It was bad.”
Chapter Forty-One
Hayley
“Wow.” Piper pulled up to the curb and put her car in park. “So, how much is it?”
I just got done filling her in on my trip with Eric and the fight I had with Christian. Apparently, the whole school saw us arguing in the parking lot. Someone snapped a picture and put it on Twitter within seconds. The joys of high school.
“How much is the trust fund?” I shrugged, gathering my backpack. “I don’t know, but if they’re willing to kidnap an innocent girl, I’d say a lot.”
Silence encased the car. My mind was spinning. I thought back to the last few hours, and before I knew it, I was busting up laughing. My hand found my stomach as I continued to laugh. Piper was looking at me like I was crazy, and that only made me laugh harder.
“What are you laughing about?” Her eyes were huge, her delicate eyebrows shooting up to her hairline.
In between laughs, I managed to get out, “My….life…” More laughing. “Is this seriously… my life?” I shook my head as I wheezed. “I have a fucking drug cartel after me.”
Piper let out a small giggle and asked if I had lost my mind. I had. I had completely lost my mind. But if I didn’t laugh, I was certain I’d cry.
So, we sat there in her car, laughing for a solid ten minutes before I finally regained my breath and looked over at her.
“I can’t believe you’re still my friend.”
Her cheeks rose. “Always. Even with a drug-running cartel after you.”
A sigh left my mouth, and I was feeling a little better after laughing for so long. “Okay, pick me up in a couple of hours? I want to get some homework done before we head to Christian’s.”
She nodded and then said, “Wear something cute.”
My hand paused on the door. “Why?”
She smashed her lips together. “Just do it.”
My lip twitched as excitement tore through my chest. “As my best friend, you have to tell me what’s going on.”
“He’s throwing you a birthday party.”
“A party?!”
Piper shook her amber locks out. “It’s just a few of us. Relax! But he’s gone all out for it. It’s actually kinda sweet how much effort he has put into it.”
My face fell into my hands. “Now I feel even worse about earlier. He was putting together something for me, and I went off with Eric behind his back.”
Piper’s hand touched my arm. “Don’t be so hard on yourself. I think he gets it.”
The fight with Christian was too fresh in my mind for me to put it on the back burner. I was glad I had gotten the information from my mom—although I had no idea what to do with it—but I hated how I had to go about it.
I was all jumbled up inside. I didn’t like feeling out of sorts. The unknown was lurking in the shadows, and the thought of Christian being upset with me only made them that much darker.
“Yeah,” I finally answered. “Okay, I’m gonna go get started on homework. I’ll see you in a few.” I opened the door and climbed out of her car. “Be careful on your way home.”
“Don’t worry. I check my mirror every other second. The other night is forever embedded into my brain.”
I huffed out a laugh and slammed the door, giving Piper a tiny wave.
Once I reached the porch of Pete and Jill’s, Piper sped away. I watched her taillights disappear around the parked black Escalade that was always sitting beside the curb like some type of street ornament. As soon as I stepped through the threshold of the house, the hairs on my arms stood erect. My heart dropped. I could feel my pulse in my fingertips.
Something wasn’t right.
After five years of living through hell, you started to learn the signs that pointed to evil. It was too quiet. I quickly scanned my surroundings, noting Pete wasn’t in his green La-Z-Boy in the corner. My eyes dropped to the lampshade that was turned on its side and to the remote that was several feet away on the floor, as if it were thrown.
My first thought was to retreat. I took one step back, the door still open with my arm on the handle, but when I inched my head to the street, my throat began to close.
A short, bald-headed man with tattoos decorating his scalp was leaning against the hood of the black Escalade, staring right at me. His arms were crossed over his leather jacket, and they only moved when he put a cigarette up to his lips to puff out smoke.
My heart sunk.
I shouldn’t have been surprised, but I was.
The harsh truth of my past was coming straight for me, and I stood there, acting like a deer in the headlights.
My feet inched farther inside, and I let the door slam behind me. There was no use in being quiet. They were here. They finally found their opportunity, and I was cornered.
I wanted to run and never look back, but then I would have been giving up the things in my life that made me happy—that made me want to live. And I couldn’t run forever, and who knew if I’d even make it down the road before they caught me.
This needed to end. I wasn’t sure how it would end, and I wasn’t sure if I’d make it out alive, but I had to have some form of hope.
There were two things on my side: the inside guy—the one who was undercover, according to the P.I.—and the fact that I’d put up absolutely no fight in handing over my trust fund. They could have it. I didn’t want any part of it.
I kept my heart rate as steady as I could when I dropped my backpack down onto the floor. My Converse slapped against the wood as I walked through the house, heading to the kitchen.
I halted as soon as I saw Pete sitting in the kitchen chair, his big potbelly hanging over his pants as blood trickled out of his nose. I expected his eyes to flare with distaste when they landed on me, but they didn’t. Instead, they showed something I’d have never ever expected from him: worry.
“So, you finally found me.” I stared at the two men standing behind Pete, one of their hands clamped down on his shoulder.
Their expressions stayed immobile. “We’ve been following you for years. We were instructed to wait until you turned eighteen.”
I swallowed before I snarled. “Well, Happy Birthday to me.”
I locked stares with Pete for a moment before I raised my chin and glanced back to the man holding his shoulder. “So now what? You kill my father and come for me? You want this big settlement from me that I don’t even have yet?”
The men didn’t answer me. Pete’s eyes darted around the kitchen like he was planning on doing something, but it was no use. These men had weapons; I was sure of it. Pete would end up dead, and as terribly as he had treated me, no one else deserved to die for my father’s mistakes.
Not even Pete.
“Well, what are you waiting for?” I asked, anger filling my veins. For five years, I’d thought of this moment. Fear was always present. I always imagined I’d cower, and cry, and beg them not to take me, because I knew once they did, I’d never ever be the same girl as I was now. I’d be this empty shell of the girl I used to be. But for some reason, standing here, looking at them, I wasn't scared. I was pissed.
My life was just getting good.
I just learned wha
t love was.
What friendship was.
I wouldn’t go down without a fight, and one way or another, I’d fight like hell to get back.
Just as the thought passed through my mind, the back door opened. The man with the tattooed head peeked in. He first landed his gaze on me, and his eyes held onto mine for a fraction too long. The subtle twitch of his cheek had me wondering who he was. He wasn’t like the others. He didn’t have a vengeance in his eyes. He didn’t reek of death.
“The car is ready. Coast is clear. Let’s go.”
The burly man with his hand on Pete’s shoulder stayed put as the others stalked toward me. I kept my gaze straight on Pete as the man came closer to me. He was tall, so tall I’d have to incline my head if I wanted to get a good look at him, but I didn’t. I kept my stare on Pete. Don’t do anything stupid, you old drunk.
“What are we doing with him?” the burly man asked.
The man who now had his hand wrapped around my bicep snarled in their direction as he half-dragged me past. “I don’t care. Make sure he doesn’t call the cops. Kill him if you have to.”
My throat shut tightly. The fear was back, and it threatened to pour out of my mouth, but I dug deep into the girl I was molded into from the last five years. “He won't call the cops. He doesn’t give a shit about me, do you?” I glared at Pete and prayed to God he was catching on. “Plus, he has his own demons to hide from them.” The man’s hand tightened on my arm, and I bit my tongue not to cry out. I heard the punches and grunts as he pulled me through the door, following after the scrawny man who led us across the street.
The good news was I didn’t hear any gunshots as we crossed the quiet street. I thanked God that Jill wasn’t home, because things could have gone a lot differently if she were.
The grip on my arm was loosened just a bit as I was pulled closer to the man. He smelled like tobacco and gunpowder. My nose flared when we reached the Escalade.
“So, what exactly is your plan with me?” I asked, probing him for answers. “Prostitution? Payment? Sex trade? Gonna try to make a buck off me?”
He glared at me, his eyes forming slits. The tattoo-covered man warned me with his eyes, which only perplexed me further.
“If you’re going to kidnap me, at least tell me why. Is it for the settlement? You can have it whenever I get it.”
“Your father owes us that settlement and more.”
A sarcastic laugh fell off my lips, and I couldn’t stop myself from mouthing off. Maybe it was the hidden fear that I kept pushing away so I didn’t scream at the top of my lungs, or maybe it was some sort of defense mechanism.
“Get her in there. I’m gonna smoke before we take off.”
The burly man passed me off to the smaller man with tattoos. I jerked my arm, but I knew it was no use. They had guns. They could shoot me if I ran. I needed a different plan. A smarter one.
As soon as the tattooed guy all but threw me into the Escalade, he climbed in after, scooting beside me. I eyed the door on my right, but he put his hand on my knee.
“Don’t.”
I slowly swung my gaze from his hand to his face, and when his eyes met mine, they squinted. My breathing picked up, and panic started to set in. Suddenly, I felt like I was losing. I wasn’t the badass girl from the trailer park who’d been perfecting this tough facade for the last five years.
I was trapped. My chest started to grow tight, and my throat felt like it was constricted. I tried to think of Christian and the way he made me feel safe, but it wasn’t working. That only made me panic more.
“Just breathe,” the man whispered, squeezing my leg.
My eyebrows dipped with confusion. He eyed the men outside the vehicle. The big one, still smoking, was now joined by the other man who had taken care of the Pete problem. When his eyes swung back over to me, he mouthed the words, “Just keep him talking.”
What?
He gave me a cautious look.
I was lost. Confused, scared, pissed, leery of every single person I was surrounded by. But after five years of being around sketchy people, untrustworthy people, people who gave me a sinking feeling deep in my stomach with one look, I’d obtained quite a skill. I knew right off the bat if I could trust someone, and I knew, without a doubt, that this man wasn’t bad.
I could trust him.
And I hoped with everything in my body that I was right.
Chapter Forty-Two
Christian
“What time are they getting here?” Ollie, with his school shirt untucked and unbuttoned at the top, held a purple streamer as he balanced on the counter to attach it to the ceiling.
“Any minute, so hurry up.”
He scowled at me.
Hayley turned eighteen at midnight, and I knew it was a big deal, even if she didn’t want to admit it. Turning eighteen meant she was free. She could, technically, leave Pete and Jill’s if she wanted and stay somewhere—anywhere—else until college. I wanted to drain my account and buy her an apartment with a top-notch security system and put her in there without taking no as an answer, but I knew she’d be pissed and refuse, so a small birthday party was going to have to do for now.
Not only were we celebrating her eighteenth birthday, but we were also celebrating the last five birthdays. There was a separate room for each birthday that Hayley didn’t get to celebrate because of being in foster care. As each hour passed, we’d go into a different room and celebrate that particular age.
I’d been planning this party for a week now. What I wasn’t expecting was a massive punch in the gut from her earlier road trip with Eric, but that wasn’t something I was willing to simmer on. I promised her we’d talk about it later, and we would, but for now, Hayley deserved this.
“What’s all this?” I switched my attention to my father walking through the kitchen with a briefcase in tow.
I was shocked, to say the least. “What are you doing here?”
A deep chuckle escaped him as he laid his briefcase on the island. “I live here and pay the bills.”
I snorted. “You barely live here.”
“Yeah, well, I’m going to work on that.”
I flicked my eyes to meet his and stared. We still hadn’t resolved anything since the last time we had talked. In fact, I didn’t think there had been more than a sentence or two shared between us since then.
It wasn’t difficult to avoid him. My days were spent at school and then practice soon followed. Then, I was with Hayley for the rest of the night with the occasional stop to talk with Ollie.
“So, what is this? What’s up with the black and purple?”
Ollie was the one who answered. “It’s Hayley’s birthday. We’re throwing her a party.”
“You know I don’t allow parties here.”
“How would you even know if we threw parties here?” I gritted my teeth. The more I stared at him, the angrier I got. “And this isn’t a party. It’s just a few of us.”
My father stared at me from across the island. His dark features relaxed. It was like looking at a reflection of myself. We were similar in every aspect, and that irked me because it was the last thing I wanted. He was the only parent I had left, but we were so disconnected that I knew nothing about him. I half-expected him to give me another lecture about Hayley, but before he could say anything at all, my phone rang.
I saw Piper’s name flashing and answered it quickly.
“You on your way?”
“Christian.” Her voice had my chest constricting.
I dropped the black streamer. “What’s wrong?”
Her words were fast through the line. “It’s Hayley. Something…something’s wrong. Pete…” She sucked in a heavy breath of air, and it suddenly felt like I had none. “Pete is hurt. I think they took her.” Piper was crying now, and I braced myself on the island, clutching the phone hard in my hand.
“What’s going on?” The words barely came out. It felt like I’d swallowed my own heart.
Piper choked
on her words. “I don’t know. Pete is bleeding and won’t wake up.” I heard some shuffling and then, “Wake up! Please wake up!”
I dropped the phone, and my chest started heaving up and down. I couldn’t hear a word being said by Ollie or my father. The only thing I could hear was the quick pace of my heart beating wildly in my chest. I watched as Ollie picked up the phone and began talking, his green eyes widening as he locked onto me. My eyes squeezed tightly together.
There is no fucking way someone was taking Hayley from me. My Hayley. Every possible scenario of someone putting their hands on her filtered through my mind, much like they had every night since she got attacked at the football game, and I suddenly felt out of control. Hayley was strong. One of the strongest, most obstinate people I knew, but I also knew that, deep down, she was scared. There was still a part of her that was the old Hayley—the bright, happy, naive girl that had her head in the clouds. She formed a thick skin over the last few years, but no one was invincible.
I cursed myself for not taking more precautions. She convinced me that she was fine at Pete and Jill’s house for the few hours that I had football practice, and she did her homework every night. She said, “You can’t be with me every single second of every day, Christian.” Fuck football. Fuck school. I shouldn’t have let her out of my sight.
“Son!” My head jerked as a hard hand gripped tightly onto my jaw. I clenched my teeth, finally taking breath, and stared at my father’s troubled face. “You need to take a breath.”
“I...I can’t.” The words were forced; my lungs were constricted. The feeling was familiar. Flashes of my mom’s lifeless body flew through my head as I tried to hold on for dear life. No. Not now. My father's hands wrapped around my head. “You can. Just look at me and breathe. We will figure this out. She’s going to be fine.”
She’s going to be fine. Hayley.
I forced another breath as I continued looking at the worry lines on my father’s forehead. Another puff of air came out, and I slowly felt my chest loosening with oxygen.
“Ollie, call Jim and tell him it’s an emergency. Tell him to get his ass over here and to call Scott on the way.”