by Jaymin Eve
I trailed off as I finally registered the look on his face as he stared out the front windshield. Swinging around, I followed his line of sight, and blinking a few times, let out a low gasp. “What in the ever-loving world is going on?” I murmured.
Four black SUVs, looking very similar to the ones we’d passed on the way to the party, were blocking the road.
“I almost hit them,” Brad growled, looking slightly less shocked. “They overtook me and then swerved right in front of me, blocking the road.”
“What do you think they want?” I asked, trying not to let the fear I felt creep into my voice. “Late at night, unmarked vans. Is this a carjacking?”
“I’m going to reverse and get the hell out of here,” Brad said grimly. “I don’t like this. Your parents are important. Mine are also in the government. We’re definitely prime targets for kidnapping.”
He was right. Even though I knew nothing about what sort of work my parents did, it had to be important. Why else would there be so much secrecy?
Brad shifted the gear to reverse, but when he turned his head to look he realized a few cars were close behind us, blocking us in. There was literally no way for him to go backwards, and the street was too narrow to turn around quickly.
“Shit,” he growled.
Pulling out my phone to dial 911, I thought about the argument I’d had last year with my father about assigning a permanent bodyguard to me. I told him it was a definite no. I would never be okay with someone following me around every day. I was kind of regretting that decision right about now. Damn my stubborn teen tendencies.
As I went to dial, I noticed that I had fifteen messages and dozens of missed calls. My phone had been on silent because I never heard it at parties. Still, that many notifications was unusual enough that I opened the app, finding that they were all from my parents and Gracie.
“They’re getting out of the car,” Brad warned me, his voice low and rough. “They’re in suits, but criminals dress nice too, so don’t let your guard down.”
I was too busy reading through my messages to check out the “suits.”
Maya, you need to call us ASAP!!! This was from my father.
The next was my mom: There has been an emergency at work. You are in danger. Do not go home. Do NOT let anyone take you anywhere. Tell us where you are and we will come for you.
Gracie: Maya, parents looking for you. Very worried. Please call.
I jerked my head up and stared at the suited men who were twenty feet from our car. “I need to run,” I said to Brad. “My parents just texted. I think I’m in danger.”
Brad opened his mouth, no doubt to ask a million questions I didn’t have time to answer, but I was already moving. My belt was undone and I was out of the car in almost the same instant. “Follow me,” I said to him through the open door before I took off.
I picked a direction the opposite way to the men and started to run without looking back. I knew my city well, but I also hadn’t spent much time in this particular area, especially late at night.
Maybe the darkness would give me an advantage. I could put some distance between them and then hide until my parents got me.
“Maya!” I heard Brad’s shout. He didn’t sound like he was too far away, so I slowed slightly to let him catch up. He was a hundred times fitter and stronger than me, which might come in handy if I needed to scale a fence or something.
“What the fuck is going on?” he said, as he reached my side.
Our feet hit a rhythm together. He had to slow his run to keep up with my shorter legs. Not to mention I was in damn heels. “I have no idea,” I said, breathing hard. “Parents said danger and not to get taken by anyone, so I’m running and hiding.”
I hit my mom’s number on the phone, which I’d thankfully not dropped in my haste to run. It rang in my ear, over and over, but there was no answer.
“Shit.”
My father’s number was next, and I had no expectations that he was going to answer either. But he did: “Maya, little one, where are you?”
I could have cried at the deep, rich drawl. “Dad, I need your help. Some men tried to stop us … they’re after us now.” I assumed they were anyway. I had not looked back yet.
Brad did glance over his shoulder as I spoke, and when I met his gaze it looked grim. They were definitely after us.
“Maya, get out of Alexandria immediately. I can’t speak to you on the phone about it, but you’re not safe right now.”
“Where should I go?” I asked, my heart sinking as I realized no help was coming for me. “Why aren’t we calling the police?”
“No!” came the forceful reply. “The police cannot be trusted. Do not trust anyone until you find us and we explain it all.”
The police had been with those black SUVs before…
“So where do I go?” I asked, wondering if the “anyone” included Brad. Because it was far too late not to trust him, he was my family.
“Maya…” That low call from Brad had the blood pumping faster through my body. “They’re gaining on us. You need to get off the phone.”
My talking was too loud, which was not helping me “hide” in the darkness. Not to mention it was slowing us down. “I have to go, Dad. They’re catching up to us.”
I heard his low rumble of anger and knew it was frustration at being so far away from me. “Ditch your phone as soon as you hang up,” he told me. “Brad, too. They can track your cells. Then get to the place where I took you last summer. Close to my work. Meet in our favorite spot.”
The line went dead, and I let out a sobbing gasp before lifting the phone and pitching it as hard as I could against the wall. “Get rid of your phone,” I told Brad, my voice wavering as I tried to keep it together.
Brad didn’t even question me. He pulled his cell from his pocket and did the same thing I had, smashing it against a nearby wall.
“How far back are they?” I asked, picking up the pace. My legs were starting to ache, mostly because I was sprinting in heels. Sure, I was excellent at walking and even running in heels, but not for long distances. Plus, I was freezing.
“About twenty yards.”
Trying not to panic, I said, “We need to get to Washington. If you see a cab, grab it.”
My bag was slung across my body, so I still had plenty of cash on me. And I knew exactly where my father wanted me to go – to the park near the White House. He always joked that his next-door neighbor was a very stately, shiny sort of fellow. Looked like I was going to find out exactly where he worked.
3
“We need to get to a more populated area.” Brad didn’t sound remotely breathless. “There are not going to be any cabs down these side streets.”
He was worried, and I knew why. If we didn’t get out of the back alleys, we were going to find more trouble than just the guys behind us.
“I think I know where we are,” I added, recognizing a little vintage store that I loved to visit. They got in all the best vinyl records, plus an eclectic mix of bags and boots.
Unable to stop myself, I glanced back, and I almost gasped at how close the men were. The only reason they hadn’t caught up to us yet was because we’d had the head start. But we’d lost almost all that advantage now.
And we were outnumbered. I could see at least five of them … and it looked like they were holding guns.
“Holy fuck. We’re going to die. I’m so sorry, Brad. I didn’t mean to get you killed.”
He let out a low laugh, and I could have punched him in the face for being so casual. “We’re not going to die. I won’t let that happen.”
Awesome sentiment, but the odds were stacked against us. Still … I liked optimism. “We might have a chance,” I decided, my breathing growing more labored now, “if we can make it to the street. Even at this time, there will be people around. And taxis.”
It was only another half a block to the well-lit main street and there were still about twenty feet between us and the assholes �
� so there was a chance. As I had that thought, three shadows burst out of a side alley and blocked the path. I stumbled, trying to skid to a halt. Brad grabbed my arm at the last moment to stop me from face-planting.
The other five slowed, while still closing in on us. We were trapped between them. The street was not narrow, but there was no way we could get around them surrounded like this.
“What do you want?” I yelled, trying to buy some time. We needed to come up with a plan. I could not let myself get taken. My father’s voice was still ringing in my head. His warnings.
“Our boss needs a word with you,” one of them said. “If you come along without fuss, you will not be hurt.”
Yeah, sure.
“My friend goes free?” I asked, deciding on the spot that it wasn’t worth both of us dying. I would do whatever I could to protect Brad, even if the thought of being dragged off by these men had my insides twisting like crazy.
“Yes…” This came from a different thug. It was almost impossible in this low light to differentiate any of their features, so he could be thug number four.
“Not going to happen, Maiz,” Brad bit out. “If you think for one second I’m letting you go alone, you’re insane.”
“No point in us both dying,” I murmured. “Plus … they need me for something – you’re expendable. It’s better if you get out of here. Tell someone what happened to me. Find my parents.”
He shook his head and stepped closer, one hand wrapping around my wrist to prevent me from running off. “Never.”
That was the final word from him; he was as stubborn and unmovable as a bull when he set his mind to something. The men moved closer; we had only seconds to decide what to do. “Don’t fight them,” I whispered. “There are too many and they have guns.”
Brad didn’t answer me, which generally meant he was going to ignore my plan completely. With not much left to lose, I opened my mouth and started to scream for help. The main street was close by. Maybe someone would hear me…
The eight continued closing in on us, uncaring that I was screaming. Despite my words not to fight, I brought both hands up closer to my face and clenched them into fists. I couldn’t just go quietly; I wasn’t raised that way. I screamed again, shouting for help, but there was no one coming to our rescue.
The man closest to me was not that tall, but he was very wide. Broad shoulders, a little bit of extra fat on him, but it was clear there were a lot of muscles under that layer. “Shut up,” he growled. “I’m not supposed to kill you, but there is a lot of pain between healthy and dead. Don’t push me.”
I swung both of my fists around and flipped him off. “Kiss my ass, asshole,” I spat out.
Shut up, Maya.
My mom hated me swearing; my father had no issue. So I had a weird tendency where I mostly didn’t swear, but when I was freaked or stressed the worst kind of cursing known to pirate and Texan would fall from my lips.
He lurched forward, arms outstretched. Instinct kicked in and I swung my fist toward his brick-like head, but just as I was about to connect, he made a weird grunting sound and was jerked backwards, away from me. I blinked a few times, wondering what had just happened. It hadn’t been my punch, because it didn’t actually land. Had one of his friends pulled him back? Were they fighting over who was first to grab me?
“You okay?” Brad asked, his back pressed against mine.
“Yeah,” I nodded. “Something weird is happening, but they’re backing up.”
The remaining men were looking between themselves, trying to figure out what happened to their friend. After a moment, one of the others let out some very inventive swears of his own, before he came toward me. “Stupid bitch, what did you do to Leroy?”
I held both hands up on either side of me, palms up. Whatever happened to Leroy, it had nothing to do with me. Or apparently the other four confused kidnappers standing before me. Thug number one reached for me, and just as I braced, he was swept away, quick as a flash. I didn’t see anyone behind him. There had been no clear sign of what happened. Just one moment there and the next gone.
The remaining three on my side looked nervous, and when Brad turned around, I realized there were none left on his side. “What is happening?” I asked, reaching out for his hand. I needed something to hold onto.
“I have no idea,” he said, not sounding very happy about it. “Before I could even land a hit, they just disappeared.”
Despite this, the final three did not give up. They each came for us, and each time they were gone in the same instant. I took a step down the alley, back the way we’d originally run, trying to see in the dark. All of a sudden, my stomach did a twirl, and as I pressed my palms to it, I recognized the sensation. I’d felt it only a few hours ago at Mitchell’s party from that guy leaning against the wall, the guy who seemed to have created a plethora of emotions inside of me from across the room of a crowded party.
Was he here somewhere? In the darkness?
“Thank you,” I called out, not sure where that came from, but needing to say it all the same.
Brad was confused. “Who are you thanking?” he asked, pulling me back toward the main street.
Not wanting to leave, but knowing I had no choice, I reluctantly followed. “I have no idea,” I told him. “But I think we might have a guardian angel.”
Brad didn’t ask anything else, his focus now on hustling me toward the street, his face tense and stressed. That expression reminded me that we’d almost been kidnapped. Which was completely insane, and yet, I still couldn’t stop thinking about the guy from the party. Was it even possible to have chemistry that strong? Strong enough to feel in the dark, even though I could not see him to confirm he was even there.
Maybe stress was finally causing me to lose my mind. That’d make just as much sense.
When we reached the main street I hailed the first cab we found. Normally Uber would be the way, but since our phones were dust, this was where we were at. “Where to?” the driver asked when we were both in the back seat.
“Washington, D.C.,” I told him, trying to keep the urgency from my voice. “Will the train still be running at this time?”
According to his front console it was 1:36 A.M. How could so much have happened in forty minutes?
“Nope, last train left just before.”
Dammit. “Can you take us?” I asked, one of my legs jittering with impatience. I really just wanted him to move it.
There was a beat of silence. “Well, sure, I can take you, but the round trip for me will be quite expensive.”
I didn’t even hesitate, pulling out the wads of cash from my bag. “Here you go. I’m sure this will cover it.”
The driver looked down, his eyes widened, and he immediately pulled out onto the road. I felt somewhat better now that we were moving, relaxing just a touch.
“Where to in Washington?” he asked, maneuvering through an intersection.
I opened my mouth to reply, but then decided I would take the “trust no one” thing seriously. “I’ll let you know when we’re closer. Just head into the main downtown part.”
He nodded and then fell silent. I dropped back against Brad, who hadn’t said anything since we got in the car. Stretching out my aching feet, I tried not to think too much about what we’d just gone through. Two hours ago, I’d been a normal teenager at a party. Now I was on the run, I had no idea where my parents were, and part of me was wishing I was back in the alley. The feeling in my chest and stomach was gone now, the rushing of hormones through my body fading.
I wanted it back.
The ride was fast and quiet. I was a combination of exhausted and freaked out, but there was no way I’d even close my eyes until I found my parents. What if I fell asleep and the driver was somehow a bad guy too, and decided to drive us to some remote location and knock us off?
Trust. No. One.
Brad and I didn’t talk, both of us locked in our own thoughts. I mostly spent my time trying not to freak out fur
ther. Not knowing if my parents were safe was the hardest part. What if they had run into the same trouble I had? What would I do if I got to the National Mall and they weren’t there?
Before I could descend all the way into the depths of madness, familiar sights distracted me. Washington, D.C. The driver swiveled to see us. “So … have you decided where you’d like to be dropped off?”
Leaning forward, I nodded. “Yes, as close to the White House as you can get.” I wasn’t sure about security at this time of night. I figured he might be able to drop us within a few blocks. Brad gave me a look but didn’t say anything.
“No worries.” The driver glanced back again, and it looked like he wanted to ask more questions but refrained. No doubt he was wondering why two teenagers were trying to go to the White House at almost 2 A.M. In the end though, he stayed quiet as he drove on.
When he pulled up I could just see a few buildings and a lot of trees. I didn’t know the area, but as soon as we were out, the taxi driving away, Brad said, “I’ve been here a few times to visit my parents. The Mall is just over there.” He pointed.
The street was quiet. I couldn’t see another person around, which made me uneasy. “Do payphones still exist?” I asked as we walked. I was trying to come up with a backup plan if my parents were not waiting for me. “Can they be traced … payphones?”
Brad shot me a sad attempt at a grin, the first I’d seen from him in a while. “In the movies they can. I have no idea if that’s real life, though.”
Hopefully I wouldn’t have to risk it. Maybe I’d get my second stroke of luck tonight, if you counted the stranger in the alley as the first, and we’d find my parents waiting exactly where my dad said. It was plausible, right?
Brad took my hand as we walked along the street. If we had to speak, we kept our voices just above a whisper so we didn’t draw attention to ourselves. Brad remained quite short with me, saying only what he had to, and I knew him well enough to know when he was angry. Or upset.
“What’s wrong?” I finally asked after the tenth one-word answer.