18 Months

by Samantha Boyette

  “How did he find you?” Hannah asked after she’d gotten herself back under control. “Were you looking for me?”

  “Of course.” I tucked a loose strand of dirty hair behind her ear. “But that’s not how he found me.” I scowled. “It’s Nick.”

  “Nick?” Hannah frowned. “Nick Pathos?”

  “Yes.” I spit the word out, wondering how I could have been so blind about him. He’d been acting stranger by the day as this whole thing played out and I’d ignored it. I’d been so focused on solving the mystery of Lana and Hannah that I’d never stopped to think that his crush was something more dangerous.

  Hannah clutched my arm. “What is he planning to do to us?”

  I sucked in my lower lip and shook my head. “I have no idea.”

  Hannah began to shake her head. “I can’t do this. I can’t. I’ve already been here for too long. He’s going to kill us, isn’t he?” She groaned. “Why would he do this?”

  I pulled her to me and kissed her hard. It seemed like she was going to push me away and then she was pulling me even tighter, her lips crushing against mine in a near bruising combination of fear and need. I ended the kiss and ran my hands down her back, trying to soothe her.

  “Don’t panic. We’re going to get through this together. Don’t we always get through it together?”

  Hannah took a deep, shuddering breath and nodded. “Yeah, we always get through it.”

  I nodded in agreement, resting my forehead against hers and breathing in her scent. It was stale and unwashed, but beneath that I swore I could still smell her tangerine lip gloss.

  Chapter Forty

  Hannah and I froze at the sound of a key in door. We exchanged a look and she gripped my hand tighter. With a creak of hinges, the door swung open. A figure dressed all in black with a mesh mask over their face stepped through. They stood there, staring at us crouched together until I bit back my fear.

  “You might as well cut it out, Nick. We know it’s you.”

  The figure reached up and tugged the mask over his head. I had a half-second of thinking I was wrong, of hoping that I was wrong and it wasn’t Nick. Then the mask cleared Nick’s face and he ran a hand over his hair, grinning at us.

  “You know, she was mouthy at the start too.”

  “Screw you,” I said.

  He shrugged. “Sure, I mean, maybe if you’d been willing to do that before it wouldn’t have come to this.”

  I shook my head. “You’re disgusting.”

  The smile was gone from Nick’s face in a flash. He pulled a gun from the band of his pants and leaped forward. He pressed the barrel into my temple. “I’m disgusting? You’re disgusting.” Spittle flew with his words. “You’re a taker. You think the world revolves around you and you can take anything you want, but it doesn’t and you can’t.” He lashed out with the gun, knocking my head sideways.

  I shrank back. The metal barrel had felt all too cold and real against my skin. I could feel my bravado draining away as I realized he could, and possibly would kill us. Nick’s grin widened and he crouched down, loosely aiming the gun at us.

  “You just realized this isn’t a game, didn’t you?” He pushed himself up and walked away, turning his back on us just long enough for me to realize I should have jumped him; then he was facing us again. “You realized that I’m not someone to fuck with, that I’ve been in control this whole time.” Out of reach, he crossed his arms over his chest. “Do you know how many chances I had to kill you and get it over with?”

  “Why don’t you then?” Hannah cried and kicked her leg, making the chain rattle. “If that’s what you’re going to do just get it over with.”

  I stilled her leg with a hand and stared up at Nick. He was still grinning, obviously enjoying Hannah’s fear and frustration. “Why didn’t you kill me?”

  Nick’s smile faded and he shook his head. “Because this is so much bigger than you know.”

  “Then why don’t you explain it to me.” I sneered at him.

  “Don’t worry, I will.” Nick darted forward and whipped the butt of the gun into my temple. Everything went black.

  *

  I woke in a heavy wooden chair, my arms strapped to the ornately carved arms. Nick bent before me securing my legs to the chair. I pulled against my binds, my strength and mind seeming to return at the same time, but I was too late. Nick stood, grinning at me.

  “Damn, didn’t take you long to wake up.”

  “What the hell are you doing?” I kept pulling at the binds holding me, but it did nothing. Two camp lanterns sat on a table off to the side, providing illumination.

  Nick leaned forward, his hands pressing painfully on my arms as he brought his face level with mine. “Haven’t you figured it out yet?” His lips crooked into a half-grin. “This is all part of the game.”

  My heart fluttered in my chest and a tense sensation of tears ripped through me. “Where’s Hannah?”

  “Jesus.” Nick pushed himself away. “It’s always about her with you, isn’t it?” He shook his head. “Don’t worry, your precious Hannah is right here.”

  I turned to see Hannah strapped in a chair beside me. Her lanky hair fell around her shoulders, dirty and uncared for. Fresh blood leaked from a wound at her temple and duct tape covered her mouth. She moaned something I couldn’t make out from under it, her eyes wide.

  “Hannah,” I screamed. I fought my binds again in a useless attempt to reach her. “Nick, you son of a bitch, let us go!”

  “Nah, I don’t think so.” Nick stood between us looking from me to her. He pulled his hat off and tossed it to the table before running a hand over his hair. “I’ve been waiting a long time for this.”

  “For what?” I asked.

  “To put you in your place.” Nick turned toward the table. With a sickening feeling in my stomach I saw the tools laid out there, all of them shiny and new. Nick ran a finger lovingly down a hammer.

  I swallowed hard. “You sent the notes?”

  Nick shrugged with a smirk.

  “But why? Why send the notes? Why help me try to figure out who was doing it?”

  “Because watching you squirm over the notes made it better. It’s going to make this better.” He picked up the hammer.

  “Nick.” My voice was low, fear hovering under the surface. “We’re friends.”

  “No.” Nick’s head snapped up toward me. “That’s where you’re wrong. We haven’t been friends in a very long time.” He began tossing the hammer from hand to hand as he walked around me. “See, we were friends when we were kids. Fuck, I was in love with you even. I knew from that one summer that I wanted to marry you and then you went and pulled that trick in the woods on me.”

  “We were just kids, it was meant to be a joke.”

  “Just to impress Madison and Genny?” He made a face like their names tasted bad. “No one ever forgot chubby little Nick Pathos running naked through camp.”

  “That was four years ago.” I tried desperately to talk some sense into him. “What about this year, haven’t we been friends again?”

  Nick stopped in front of me, blocking Hannah from my sight and still throwing the hammer from hand to hand. “You know, that’s the ironic thing. I think we were. I would have forgiven you for everything if you’d just realized how perfect we could be together. Instead, you just dragged me along like your dog while you knew how I felt about you.”

  “I didn’t want to hurt you. You know I love Hannah.” I heard Hannah moaning again. “Nick this is crazy.”

  “Hannah, Hannah, Hannah.” Nick shook his head. “I’ve spent a lot of time with her these last couple weeks and let me tell you something.” He leaned close, his lips by my ear. “She isn’t that special once you strip her down.”

  My anger flared and I slammed my head into his, catching his mouth. Nick stumbled away, lip bleeding. He wiped away the blood with the back of his hand.

  “Bitch.” He slammed the hammer on my hand. I screamed in pain, sure that at l
east one finger was broken if not more. Nick opened his mouth, carefully dabbing blood from his lower lip. Hannah groaned.

  Nick pointed toward Hannah with the hammer. I focused through the pain. “I don’t get what makes this girl so goddamn special that you return her love. You couldn’t do that for me. You certainly couldn’t do that for Lana.”

  Hearing Lana’s name made my heart stutter again. I leveled my gaze on Nick. “Were you the one who took her too? Nick, did you kill Lana?”

  “Not exactly,” said a familiar voice from behind me.

  Chapter Forty-one

  Everything slowed down as Lana walked into sight. She stood slightly taller than I remembered. She wore a black, three-quarter sleeve blouse tucked into her skin tight black jeans. Her hair was dyed a dirty blond with reddish streaks in it and had grown well past her shoulders. With her naturally tan skin she looked like she’d just stepped off a summer at the beach.

  “But, but.” I tried to process everything. “You’re dead.” It felt like the earth was falling out from under me.

  Lana smirked at me as she slapped keys into Nick’s hand. “I moved your truck.”

  “Thanks.” Nick shoved the keys into his front pocket.

  “How you been, Alissa?” Lana faced me, arms crossed over her chest. She glanced at Hannah. “Busy falling in love and coming out I see.”

  I swallowed hard, head spinning. “What the hell is going on?”

  “You’re finally getting everything you deserve.” Lana ran a finger down Hannah’s arm. “And I am far from dead as you can see.” She smirked again. “Fifty thousand dollars goes a long way.”

  “You took the ransom? But what about—” I looked at her hands, where both little fingers were intact. Fear shivered through me and I asked a question I knew I didn’t want the answer to. “Whose body did they find?”

  “About that.” Lana sat on Hannah’s lap. Hannah let out a soft moan and closed her eyes, one tear escaping.

  “That was the fun part,” Nick said. I glanced his way. He smiled widely, hammer still jiggling in his hand. He was practically bouncing on his toes. My stomach turned.

  “It’s not as easy as you would think to find someone who can pass for you,” Lana mused, tilting her head. “But Maryann Lewiston was what I was looking for to a T. My size, my blood type, she even kind of looked like me. Best thing was she didn’t have anyone in the world looking out for her. No one batted an eye when she disappeared.”

  “Took a while to find her, but once we had her we could put the ransom part of the plan into play.” Nick and Lana exchanged proud smiles. “It was too easy.”

  “Slip my ring on, burn the pad of the finger, and I knew my parents would freak and pay the money.”

  “Once we had the money, she was no use to us. Strangled her and drained her blood.”

  “Why? Couldn’t you have just let her go?”

  “Not if we wanted everyone to believe without a doubt that I was dead. We did everything we could to make DNA evidence useless.” Lana grinned at me like she was cherishing the memory.

  “Bashed her skull in.” Nick stared at the hammer in his hands. “So friggin’ easy.”

  “But they found your blood here.”

  Lana shrugged and held up her arm to reveal a thick scar across her forearm. “Doesn’t take too much to make a match.”

  I winced. Hearing it laid out made it all seem so obvious. If the cops had been more interested in the truth, they wouldn’t have gotten away with it. But Lana was a trouble maker with poor parents and an unsolved kidnapping looked bad.

  Lana stood, clapping her hands. “Enough about me. What have you been up to since you ruined my life? Huh?”

  “Seems like you know pretty well.”

  The lantern light glinted off Lana’s dark eyes as she smirked at me. “You’re right. I know how you went right on with your life without giving me another thought.”

  “That isn’t true.” I strained against the binds without thinking and cried out when pain sprang to life in my injured hand. “I thought about you all the time. I cried for you.”

  Lana snorted. “Yeah, right. Nick kept an eye on you for me. You just kept on with your life. You went to fucking prom.”

  I winced at that. “Madison made me.” It sounded weak even to me.

  “Oh, Madison made me.” Lana whined. “You never had a thought of your own in your life, did you? Not until you met Hannah.” She turned to look down at her. Hannah shrank back in the chair. “What the hell was so special about her that she was worth losing everything you clung to so hard when you were with me?”

  I looked at Hannah. Her eyes pleaded for me to save her, but I was just as trapped as she was. “I love her.”

  Nick slammed the hammer into the table top, causing the rest of us to jump. “That’s bullshit. She’s nothing. You could have had me.”

  “I don’t like guys. I only wanted to be friends.” Tears threatened at the corner of my eyes.

  “Screw you and your friendship.” Nick’s grip tightened on the hammer and he lifted it over his head.

  “Nick.” Lana stopped his hand. “Not yet.” She looked at me, but spoke to him. “You know we have to start with Hannah.”

  “Why?” I cried. “Why are you doing this?”

  Lana crossed to me and gripped my chin in her hand, squeezing and forcing my head back so I was looking up at her. “Because you need to be taught a lesson about hurting people who love you. You act all innocent until someone falls for you and then you throw them to the wolves. You did it to Nick.” I tried to glance his way, but Lana shook me hard, drawing my attention back. “And you did it to me. Now, you’ve done it to her.” A sick smile formed on her lips as she looked back at Hannah. “This time we’re the wolves.”

  She let go of my chin with a small shove and went to the table. She pulled the hammer from Nick’s hands and set it down. Her fingers danced over the tools until she lifted a knife. Its blade was thin and razor sharp. She strode to Hannah’s side, pressing the blade against her cheek.

  “Don’t. Please don’t.” I shook my head, trying to jerk myself free.

  “Do it.” Nick bounced on the balls of his feet, his fists clenching and unclenching.

  “Do you want to save her?” Lana asked, looking at me and shaking a curtain of hair away from her face.

  “Yes.” My heart hammered in my chest. “Yes, I want to save her.”

  “Wrong answer.” Lana pressed down and slid the knife across Hannah’s smooth skin. Hannah let out a cry as a thin line of blood formed behind the blade.

  I fought the ropes, ignoring the pain in my hand. “Stop. What do you want?” I screamed.

  “Shut up.” Nick slapped the back of my head.

  “Nick,” Lana said. “Leave her alone. Let her make the choice.”

  “What choice?” I cried. “I’ll do anything to save her.”

  Lana shook her head. “You’re still not getting it.” She stabbed Hannah’s hand. Hannah let out a muffled scream that tore through me. “You give up on saving her, give her up and we kill her quick. You keep fighting and we make it slow.” She shrugged with a smirk. “Either way, she’s going to die.”

  “Why?” Tears streamed down my face. “Don’t do this, I love her.”

  “Oh, you love her, you love her.” Lana strode back to me, boot heels clacking over the concrete. “You pretended to love me once too, do you remember that?”

  “Yes,” I shouted. “You were my first and I did care about you.”

  Lana rested a knee on the chair between my legs and leaned toward me. “How about a kiss then, for old time’s sake?”

  I heard Hannah groan and ducked my head, trying to keep my lips from Lana’s. She gripped my face, but I kept shaking my head, making it impossible for her to kiss me.

  “No, you’re crazy.”

  “Nick,” Lana snapped. “A little help here?”

  Nick strode forward and wrapped his hands in my hair, tugging my head painfully so
I was looking up at Lana. Her dark eyes danced with a look that was all too familiar. Desire. She had me tied down and she liked it.

  “You want her to kiss you, don’t you?” Nick asked in my ear.

  I tried to shake my head, but couldn’t. “No, I don’t want this.”

  “Oh, well.” Lana leaned close, her lips brushing mine as she spoke. “I guess it’s good we have you tied up then.”

  She kissed me, lips crushing against mine. It wasn’t the crush of passion though. It was the crush of anger and hurt feelings. I tried to pull away, but Nick’s hands kept me in place. Lana’s lips opened against mine and she captured my bottom lip. She pulled it and bit down until I tasted blood.

  She stepped back, breathing hard and wiping my blood from her lips. “What’s the matter, don’t you feel that old spark?”

  “How about with me?”

  Nick jerked my head back and pressed his lips to mine. I moaned from the pain that shot from my freshly bitten and bruised lip. That made him kiss me harder. His hand slipped from my hair and down to cup my breast.

  “Hey!” Nick stumbled away and Lana stood in front of me. “None of that. We have a deal and you know I get her first.” She pulled another knife from the table and waved it at Nick. “Kiss, but don’t touch. This has to be slow.”

  Nick stepped into view, wiping blood from his lips. “Why? It’s already been over a year. Do you know how hard it was to be alone with her and not do everything I’ve been wanting to do?”

  My stomach turned at his words. How many times had I let myself be completely vulnerable around him? Alone in bedrooms, barns, cars, the possibilities had been endless.

  “Killing Hannah won’t be as much of a punishment if it isn’t slow.” Lana gritted her teeth.

  “Don’t hurt her.” Tears streamed down my face. “Do whatever you want to me, just leave her alone.”