Obscured (The Obscured Series Book 1)

by C. M. Boers

  Pete laughed out loud—he was so proud of himself. It made my stomach roll in disgust.

  “Good. Now that we lost the dummies we can get where we need to go,” he said as he put the car in reverse and drove out of the parking garage.

  Now I knew Eli would have no idea where I was. Or would he? He did find me last time using my visions. Somehow I had sent him mental pictures of where I was. I didn’t know what he would see or even if he would see any of it, but I decided to give it a try. I looked at every possible thing I could as we continued driving, hoping something might be a giveaway. The drive didn’t take more than 10 minutes, but I felt confident that if Eli saw anything I saw, he would be able to find me. He seemed to know the area like the back of his hand.

  We pulled into a neighborhood and I suddenly realized that I had one last shot. I willed him to see what I saw with everything I had. I mentally pushed the images out to him as if I could talk to his mind. An estate sign surrounded with wrought iron décor at the entrance of the subdivision, a street sign that said Casper, a bright red house with a broken mailbox and white shutters, a playground structure in someone’s back yard with a rainbow canopy, and lastly, as we were getting out of the car, the house number: 5435.

  Pete pushed me through the doorway of the house as I dawdled outside, trying unsuccessfully to get one last mental picture of something that might stand out. The house was dark. All the curtains were drawn. He guided me into what I assumed was the living room. It had an impressive entertainment bundle boasting what had to be a 70-inch TV in the center. There was an action movie on that I didn’t recognize. The blood and gore of it alone was enough for me to not want to watch it.

  Two burly guys I’d never seen before stood when we walked into the room. One was tall with brown hair and brown eyes, and the other was shorter, but was still quite a bit taller than me, with brown hair and green eyes. Both looked to be the same age as Pete, but in that new world, who knew what that meant for how old they truly were.

  “So this is the troublemaker,” the taller of the two said rudely.

  I wasn’t a troublemaker. Pete was the troublemaker. I wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of a remark in return so I gave him a dirty look and crossed my arms in protest.

  “This is her,” Pete responded as he crossed the room and opened a door that I hadn’t noticed until then. “Come on,” he said to someone inside. Pete stepped back, exposing a trail of light coming from within the adjoining room. It created a nightlight effect in the dimly lit room we were standing in. Slowly, Bailey emerged. I was at her side in an instant, hugging her and telling her it was going to be okay.

  I held her at arm’s length to get a good look at her. She looked healthy, which wasn’t surprising since I had just seen her the day before. I cringed when I saw that there was a bruise on her wrist, and her arm was scraped, but other than that she looked fine.

  “I’m okay Abby,” she said sounding different than normal. It was Bailey’s voice, but it was stronger and bolder. It made her seem more sure of herself than ever. It surprised me, but it was a good surprise or so I hoped. I didn’t question it because I knew she was telling me the truth. She was a fighter.

  “Ryan’s worried sick,” I said sympathetically.

  “Yeah, I’m sure he is,” she said.

  “Okay, okay enough of all this reunion talk, time to get down to business,” Pete interrupted.

  “What do you want Pete?” I felt like the question was on repeat. It seemed I was always asking him that. I rounded myself to face him, but I didn’t let go of Bailey. Instead, I pushed her slightly behind me as if I was making myself a human shield.

  “Well, I have a bit of an issue with your boyfriend. An issue that I have yet to… let’s just say… fix. And you two are going to help me. It was really so nice of you to make it so easy to get my hands on you Abby. I really thought it would be harder.”

  His triumphant smile made me want to punch him in the face.

  “Why am I here?” I asked. “Why is Bailey here? She has nothing to do with any of this.”

  “Well my brave one, Bailey was bait to get you here and you are bait for Eli.”

  “I get that much, but what exactly do you intend to do with us?” I asked. “You will never win against Eli.”

  “You want to bet?” Pete said with opposition.

  His whole demeanor changed. His eyes blazed, and it was as if a flame was ignited within him. He didn’t appear to like losing and maybe it was something he wasn’t use to, but defeat was my only option at this point. The alternative would mean something terrible for Eli. I couldn’t be sure what Pete had planned for him, but based on Pete’s track record it wasn’t something I cared to find out.

  “In case you haven’t noticed I have a little help here. Eli doesn’t stand a chance against the three of us,” Pete sneered. “Oh, and just to be clear, I let Bailey in on Eli’s little ‘secret’ which I’m sure you were informed of after our last debacle.”

  Bailey looked up from the floor at the mention of her name to look at me. I could see the hurt in her eyes. Pete must have shared everything with her. I was a horrible friend. The guilt I already felt from not confiding in her resurfaced and threatened to choke me. I wanted to go to her and explain everything and tell her I was sorry, but I knew I couldn’t right then. It wasn’t the right time. I mouthed ‘I’m sorry’ to her and moved on for the moment. She shrugged.

  “What’s next?” I asked Pete.

  “Well, next you give me your phone so I can call Eli and set up a little meeting if that is what you want to call it,” he laughed.

  I hesitated. Eli must be waiting for this. Even though I didn’t exactly follow what he wanted up until now I felt bad about it so I decided that from there on out I would cooperate. I took my phone out of my pocket, pressed the speed dial for Eli and it started ringing. He picked up before the first ring ceased.

  “Abby! Are you okay?” he sounded frantic.

  “I’m fine Eli, really don’t worry about us,” I threw in the ‘us’ to make Bailey feel included in the worry and also to let Eli know she was okay and with me.

  As soon as the words left my lips Pete snatched the phone from my hand. Strong hands grabbed me from behind to hold me back. I struggled to free myself, and I heard myself scream out. I fought so hard that he threw me to the ground. My shin throbbed where it had struck the coffee table on my way down and my arm was bleeding steadily. I realized fighting wasn’t going to change anything. Pete and his goons had other plans for Bailey and I. The taller guy in the room grabbed Bailey and we were both pushed into the small room Bailey had come from when we arrived. The door slammed closed and locked from the outside. Trapped.

  CHAPTER Fifteen

  I could no longer hear what Pete was saying to Eli. I tried to calm myself since I knew my fear would only frighten Eli more. But the truth was, I felt like we were in danger and it scared me. Trapped in the little room did nothing to make me feel better. And to make matters worse, Pete no longer seemed to care about what happened to me or Bailey. He had gotten what he needed, his bait. I looked down at my arm. The blood was dripping onto the tiled floor.

  I found Kleenex on the nightstand and used some to stop the bleeding. Upon closer inspection the cut itself wasn’t too bad, it wouldn’t need stitches, but it sure looked bad, worse than it was. I held the tissue firmly on it until it stopped bleeding.

  The room we were in was a small bedroom with two beds. The first thing I noticed was that it only had one exit. The one we had come through. I was surprised to find it was decorated very tastefully. There was a small TV in the corner that wasn’t on. The room possessed a small refrigerator that was stocked with a variety of food and drinks upon inspection. The only thing we lacked in the small room was a bathroom.

  I turned to Bailey, who had taken up residence on one of the beds. She seemed so disheartened, so un-Bailey-like.

  “I’m sorry Bailey that you got dragged into this,” I said s
incerely. “I never would have guessed he would get you involved.”

  “I know. I just wish you would have told me everything. I thought we were friends.”

  “We are, but I couldn’t exactly tell you about Eli, it wasn’t my place, and I don’t really know all the rules about it yet. I don’t even know if I’m supposed to tell anyone. I wanted to tell you so bad. I didn’t have anyone to go to except Eli. I was so lonely.”

  “That’s why things were strained between you guys last week…” she said as realization hit her.

  “Yeah,” I answered.

  “What did he tell you?” I asked.

  Bailey went on to explain what she knew about Eli’s special gift. She left out a few details. Specifically about his bond to me, that Ren was here, and was also a Protector. I filled her in on all of the things she didn’t know. We needed to be on the same page. I hadn’t trusted her before and look where that had gotten us. I wasn’t going to make the same mistakes again. She was beyond surprised when I told her of our special bond.

  “We went by your house looking for you,” I stated. “Nobody was there.”

  “Yeah, my dad is out of town on business till Saturday, nobody probably even missed me,” she said sadly.

  “We did,” I said encouragingly.

  “Oh I know, besides my friends, and of course Ryan. I miss him,” she admitted. “What do we do now?” she asked.

  “I don’t know, I guess wait,” I said helplessly.

  I sat down on the other bed and looked around, quietly thinking everything through. There was one thing I hadn’t considered. My mom. What would she think if I didn’t come home tonight? She would be calling the police right away if I knew my mom. I wondered briefly if Eli had thought of that. Bailey was lucky in the sense that her dad was out of town all week so he wouldn’t suspect anything being out of place. She wouldn’t have to try to make up some kind of lie to cover up where she had been.

  I felt panic welling up in my throat. It threatened to choke me. I looked around the room. There wasn’t a clock in sight, and I tried to think back to when we had met Pete at the park at 5 p.m. I figured it was probably around 5:45. I hoped tonight would be one of her late nights so I would have more time to figure out what to do. Time ticked by slowly, and minutes seemed to feel like hours.

  I wished I knew what was happening outside of the room. I couldn’t sit still. I paced the small room. I paced so much that I began counting my steps. It took 10 strides to get across the room. I counted each time. Then I became frustrated with myself for counting them.

  “Abby?” Bailey whispered.

  I swiveled on my heel to face her. “Yeah?”

  “How long have you known about Eli?”

  “Only a week and a half, I promise,” I answered closing the small distance between us. I sat next to her on the bed.

  I was glad she was willing to talk to me. She didn’t seem mad, she seemed sad, but I couldn’t tell if that was because of our surroundings or if it was because I hadn’t opened up to her.

  “I’m so sorry Bailey,” I said hoping to convince her.

  “It’s okay, I’m not mad at you. I sort of understand. It’s really just a lot to take in. I always wondered why it felt like Eli was more concerned about you when we were dating though. It all makes sense now,” she said sadly.

  “Oh, Bailey, it’s not like that.” I felt slightly guilty saying that, because for me it sort of was like that now. I know now that the way I felt was growing into something more. I didn’t know if I’d be able to stop it, I didn’t know if I even wanted to anymore. I felt so vulnerable in the position we were in and there was nothing I wanted more than to be swept up in his arms. He made me feel at home.

  “It’s okay if it is,” she said slowly. “It’s like you were already written in the stars anyway. You were his before you even knew him, before I even knew him.”

  “I guess so,” I said secretly, hoping that she truly meant it.

  She took a deep breath, and let it out in a rush. “So, how are we going to get out of here?” she asked, radiating more confidence than I had ever witnessed coming from her. It was like she pushed everything aside and took the bull by the horns.

  It inspired me. “Any ideas?” I asked.

  We talked through various scenarios for a while until we had decided on one. We didn’t know if it would work, but we didn’t have much of a choice if we wanted out. It was uncertain what Pete and his goons had planned for us and we had no intention of finding out.

  “Ready?” I asked.

  “Yep,” she said.

  I went to the door and started banging. “I have to pee!” I shouted, “Let me out!!”

  I didn’t stop banging and yelling until the taller of the two goons opened the door. He looked angry so I turned on the charm hoping to pacify his anger.

  “Hey there handsome, mind taking me to the bathroom?” I looped my arm in his and started to try to push out of the room. He didn’t budge. It was like trying to move brick wall. He seemed to hesitate and look around, like he was waiting for something. I’d guess Pete. He came up empty and slowly backed out the doorway with me still clinging on. He lead me though the living room and headed to a hallway. I was relieved when he left the door to our prison unlocked with Bailey still inside. So far our plan was working magically.

  Half way down the hallway our plan started to go south, when the shorter of the thugs wandered into view. I already had enough of that guy and I wanted nothing to do with him again. He was obviously unconcerned about hurting me or Bailey. He must have had no conscience.

  “Randy, what are you doing? Pete said not to let them out for anything!” he almost shouted.

  Randy, so that was his name. I wondered briefly if Eli would know either of these two, if I could just get the shorter one’s name I could ask him.

  “She has to go to the bathroom. I’m taking her.”

  “Did Pete tell you to?” he questioned.

  “No, but I’m not cleaning up her pee if she can’t wait, are you?” Randy threw back.

  With that he stepped out of the way and let us through, but he was headed right for the living room! I had to distract him otherwise our plan would never work.

  “You guys wouldn’t happen to have any…” I paused and looked each guy in the eye for effect. “Tampons, would you?”

  They were dumbfounded for a moment while they stuttered a few times trying to figure out how to respond. Speaking of girl matters never failed to make guys uncomfortable. It turned them into bumbling fools, just the effect we were wishing for.

  “Come on gentleman, you can’t expect to keep women hostages unless you have proper supplies,” I chastised. It was proving to be very hard keeping a straight face.

  “We’re sorry,” they said in unison, as if they were little boys being scolded by their mother.

  “I’ll go right now to get some,” said the shorter of the two. I still didn’t know his name.

  “That’s better,” I said encouragingly. “Oh, and I need the slim ones! Thanks!” I strutted back in the direction we had been headed. It was easier than I thought to get rid of one of them. Randy was quickly at my heels and the other was already out the front door. I only hoped he had done what we had been counting on and left the front door unlocked. I was surprised when Bailey told me that there was a dead bolt from the inside too. The house was proving to be locked up tight.

  I took my time in the bathroom. I washed my hands and checked my face. I cleaned the cut on my arm and looked for first aid supplies in the medicine cabinet, but found nothing. I laughed to myself that they had fallen for the tampon bit. I didn’t actually need one of course. It was genius. Bailey had been doubtful; she would be so impressed.

  I heard a door close. That was my cue to move out.

  “Blaine, is that you?” Randy was saying in the direction of the front door.

  He was headed back down the hallway towards the front door. I bolted after him.

  “I’m
finished Randy,” I bellowed, snapping him out of his concern for a moment.

  The plan was never for me to get away—it was for Bailey. Of course she didn’t know that. She would be expecting me in the next five minutes on the next street. If I didn’t come she was to leave without me to get Eli. I knew she would probably be pretty upset with me that I never planned to escape with her, but it was a chance I would have to take. There wasn’t much chance of us both getting away, and if one of us had to be a hostage you can bet your butt it was going to be me. My mess, my problem.

  I hoped that she would be able to get to Eli quickly. I missed him like crazy. He had been such a constant lately in my life, and now that he was gone it was hard to think of anything but him. Then I felt him. He was close. I don’t know how I knew, but I knew. It was a feeling I was as sure of as if I were to know I was happy. I had never noticed this feeling before. Was it the special bond that Ren had referred to? I never imagined I would feel any differently because of it. It was beyond puzzling.

  My heart quickened at the thought of seeing Eli. A burst of air surrounded me and my heart slowed. Excitement and happiness filled me down to my toes. Eli was calming me. Maybe that was his way of showing me he was there. I silently thanked him for the boost. I almost couldn’t contain my glee.

  No sooner than we reached the front door, it burst open and Randy was on the floor, bound with zip ties so he couldn’t move his arms. Eli moved like a freight train, pummeling Randy and completely taking him by surprise. Ren stepped into view, grinning from ear to ear. It almost seemed like he was chuckling.

  “I got him, Eli,” he said as he stepped over Randy to help him stand up.