Chapter 1 #2
But then Audrey points out our biggest hurdle. One I’m afraid we might not be able to get over. “If we can ever find someone from the Memphis PD who’s not in his pocket, I’ll be more than happy to hand it over.”
I snort, but not because I’m amused. “Good freaking luck with that. I’ve been trying to find someone decent in that department for weeks.”
Maddox seems hopeful he’ll have more luck than I did. I guess we’ll find out.
As we finish up, he gives me his number—in case I hear something or need his help—and then he leaves with Audrey, keeping her close in a way no man has ever done with me.
Well… that’s not entirely true. One man did keep me close like that. Protected me when I accidentally ended up in a bad situation. Made me think that finally someone saw me as more than the awkward girl who asked too many questions and had zero social skills.
Wrong.
I lock up my house and go to my computer, ready to spend the rest of the night scouring the internet for anything that might help me find my sister.
I don’t always appreciate who I am, but I’m so happy my knack for investing made it possible for me to take a leave of absence from work so I could devote all my time to tracking her down.
If it wasn’t someone I loved on the line, I might even enjoy the process of collecting and analyzing data. Of tracking down leads and scouring social media pages and tax records. I’m nosy by nature, and digging through people’s dirt is interesting as hell.
That’s why, before I know it, the sun has set and my stomach is growling. I was so absorbed in what I was doing, I didn’t even notice I was sitting in the dark until my eyes started to hurt from the strain.
Standing from my desk, I stretch, rocking my head from side to side as I walk to the window, lifting the slat of one blind to peer out at the street in front of my house.
I know I’m poking the bear and it’s only a matter of time before it bites me, so I try to stay diligent.
Observant of the worlds around me. And thank goodness, because a car I’ve never seen before sits a few houses down from mine, parked in front of a fire hydrant.
That’s… Not normal. At all.
The neighborhood I live in is largely populated with people my parents’ age. They are meticulous about their yards, neurotic about the sidewalks, and they would never—not in a million years—let someone visiting them park in front of a fire hydrant.
I swallow hard, unease making the hair at the back of my neck prickle.
I’m not big on intuition—not sure I actually possess it, anyway—but I am big on observation.
Watching what people do and using it to form conclusions is my superpower.
And the conclusion I’m coming to about that car has my stomach twisting into knots.
Turning away from the window even though I’d prefer to keep my eyes on the vehicle I’m suspicious is here for me, I rush through my house, steps silent but quick as I start gathering shit I might need.
I put on a pair of sneakers and pull a hoodie over my head, filling the front pocket with the essentials. Phone charger. Cash and ID. Chapstick.
Then I call Maddox, because maybe I’m freaking out for nothing.
He answers on the first ring. “Becca. What’s going on?”
“I don’t know. I might be overreacting.” I risk another peek out the blinds, and the twisting in my gut intensifies. “There’s a strange car parked on the street outside.”
“Can you see if anyone’s inside?” Maddox asks.
Squinting, I try my best to see the interior, but fail. “No. The windows are tinted really dark.”
“What kind of car is it?”
I do my best to describe the vehicle to him, but I’m not exactly up on my make and models. “It’s black. Four doors. Tinted windows.” I swear the car wiggles. “I do think someone may be inside. It bounced.”
Maddox’s voice becomes muffled. I can’t tell what he’s saying and I don’t freaking like that. “What? Who are you talking to? And what are you telling them?” I don’t know who them is, but I sure as heck deserve to know what’s going on as much as they do.
Probably more.
“I want you to find the safest spot you can. Go straight there and wait for me. I’m coming to get you.”
Not exactly the reassurance I was hoping for, but I didn’t really expect it. I’m not usually wrong. Probably why it sucks so much when I am. “I guess I’ll see you soon.” I disconnect the call and stuff my phone into the pocket with everything else.
With a sigh, I go to my computer, grabbing the flash drive from the USB port before initiating the program I installed to scrub the hard drive.
I don’t want to risk everything I’ve collected getting into the wrong hands.
The only thing I really have on my side is knowledge, and I learned long ago that knowledge is power.
I watch as the progress bar slowly crawls across the screen, that uneasy feeling growing stronger with each passing second. Not knowing what’s going on outside is driving me nuts, so I slowly take another peek.
And this time I nearly shit my pants.
I like being right. I like figuring things out. But I really freaking wish I’d been wrong about this.
Because the men stepping out of the car wearing all black is not what I wanted to see.
I drop the blind back into place before they’re all even out of the car. “Fuck a duck.”
I turn back to my computer, leaning forward, eyes glued to that damn bar as my heart pounds. “Come on, come on, come on.” I rock from foot to foot, resisting the urge to tap the toe of my worn Chucks against the hardwood.
The second the bar completes its journey, the window indicating the wipe was successful popping up, I dart away. Staying close to the wall, I duck out into the entryway and hustle toward the centrally located stairs. I pause when I reach them, deciding whether to go up or down.
Down is easier to get out of, but that means it’s also easier to get into.
Up it is.
My foot hits the first step as the shadows on my porch shift, the frosted glass of my front door distorting what’s on the other side to the point it’s difficult to identify how many of them are out there.
I’d really like to know if they split up, but at least if I can’t easily see them, they can’t easily see me.
I cling to that fact, letting it settle me as I scale the stairs to the top floor of my tri-level.
Going straight for my laundry room, I close the door and wedge the security bar tucked into the corner under the knob.
This is an eventuality I planned for, so I move through the steps without really having to think about it, pushing a small stool under the window before lining up the weapons I’m most comfortable wielding. Are they as effective as bullets?
I guess we’re gonna find out.
Moving slowly, I peer out the blinds, making sure I don’t see any movement before lifting it as high as it will go.
My hands barely shake as I unlock the latch and lift the sash, smirking a little at my forethought to WD-40 the tracks.
The act is nearly silent, but the guys outside my house are not, and it has adrenaline dumping into my veins.
I hear banging at my front door right as three figures melt from the shadows of my backyard. Shit. I was really hoping to sneak away unnoticed. But I guess that’s not going to happen, so…
Bombs away.
I grab one of the economy size bottles of laundry soap beside me, take aim, and launch it out the opening.
The second it leaves my hands, I hear my name whisper-yelled through the night. Shoving my face into the open window, I watch as one of the men catches the soap, grunting under its weight.
Mental note: Laundry detergent might not be as effective of a weapon as I was hoping.
“Becca. It’s me, Maddox. We’re here to get you.” He sets the bottle at his feet.
“Maddox?” My eyes go to the familiar face staring up at me. “Oh, thank God.” I step on the stool with one foot and stretch the other across the sill, my back to the window so I’m heading out ass first. “Get out of the way. I’m coming down.”
I manage to get the other foot up and out, then wiggle from side to side on my stomach, working my body out a little at a time.
It hurts like hell, and I’m going to have bruises all up my front from the ridges of the window frame, but I want to get as close to the ground as I can before gravity grabs me.
I make it all the way out, holding onto the line of bricks while I huff and puff. How do people do this shit? I’m already exhausted, and my fingers are only gonna hold me about two-point-five more seconds before I drop like a potato.
“Come on. I’ve got you.” The tallest of the three guys lifts his arms, the tips of his fingers touching my Chucks as he reaches for me.
He sounds pretty confident in his abilities, but it doesn’t matter if he’s capable or not, because my grip fails and I fall, air rushing from my lungs as I brace for impact.
Apparently, Tall Guy’s confidence is well-earned, and he catches me easily. But instead of putting me down like I expect, he shifts his hold, hefting me over one shoulder before taking off at a full run.
Thank God I skipped dinner, because it would be all down this jerk’s back if I hadn’t.
We reach the fence running along the back of my property, and after Maddox helps guy number three scramble over, Tall Guy basically sets me on top of the wood barrier. I don’t have time to panic about falling before Maddox is on the other side, helping me down.
Just so the third guy can catch me and throw me over his fucking shoulder.
Maddox and the tall guy flank our sides, all three men running like fucking Olympians, not a one of them even breathing hard.
“Shit.” Maddox turns as voices cut through the night behind us. “Keep going. I’ll make sure they don’t get to you.”
The guy carrying me starts to run even faster, his shoulder punching my gut each time his boot pounds the ground.
I really don’t feel good.
I feel even worse when the sound of popping comes from the direction of my house. Is that…
Are they freaking shooting at us?
Bile climbs up my throat, and I’m positive guy number three is about to wear it.
But at the last second, the world tilts and my feet are back under me.
I don’t have time to look around or get my bearings before I’m shoved into the back of a car.
The tall guy gets behind the wheel while the one who narrowly escaped barf-back stands next to the still open back door.
When Maddox finally comes into sight, he has Audrey with him. Where the fuck did she come from?
They both cram into the seat beside me before Barf-back shuts us in and drops into the front passenger seat. Then we take off like the hounds of hell are on our heels.
So… I guess I’m with them now.