Chapter 44 #2
“He didn’t tell me, but dinner sounds great.” Jake squeezes my hand, and I realize my mistake just a moment too late.
Tomorrow was probably the worst day to accept an invitation anywhere, and I mentally facepalm. Too late to take it back now. I’ll just have to make sure Jake tells Trent to say I’m sick or something.
“Oh, I almost forgot. Did you happen to see Hazel while you’ve been out here?” Her question pulls me from my thoughts.
I shake my head no and look at Jake. Maybe he saw her while I was in the bathroom? But he shakes his head as well.
“That girl, I swear, she’s probably off enjoying the exhibits or found an old book to read.” She laughs, and I force a smile. It’s not that it’s not funny because it is. That sounds exactly like something Hazel would be off doing, but my gut is telling me it’s not that innocent.
My gut has kept me alive a lot over the years, and right or wrong, this isn’t something I’m willing to brush aside.
“We’ll keep an eye out and let her know you’re looking for her if we run into her,” I tell her, plastering a fake smile on my face before I turn back to Jake. “We should head back,” I say, silently praying that Hazel is okay as worst-case scenarios play through my head.
Is this why Randall was gone?
No, he wouldn’t do something so obvious, would he?
Shit.
“Of course, honey. I’ll see you tomorrow night.” She pats my cheek affectionately before moving around us, headed deeper into the museum. We head back to the main room before she calls back. “I’ll be sure to have Trent make you some scotchies too!”
I keep going, knowing I can’t possibly turn around and face her. Everything about that woman screams mother, and it’s a little too much for me right now, especially if my gut's right.
Fuck, I am not about to get teary-eyed over cookies.
The minute we round the corner, and we're out of her sight, I take off running, dragging Jake with me.
“Woah, where are we going?” he asks, but I don’t answer. Mostly because I don’t have an answer, but also because I don’t want to stop to explain.
I have to find her.
“Jade, slow down. Tell me what's wrong.” Jake says as we pass the dining room, and I keep going, peeking down each hall we pass.
He pulls hard on my arm, planting his feet in an effort to stop me, but I can’t stop.
I drop his hand and keep going, or at least I attempt to.
Before I can pull my hand all the way free of his, he’s grabbed it again.
This time, he laces his fingers through mine and holds tight.
Gripping my hand hard enough that it should be painful but I feel nothing past my panic.
I spin around to face him, and I know even before I see the look on his face that I’m a mess. All the cracks in my armor are showing, the drug from Randall only intensifying this feeling that threatens to suffocate me.
“What’s wrong?” Jake demands, grabbing hold of my arm to ensure I stay put.
“We have to find her!” I hadn’t meant to shout, but panic continues to build inside of me the longer we stand here, and I’m not sure how to handle it. “He has her.”
How do you fight against an enemy you can’t reach?
“Who do we have to find? And who has her? Jade, you're not making any sense,” Jake says, his face softening as he looks at me. I want to fight it. Tell him I don't need his pity, but I can’t because my only concern right now is Hazel.
“Hazel! He has her. I know he does, Jake! We have to find her before it’s too late,” I tell him in a rush as I try to pull away.
“I knew I shouldn’t have let her come. I should’ve had her stay with Charlotte, where she would've been safe with Dom. God, if he hurts her…” I can’t make myself slow down or take a breath, and my words come out in a jumbled rush.
“Who has her, Jade? How do you know?” he asks in a calm tone that makes me want to punch him.
“Randall.”
Saying his name is like a lead weight in my chest. Saying it only makes it feel more real, and I don’t know how, but I know I’m right. More now than I did before.
Jake doesn’t say anything, just holds me there as he watches me, and it takes me longer than it should to realize he’s waiting for an explanation.
“I don’t know how I know, but I do. You have to believe me or, at the very least, let me go. Randall has Hazel, and I have to find her.” My eyes water, and I blink hard to try and clear them. Crying isn’t going to help anyone; it never does.
“Please, Jake, I can’t let anything happen to her.” My voice breaks, and I swear if he doesn’t let me go, I’m going to just knock him out and deal with the repercussions later.
I can’t let Hazel be Brittany. I won’t. The thought invades my brain even as I promise myself this isn’t the same, that I’ll save her.
The memory of how I found Brittany is never far from my mind, how I failed her. It takes no effort for my imagination to put Hazel in her place, the thought enough to make my stomach flip with the urge to throw up.
“Okay,” he says, nodding before he looks around at where we are. That one word is somehow enough to pull me from my horrific thoughts.
“Well, if he has her, I doubt he’s going to be close. If she were to scream, it would draw too much attention.” He doesn’t ask me why I think he has her or any of the other million questions I can see swimming in his eyes, and now I fight tears for a whole new reason.
Finally, he moves, leading me back down the hall we just came from, but at least we're moving, doing something.
“Let's head outside and see if we can see anything. I’m sure if he has her, it’s just to get to you, so he wouldn’t have gone far,” he tells me as he pushes open a door that reads emergency. The alarm doesn’t go off, and for half a second, I wonder if that's intentional or just lucky.
Considering my luck, I’m going to say someone shut down the system here.
We step outside on the side of the building with Jake pulling me behind him.
I let him take the lead because he knows the layout here a hell of a lot better than I do.
I follow behind him, our hands still clasped together.
His longer legs make it so that I have to work hard to keep up, but I refuse to complain right now.
The faster we move, the faster we find her.
We don’t even make it around the corner before sounds from the parking lot have me tugging Jake to a halt.
“Wha–” he starts to ask, but I shoot him a look, and snaps his mouth closed.
I press my fingers to my lips, and he gives me a nod before we change direction, heading toward the distant sound of voices.
“I don’t care. Find her!”
The closer we get, the easier it is to hear, but even if he weren’t yelling, I would know that voice anywhere.
It’s Randall, and he’s not happy.
Jake tugs on my hand, and when I look back at him, I can see that he’s uncomfortable.
I can’t blame him, but I also can’t turn away.
I need to know that Hazel’s safe. Is she the ‘her’ he’s referring to?
Or is he talking about me? Does he already have her and now want me too?
A million questions fill my head, and the only way to get answers is to face him.
But I also know Jake isn’t like me. His fear of his father has been engraved into him his whole life, and if he doesn’t want to continue, I won’t hold it against him.
I release my hold on his fingers so he can leave.
I hadn’t even realized how tightly I was clinging to him until now. My fingers cramp as I pull them back to let him go, but he doesn’t release his hold on me. Instead, he does the opposite, squeezing my hand harder.
He’s standing behind me. There wasn’t enough room for us to stand side by side down the row of cars, and when he leans forward, I feel his chest press against my back.
“I’m not leaving you here alone with him.” His words aren’t much more than a whisper as he breathes them into my ear, so he’s not overheard, but I still hear the raw emotion in them as if he shouted them.
“Just be careful,” he sighs, dropping his lips to the top of my head before he pulls back.
“What do you want us to do about the other problem?” Someone asks, pulling my attention back to Randall before I can even process the shock of what Jake just did.
“Leave him for now. He’s not a priority.” Randall snaps back, and I’m not sure who he’s talking about or to, but my stomach turns, and my mind goes to my guys.
Please don’t let it be one of them.
I glance over my shoulder at Jake one last time. If he wants to leave, this is his last chance, but instead of finding fear in his eyes, I’m met with determination as he gives me a nod.
We move together between the cars into a clear space about twenty feet from where Randall and a handful of other guys stand as he paces, his face scrunched up, telling me just how upset he is right now.
“Boss,” one of his guys says when he spots us.
Randall turns to him, and I can see just how unhinged he is from here. His movements are stiff and jerky. He’s not hiding the monster right now. No, it’s on full display, and my steps falter as I’m gripped with memories, knowing I’m walking back into that nightmare willingly.
Jake’s hand squeezes mine, and that’s enough for me to shake the feeling and keep moving.
The guy who called out to Randall nods toward us, and he spins in our direction as we stop just a few feet away from their group.
The moment he sees me, a smile spreads across his face. It’s not pleasant. It’s twisted and crazed, much like the man himself. It’s fitting for him, though it still unnerves me.
“Ah, Pet,” he damn near purrs, spreading his arms wide. “I knew you couldn’t stay away.”
His eyes roam over me in a way that leaves me tasting bile in the back of my mouth. Until they snag on Jake’s hand, that’s still entwined with my own. I watch as anger darkens his features even more, and I have to fight the urge to pull Jake behind me to spare him his wrath.