Thirty-nine
It’s the middle of the night when I jerk awake.
I bolt upright, sweat clinging to my temples as I pant into the quiet darkness of my bedroom. I don’t remember falling asleep. I’d been tossing and turning for hours, unable to shut my mind off. Finally, it seems I’d completely exhausted myself and passed the hell out.
Until now.
I look around, the alarm clock sitting on my nightstand blinking 03:15 am at me in glowing red letters. Did I have a nightmare? Hear a noise or—
My phone blares from beside me, the shrill ringtone setting my teeth on edge. So, that’s what woke me up. Not wasting a second, I snatch it up, my blood turning cold in my veins when I see Sienna’s name on the screen. Whatever this is, it’s not gonna be good. I just know it.
I answer the call, not even having a chance to speak before Sienna’s screams ring out through the speakers.
“Asher,” she cries. “Oh my god, he’s taken her. He’s taken her!”
“Hey, whoa. Slow down,” I urge, already scrambling out of the bed. “Sienna, what’s going on?”
“He’s taken her, Asher. The Chief’s taken April.”
I freeze, stomach twisting into a tight knot. “What do you mean he’s taken her?”
“He broke into my house and grabbed her right out of her bed. I tried to stop him, Asher. I swear, I tried. But, he slammed my head against the wall and when I came to, he was speeding off down the street. She’s gone.”
Holy shit.
No. No, no, no.
I fall to my knees, my heart slamming inside my chest. Is this what a heart attack feels like? I can’t think straight, can barely breathe. I was too late. I thought I was keeping Oakley safe by telling him to get out of town when he was discharged, but the Chief moved faster. He must have found out that we’re onto him, caught wind of my dad’s lawyer digging around. I don’t even want to imagine what he’s gonna do next.
“Asher,” Sienna yells. “What the fuck are we gonna do?”
Her voice brings me back to reality and I jump to my feet again, hunting for some clothes. “Sienna, listen to me. Are you hurt? Can you drive?”
“No, I’m fine. I can— I can drive.”
“Okay, good. Here’s what I need you to do. I need you to get in your car and drive to the hospital. If Oakley’s still there, keep him safe. Tell security not to let anyone in. And if he’s not…” My voice cracks, a lump the size of a bowling ball rising in my throat. “Then, you tell me. Right away.”
I hear the sound of a door slamming shut, a car engine starting. “What are you gonna do?”
“I’m gonna go to their house. He’s probably not there, but it’s a good place to start. And after that, I’ll keep looking. I’ll scour the entire fucking planet if I have to.”
We hang up and I race to my car, tires squealing as I peel out of the driveway. My chest is heaving the whole way, hands sweat-slick and sliding all over the steering wheel. I try to rationalize, tell myself that everything’s fine and Oakley’s okay and nothing’s gonna happen to him or April. But, it’s no use. I know in my gut that something’s not right. That Oakley’s in more danger than he’s ever been.
And my fears are only solidified when I make it to his house. I fly out of the car before it’s even come to a complete stop and sprint up the porch steps. The door’s unlocked, the lights off. It’s completely deserted. And trashed, too. There’s furniture everywhere, toppled over and broken. Broken glass litters the floor, random papers scattered all over the place.
He left here in a hurry, trying to cover up his tracks before he did.
I look around for a couple of minutes, trying to find any clues, indicators of where he might have gone. There’s nothing, though. Absolutely nothing.
I’m storming back out of the house when my phone rings again. My stomach lurches as I hit accept.
“Is he there?” I blurt, tone laced with desperation. “Is Oakley there?”
She lets out a heavy sigh, and I know right then that I have my answer. “I’m so sorry, Asher. He’s gone. The Chief got here right before he took April. Attacked two nurses and a doctor, then practically dragged Oakley out.”
“Fuck,” I scream, launching my foot into my car door and leaving a dent behind.
He took him. He fucking took Oakley and he took April and now I have no idea what to do. How am I supposed to find them, to help them? My mind races, spinning with thousands of possibilities of what he’s going to do next, each one a hundred times worse than the last. They could be anywhere by now, in any direction. How would I even know where to start?
My knees buckle, threatening to give out, and I fall back against the side of my car, a sob crawling its way up my throat.
I can’t handle this.
Knowing Oakley was hurt, seeing him lying there in that hospital bed… I thought that was the worst thing I’d ever experience. But this? The not knowing, the never-ending possibilities of what could have happened to him? I don’t know how I’m going to survive it.
Sienna’s frantic on the other end of the line, running through our list of options, places they might have gone. I try to focus on her voice, to listen to what she’s saying. But, it’s like she’s underwater, her words all muffled. My phone beeps and I pull it away from my ear, heart stopping when I see a text from an unknown number.
It’s a live location, the green dot moving fast along the highway.
And beneath it are two words.
NOT SAFE.
Instantly, I know who it’s from.
I climb back inside the car, hitting the gas as I book it out of town. Putting the call on speaker, I keep one eye on the GPS as I follow that little dot like my life depends on it.
“Sienna,” I bark, interrupting her rambling. “Listen. I just got a text, okay? It’s from Oakley.”
“Oakley? But, he doesn’t have his phone. The cops took it as evidence.”
“Trust me, it’s him. I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life.”
“Well, what did he say?”
“It’s a GPS location. They’re on the highway, heading East. I’m following them.”
“Asher, are you sure that’s—”
“I’m going,” I say, tone final. “I’m sharing the tracker with you now. Do me a favor? Call my dad, tell him what’s happening. He’ll know what to do.”
She’s silent for a beat, the sound of her heavy breathing the only indicator that she’s still there. “Jesus, Asher. I can’t— Just be careful, alright? He’s dangerous.”
“I’ll get them back, Sienna. I promise.”
I click off of the call, planting my foot flat to the floor as I race through the deserted streets. The engine screams at me as I push it to its absolute limit, almost losing control on a couple of corners. I know I need to slow down, to clear my head a little, but it’s impossible. All I can think about is Oakley; where he is and what might be happening to him. And April. Fuck, she’s just a kid. So young and innocent, completely undeserving of the shitty hand that life has dealt her. The need to get to them is a physical thing, a burning force I feel right the way down into my core.
I might have failed before but now, I won’t stop at anything until they’re safe.
I’m coming, Oakley. And I won’t let you down this time.
Thirty long agonizing minutes later, the GPS tracker finally comes to a stop. I’m not far behind, thanks to the reckless speeds I was flying at along the highway. Not wanting to risk being seen, I flick off my headlights as I take my last right turn, crawling down the narrow road at a snail’s pace before slowing to a complete stop in the parking lot of a derelict-looking warehouse. It looks like it’s been abandoned for years, the weeds out front overgrown and the moonlight highlighting several holes in the roof. The Chief’s cruiser is parked haphazardly in the middle of the lot, three of its doors wide open.
My breath shuttles out of me as I climb out the car and dart toward the building, keeping my footsteps light. I circle the perimeter, noting no noise coming from inside or signs of movement. Part of me worries that I’ve been played, that he led me here as some kind of trick, a distraction while he made his real getaway. Then finally, just as I make it to the other side of the warehouse, I hear it.
Oakley’s voice.
It’s muffled and quiet, hard to make out the words, but I can hear the nerves in it as clear as day. The way it trembles. My heart slams into my ribs as I edge closer, equal parts fear and adrenaline racing through my body, making me shake with every step. Finding a hole in the wall that’s just big enough to peek through, I crouch down and hold my breath.
My shoulders sag with relief when I catch a glimpse of Oakley. He’s alive. Scared as hell, but not hurt. April’s with him, curled into his chest, sobs wracking her small frame. I almost rush to him right then, just storm in half-cocked with no plan and no real way to help him. But I hold myself back, force my heart to step aside and let my brain take the lead. This isn’t one of those situations where I can just wing it and hope for the best. This is serious, a matter of life and death. That point is only emphasized when Chief Farrow finally comes into view. He’s pacing, a crazed look on his face as he mutters nonsensically to himself, his service pistol gripped tight between his fingers. I swallow hard, a tremor shooting down my spine.
This just got so much fucking worse. And I can smell the liquor on him all the way from here.
“Why are you doing this?” Oakley asks. To the untrained ear, his voice sounds steady. Strong. But, I know him better than that. I can easily recognize the wobble beneath his words, how the emotion is clawing its way to the surface. “What do you want?”
Chief Farrow whirls toward him, waving the gun in the air. “Just shut up!” he screams. “Don’t say another fucking word!”
Oakley doesn’t listen. “Tell me what it is that you want. Whatever it is, we’ll find a way to give it to you. Just… let us go. Please.”
“What do I want?” His maniacal laugh turns my blood ice-cold. “You make it sound so easy, so simple. It’s almost as if you actually give a shit. I wised up to that a long time ago, though. The way you lie. You’re just like your fucking dad.”
Oakley frowns. “My dad?”
“Yeah. He was a manipulative piece of shit, too. Always knew the right things to say. He could make people believe anything he wanted. Even our parents.”
“I don’t know what you think my dad did to you, but—”
“I know what he did!” Chief Farrow explodes, spittle flying everywhere. “He ruined me! Turned our parents against me and left me with nothing!”
He’s completely enraged now, the last thread of his sanity about to snap. I need to do something, and I need to do it now. Before it’s too late.
I bolt back around the side of the warehouse, finding a gap between the metal sheets just big enough to crawl through. The Chief’s still yelling, his voice louder now that I’m inside. Sticking to the shadows, I creep around until I’m behind him, gaze landing on a pile of tools discarded in the corner before moving away. I do a double take. There’s a couple of screwdrivers, some tape. All of it old, obviously left behind when this place went out of business. There’s also a pretty hefty-looking hammer. I’m not sure if it’s any match against a gun, but it’ll do. I grab it, gripping it between my palms as I slowly move closer.
I see the second Oakley spots me. His eyes grow almost comically wide, mouth dropping open in shock. Christ, he’s so beautiful. Even when he’s terrified. And the sheer relief on his face from seeing me? It sends my heart into overdrive. He cools his features quickly, not wanting to alert the Chief to my presence. Honestly, I’m not sure he’d notice anyway. He’s still ranting furiously with no end in sight.
“— just believed him. Every single fucking word. It didn’t matter what I did. He was always the golden boy, the favorite. And when they died, they left him everything. All of it! All of my fucking money!”
He shakes his head and turns away, almost catching sight of me. Shit! Keep him talking, Oakley.
As if he’s got a direct link to my mind, Oakley does just that. “Wait!” The Chief looks back at him and I blow out a relieved breath. “I’m so sorry that happened to you. I didn’t know that—”
Chief Farrow scoffs. “You’re sorry? I don’t buy that, not one bit. You’re just like him, looks and all. All you care about is yourself.”
“That’s not true.”
“Oh, it is.” He takes a threatening step toward Oakley, bending down until he’s mere inches from his face. “I saw it the moment I first met you. There was a darkness in him, an evil side, and I had to be the one to get rid of it. And now, I’ll do the same with you.”
Oakley scrambles back, taking April with him, realization dawning. It’s like I can hear the click of the puzzle pieces slotting together inside his mind. He knows what his uncle did, he knows that he killed his parents. “You— you can’t do this. I’ll give you the money. I’ll give you anything you want.”
“It’s a little late for that. I thought I got away with it the first time, but they’re onto me now. So, the way I see it is, if I’m going down… then you two are coming with me.”
The sound of the safety clicking off on his gun rattles through my bones, my vision turning dark at the corners.
And before I know it, I’m running at him, hammer raised in the air and ready to swing.