Chapter 2
Alex
I call Dr. Croft as the ambulance drives towards the hospital, sirens blaring, and describe the unbelievable circumstances we find ourselves in, asking him to find the mother of Holly, who is working in emergency today. He is next door at the college and agrees to find her and meet us there.
I thought we were being overly cautious regarding Ben and Cara. I cannot believe she was kidnapped with so many of us around. This was a planned attack. More than Ben, and possibly Cara, was involved.
A text from E chimes on my phone. The office door of the baseball coach was unlocked, confirming Ben is involved. The question is why? This goes far beyond being interested in someone. We are missing something here.
All I can picture is the panic Summer must be experiencing.
Visions of her at the food racks in the cafeteria and the way she flinched and mentally disassociated with rapid breathing.
She has proven her strength, however, by successfully getting away from Ben at the party after he assaulted her, as well as defending Seb by punching Cara.
I hope the self-defense training Nick taught her will help until she is found.
Both ambulances pull up to the emergency bay as Seb groans, so I focus back on him. “What the hell,” he mutters, rubbing his face.
“Easy there,” the paramedic says. “You were knocked out with chloroform.”
Seb shoots upright, a compressed spring releasing. “Summer,” he yells, then groans, holding his head.
“Seb,” I call to him, waiting for eye contact. “Take it easy. Your head will ache for some time. Summer is gone. We found Holly unconscious as well. We are at the hospital.”
“We gotta find her, man. How did this happen?” He appears disoriented, wincing from the pain.
“The rest of the guys are working on it. Let Dr. Croft examine you inside. After that, we will go over what we know, okay?” He nods and, surprisingly, cooperates, lying back down.
As he is wheeled into the emergency room, I see Dr. Croft waiting beside one of the triage rooms. “Over here,” he calls to the paramedics.
“Doc,” I nod as I pass by him into the room.
A woman in scrubs is beside Holly in the next curtained area. That must be her mother. Holly already has an IV inserted as the phlebotomist draws blood.
While Doc examines Seb, I receive a text from E saying he and Z are on their way. Doc requests an IV for Seb and a blood panel before walking over to me. “No visible injuries, no bumps. Whoever drugged them took care to lay them down afterwards.”
“Thanks, Doc.” I nod.
“Of course. I’ll check on them later, but they should be able to head home in a few hours unless their blood work shows something I’m not expecting.”
Summer
A dull thump jars me awake as my body bounces and my consciousness returns.
Disoriented thoughts swim like murky water.
What’s happening? Another jolt hits as I try to focus on something, anything.
There’s a vice squeezing my skull, pain blossoming behind my eyes.
The scent of motor oil fills my nostrils as sleep claims me again.
Zander
Alex and Seb are in triage near the entrance when we arrive at the hospital. Seb is awake, quietly chatting with Alex, and I walk straight over to him. “Seb, can you tell me what happened?”
“The girls went into the washroom, and I was walking back and forth in front of the door. I turned, thinking I heard something, and then someone put a rag over my nose and mouth. I woke up in an ambulance. I’m so sorry, Z.” Seb hangs his head, eyes glossy. He looks devastated.
“I don’t blame you, Seb, and I’m glad you’re okay.” I squeeze his shoulder in support. “There’s nowhere to hide in the hallway. It’s possible that someone came out of the washroom to drug you. Did you see anyone in the halls?”
“No, there was no one around,” Seb tells me.
“Hell, how many people were involved in this?” I mutter to myself, running my hands through my hair.
Keep it together, Z. Gather information.
More information means better odds of finding Summer.
I exhale, refocusing, as I walk over to the next bed.
“Hello. I’m Zander, Summer’s dad,” I introduce myself to the nurse sitting with Holly.
“Amanda. I’m sorry to hear about your girl. Holly talks a lot about her,” she responds.
Holly groans and blinks her eyes open. “Ow,” she complains, rubbing her head.
“Honey, can you focus your eyes on me?” Amanda asks.
She squints her eyes, slowly turning towards her voice. “Mom? What’s going on?”
“You’re in the hospital. You were drugged with chloroform.”
Holly’s brows furrow in confusion, a frown pulling her mouth down, before clarity sets in. “Oh my gosh, Summer,” she exclaims, looking around the room.
“Can you tell me what happened?” I ask her.
“Seb went with us to the washroom. Summer and I went inside, and immediately the lights went out. I turned towards the door, but someone covered my face with a sweet-smelling rag. Then nothing. Is Summer okay?”
“She’s gone,” I tell her.
Tears well in her eyes. “Was it Ben?”
“We believe so,” I nod.
“Oh my gosh. I can’t believe this is happening,” she cries into her mother’s shoulder.
Nick
What the fuck? How did this happen with all the guys there? I send pics of Summer, Cara and Ben to Sean and the makes and models of Ben's and Cara’s vehicles. Knowing the tech at the police station, finding her is my responsibility. Good thing I don’t care about the law.
I’m still watching traffic cams trying to find his vehicle when someone knocks on the door. “What?” I yell.
“It’s Bay.” I get up and open the door for Bay to enter. “Any luck yet?” He asks.
“No, they’re not driving their vehicles. I need to know what their friends drive. Reach out to everyone you know and find out for me.” Bay grabs his phone and starts texting.
Z and Alex show up a while later. “Report,” Z demands.
“They’re not driving their primary vehicles. I’m checking vehicles leaving the school with the closest traffic cam, but there've been a lot of people in the area today. Bay is tracking down whatever vehicles their friends use so I can narrow my search.”
“I can supply vehicle descriptions for the rich students. Bay focus on the others,” Alex says.
Within 20 minutes, I have a list of vehicles to search for Cara. “Z, I’m splitting the screens. Watch your screen for the list Alex gave me. I want to keep watching here.”
“Okay,” he nods. He must be losing his mind, but he’s staying composed.
Summer
Everything hurts. There's a throbbing, insistent ache, and my head drums a frantic beat against my skull. I try to remember, but my brain is a thick fog, refusing to cooperate. I’m tossed around by a rhythmic clunk-clunk-clunk sound. What is that?
Shaking my head to clear my mind, the pain intensifies. Ugh! Forcing my eyes open, I blink rapidly and am met with oppressive darkness. What the heck? Don’t freak out, Summer. Just breathe.
My limbs are lead weights, but I force my hands to move around, finding the rough texture of something scratchy. I’m lying on carpet? Frantically, I search around my body as my mind struggles to catch up with the reality of my surroundings. I’m in a trunk.
Zander
I’m trapped in a nightmare, sitting here watching a computer screen for the vehicle that stole my daughter. I underestimated these kids. I was supposed to protect her, and I failed.
“I’ve got four vehicle descriptions,” Bay tells us.
“Give them to me,” Nick demands. Bay quickly lists the models and colors to him, handing the paper over. “Fuck, I’ve seen a navy Ford Focus already,” he says, typing on his keyboard.
“When?” I demand.
“Z, focus on your screens in case I’m wrong,” he says. Despite my urge to punch something, I turn back to my screen. I’ve always struggled with this type of work. I prefer action. With a deep breath, I concentrate again.
“I’ve got the Ford. I’m gonna follow it on my laptop,” Nick announces to the room. “Alex, take over and monitor the screens for the other vehicles.”
Summer
Once I quell the rising tide of panic, I scream, my loudest voice ripping through the confined space repeatedly into the darkness.
The silence that follows is punctuated by the throbbing ache in my throat.
Time has lost its meaning as it stretches, distorting into a slow crawl.
The repetitive thud of the mallet hitting my head continues as desperation fuels my search for a trunk release.
The vehicle turns left, and the low humming drone of pavement disappears, replaced with the uneven crunching of gravel, suggesting we’re on a driveway or out of town.
As adrenaline surges, like water crashing onto a rocky shore, my thoughts begin to clear as I continue to pull at the carpet, frantically scrabbling for an escape.
My phone! I forgot about my phone. I reach into my back pocket, but it’s not there, and a search under me reveals nothing. Another jarring bounce, another blow to my already pounding head. That should help with the headache.
Eventually, the vehicle slows and comes to a stop.
Straining my ears, I don’t detect any sounds.
Memories flit through my mind like a movie reel unspooling: the first track meet of the season with the guys and Zander, qualifying in my first race, winning the relay, Holly joining us for lunch at a restaurant, and Seb and Holly following me to the washroom.
Oh, shit, I remember the snap of a lock, and the sweet chemical sting of chloroform as soon as we entered the washroom. I was drugged.