Chapter 111
Maple
I have this horrible feeling that Maybe Maple is dead
A good dad? What the fuck does he mean?
‘Get away from her, or I’ll shoot you both!’ Brandon shouts from the doorway.
My body wants to fold in on itself, as though that might protect me from the gunfire, even though that’s bullshit, and the chains make it impossible anyway. I try to lie still, but my body shakes, the chains clink.
A good dad. Oh God, please no.
Brandon takes a few steps forward, the gun barrel swaying between me and the intruder now, his finger hovering over the trigger. Then suddenly, he bursts out laughing.
‘Oh Jesus Christ, it’s you. Brandon with the sweaty hands. The man I stole my cover name from.’
Wait, what? My eyes dart between them. I’ve been calling my captor Brandon because of his social media handle.
But of course that could be fake. Jesus, ninety percent of social media is fake and this guy’s been pretending to be Coco for months.
He flicks the gun in the intruder’s direction.
The man who must actually be called Brandon.
Who might actually be my real dad. Fuck.
‘I knew you were obsessed with Maple,’ my captor goes on.
‘I saw it in your sad little face when you dropped the diffuser that day, but I never thought a loser like you would do anything about it. Maybe I’m even a little impressed, you finding my home out here in the desert.
Shame you fucked it at the final hurdle, hey? ’
‘You gave Paul a fake reason for being at that photoshoot,’ Brandon says, his voice a whole lot steadier than mine would be if I dared to speak.
‘The rest of us thought you were his assistant. Then you set me up. And it wasn’t just stealing my name, my favorite football team.
It was my job too. Because I suppose you’re Brandon in the sky, the YouTube subscriber who pretended to know where Ella is.
I guess that’s how you convinced Maple to meet you. Hey, Jake?’
Jake. Is that my captor’s real name? Or just another lie?
‘Well, I had to protect myself,’ he throws back.
‘Yes, the feds are still embarrassingly analogue, but there was always the chance they’d work out who I was, so I needed to give them a sacrificial lamb.
When Maple told me she had a photoshoot in Vegas, I wasn’t going to miss out.
Two hours from my home. Maple pouting in not many clothes.
And of course I was going to take my camera along, immortalize the moment.
It was easy to pretend I was part of Maple’s team.
‘Then I saw you there, dribbling over Maple like a baby craving milk. I soon realized that fate had dealt me a lucky hand. I created a couple of profiles in your name – TikTok, YouTube – you know this anyway. And the rest was easy.’ He sniggers. ‘Gullible, these kids.’
‘So you don’t know where Ella is then,’ I murmur. ‘You never did.’
He laughs again, shakes his head, like I’m the stupidest girl ever, which he’s right about. ‘Of course not.’ He licks his lips, winks. ‘You know I only have time for you, babe.’
A loud noise suddenly explodes out of the real Brandon’s mouth, like a wild animal warning its prey of an imminent attack. Then he surges forward, barreling toward Jake like he doesn’t give a shit about the gun. But he doesn’t reach him in time.
The gun goes off.
BANG!
BANG!
And I scream. And keep on screaming.