Chapter 3. Haley #2
I didn’t think much of it. The crowd had grown around me, and the energy was electric.
Paige returned with some sodas, and I took a short break before starting my second set.
By the time the crowds started to dwindle, the sun was setting and my fingers were getting numb from the cold breeze blowing off the lake.
We packed everything up, and had just started down the street toward the train station when a white van pulled alongside us.
“Haley…”
I glanced over and a man jumped out onto the sidewalk and grabbed me.
Startled, I froze, my brain trying to process what was hap pening as he dragged me backward. Only Paige’s shriek of alarm brought me back to my senses. Heart pounding, I kicked and wiggled, trying to break his hold, screaming as he got closer to the van.
“Let her go.” Paige swung the amp, hitting my captor on the side of the head and knocking him off-balance. I took the opportunity to throw myself forward, loosening his grip, and fell onto all fours on the ground.
The man swore and jumped back into the van, shouting at the driver. With a squeal of tires, they sped away, leaving us alone on the sidewalk.
“Are you okay?” Chest heaving, Paige dropped to her knees beside me and pulled me up to inspect my hands. “Did he hurt you?”
I opened my mouth, but nothing came out. I couldn’t move, couldn’t breathe, couldn’t even process what was happening. My ears were ringing, body shaking. Paige was right there but she seemed far away.
A woman ran over to help us, and then a man who had been across the street, and a family who had been standing on the corner. Someone called 911 and after that, everything became a blur. There were sirens and police cars. An ambulance. A paramedic wrapping me in something soft and warm.
“She’s in shock,” the paramedic said to Paige, who was sitting at the back of the ambulance beside me, holding my hand. “I think you’re in shock, too.”
“I don’t understand,” she said. “Why would someone want to kidnap Haley?”
I didn’t understand it either, but for some reason I was more upset that I’d scraped my hands in the fall and how was I going to perform next week if they scabbed over?
“How are we doing? Feeling any better?” A uniformed police officer with blond hair and bright blue eyes joined us outside the ambulance, along with his shorter but no-less-good-looking partner.
I shrugged, realizing my brain wasn’t as fuzzed as before. “As better as an almost-kidnapping victim can be.”
“Humor. That’s a good sign.” He pulled out his notebook and asked Paige and me to recount everything we could remember about the attack.
“Any idea why someone would want to grab you? Did you have a fight with an ex? Have you had any arguments or disputes? Are you involved in anything I should know about?”
“No exes,” I said. “I’m not big into relationships or criminal activities. Also, not a sex worker, if that’s what you mean. Do you think it’s a human trafficking thing?”
“Honestly, I don’t know.” He ran a hand over his jaw. “People have been grabbed here before. We’ll need to talk to the other witnesses and see if we can track down the van. It’s hard to tell if it was opportunistic or targeted until we have more facts.”
“It could have to do with my mom,” I offered.
“She’s a US senator and is up for reelection.
Her name is Elizabeth Chapman.” I told him about the man who had come up to me earlier to ask if I was Senator Chapman’s daughter, but the description I gave him didn’t match the man Paige had hit over the head.
“I’ve got your details in case the detective in charge needs to talk to you,” he said, handing me his card. “Call me if you remember anything else or if you have any questions.”
“We should ask them out,” Paige whispered after they walked away. “We could double-date.”
“They’ve got to be at least thirty,” I said. “I like my men to have been born in the same decade.”
“Did you text your mom?”
I nodded, shrugged. “She wanted to fly out first thing in the morning, but I told her not to. I wasn’t hurt, and it would just be awkward. She always has so much to do, and she’d probably bring along a photographer for a photo op of her hugging her almost-kidnapped daughter.”
Paige gave me a sympathetic look. “I’m sure she’s genuinely worried about you.”
“Her first words were ‘What were you doing busking on the street?’ followed by ‘I thought you gave up that silly hobby,’ so I don’t think my safety was her first concern.
” For a brief moment, I wished my dad was here.
Or Matt. Or even his best friend Ace, who had practically lived at our house when I was growing up, and always seemed to be there to catch me when I fell.
It was Ace who came after me when I decided to do a solo hike in the forest during a family camping trip.
Ace who saved me when I swam out too far in the lake.
Ace who stopped a senior from taking advantage of my naivety at a high school dance.
Ace who had been there for me when my father died.
Strong, steady, quiet Ace who grounded me and made all the noise go away.
Ace who had broken my heart.
“You always have me,” Paige said, giving me a hug.
“There’s no one better. You swung that amp like a pro.” I leaned into her comfort, but for the first time since Matt died, I wished Ace had been there, too.