Chapter Sixteen #2
“This isn’t cool, Donny,” Ginger said, sounding scared now.
Kash wasn’t sure what the hell was going on. Donny had brought him here to get back at his ex-girlfriend? He was being used as punishment for her? It didn’t make sense. But he had a bad feeling about this. About whatever Donny had planned.
“Grab his backpack,” Donny told Owen and Scott.
“And make sure you get his phone. We need his password too. Oh, and the combo to his locker.” He turned back to Ginger.
“I’ve got this all planned out. It’s gonna be hilarious!
” Then he got in his ex’s face. “You shouldn’t have broken up with me. Now you have to pay the price.”
“Donny, no.”
“Ginger, yes,” he mocked in a mean tone. Turning to look at his friends, he said, “Well? What are you waiting for? Get that phone and his combo!”
Kash didn’t bother trying to fight. Why should he?
It wouldn’t do any good. Not when it was three against one.
At this point, it was obvious Ginger wasn’t involved in whatever Donny had planned.
She was as surprised as he was. Kash figured Donny had stolen her phone just to lead her away from the school, to this deserted house.
Ginger was always on her phone. She’d be desperate enough to get it back that she’d have followed him anywhere. Never thinking he’d do anything to hurt her.
Scott found his phone, and Owen knocked Kash to the ground. He straddled his chest and curled his fingers into a fist, lifting his arm and preparing to punch. “What’s the password?”
“Three-one-four-one-five-nine.” He didn’t think these guys would appreciate knowing that those were the first six numbers in pi.
“And your locker combo?”
He told them that too, without hesitation. He didn’t want to get punched in the face. Didn’t want to do anything to antagonize them. He didn’t know what they had planned, but the last thing he wanted was to piss them off.
Ginger was crying now, begging Donny to let her go, to give her phone back, to basically leave her alone, but all three boys ignored her.
Scott was scrolling through Kash’s phone. “His mom’s number is easy, since she’s in here under ‘Mom,’ but I don’t know who all these other people are,” he told Donny.
“Here, hold her,” Donny told Owen, after he’d climbed off Kash. He shoved Ginger toward him.
Kash saw Owen checking Ginger out from head to toe as he grabbed her arm, holding her still. And all of a sudden, he was scared for the girl. She’d been his tormentor, had allied herself with Donny, had no problem making fun of him right alongside her boyfriend.
But the look in Owen’s eyes was scary. He was staring at her like she was a piece of property.
Kash wasn’t stupid, he’d seen that look many times when he was living in the city. It meant the guy wanted sex from her.
He hoped these boys wouldn’t do anything to Ginger. She was mean, but she’d broken up with Donny, and she was obviously scared out of her mind right now. She didn’t deserve to be hurt that way. No one did.
“Who are all these people?” Donny asked. “Linc, Knox, Britt, Marit, Zach . . . they all sound stupid.”
Which made no sense to Kash. How could names on a screen sound stupid? He wasn’t about to say that out loud though. “Friends of my mom’s.”
“Whatever. Doesn’t matter,” Donny muttered. “I know Brad, Chuck, Abigail, and Jamie are your nerd friends. And ‘Granddad’ is self-explanatory. Okay, I have what I need. Let’s go, boys.”
Donny glared at Kash, who was still on the ground. He wasn’t going to move until he was told. He was in self-preservation mode right now. Wanting to comply with everything he was told so he wouldn’t get hurt.
“You’re going to do everything I say and keep your mouth shut, got it?”
Kash nodded.
Donny turned to Ginger. “You too. We’re walking to Scott’s car, and you’re gonna get in all nice and calm. In the back. Owen and I will be by the doors. Don’t try anything stupid and everything’ll be fine.”
“Where are we going?” Ginger asked between sniffs.
“No need for you to know that,” Donny told her with a smile. “But it may or may not involve a boat.”
Then he laughed. A sound that grated on Kash’s nerves like nails on a chalkboard.
He was almost frozen in fear. A boat? Marit had been kidnapped and taken away by boat, and she almost hadn’t been found. Was Donny really that psychotic that he was going to kill his ex-girlfriend? And why was he here? Donny was a bully—but was he really a killer?
No. Kash had to believe he wasn’t. He was just trying to scare them. Make Ginger regret breaking up with him. He wouldn’t actually hurt them.
He hoped.
Donny kicked Kash’s legs. “Get up, Trash-Kash. We got a trip to take. And I’ll be sure to text everyone, so no one will worry about you being gone for the weekend.” He laughed again, an ugly sound Kash knew he’d never forget as long as he lived.
As Scott grabbed his arm once more after he stood, to make sure he didn’t run, Kash couldn’t help but think about Linc.
About what he’d gone through. Of course, this situation didn’t compare in the least to being ejected out of a fighter jet into enemy territory, but he vowed to be just as brave as Linc had been.
To keep going. Putting one foot in front of the other.
Someone would realize something was wrong. That he wasn’t at the robotics competition. And as soon as they did, they’d rally, just as they’d done to find Marit, and Britt and Ms. Evelyn. He simply had to keep calm until he was found.
Mom: Are you at the hotel yet? You were supposed to let me know when you got there.
Kash: Sorry, Mom. I’m here. Everything is fine.
Mom: Are you excited about tomorrow? Is your robot ready to kick some other robot butt?
Kash: Oh yeah! Can’t wait!
Mom: Good. Try to get some sleep tonight. If you can, let me know how it goes tomorrow.
Kash: I will.
Mom: Love you.
Kash: I love you too.
Harper smiled down at her phone. She’d just pulled into the garage at the house Friday after what seemed like a never-ending shift and was exhausted.
She’d ended up staying an extra two hours for a coworker whose babysitter fell through, and it took her extra time to find someone to watch her kids.
She understood how frustrating that could be, as she’d lived it herself when Kash was little.
Now, she was more than ready to relax in the bath Linc had promised. And eat lobster mac and cheese from The Lobster Buoy for dinner. However, she’d eat a cardboard box right now if that was the only option.