by Gwen Cole
“I’m sorry,” I told him. “I’m sorry I haven’t been . . . here. I should have been.”
He deflated some, shaking his head. “It wouldn’t have mattered. We can’t find the missing drifters because something is blocking us from seeing them or . . . or they’re dead.”
I thought about trying to find Sam’s parents—only seeing black. “Do we know which it is?”
Jake shrugged. “We aren’t sure. Things are . . . things aren’t looking promising right now.”
I’d never seen Jake look so defeated before. This was way more serious than I had first thought.
I finally asked the question: “So what is everyone doing about it?”
Jake was silent for too long, only to answer with, “We’re hiding.”
So that’s why he was in Tokyo? Hiding?
“So you’re just giving up?”
He whirled on me again. “Don’t pretend to care, Reid, because you never did before now. Sure, you came with me once and the whole time you weren’t even listening.”
If he had punched me in the gut, it probably would have felt better. I’d been so busy with Sam that I kept brushing off Jake. I was a shitty friend.
“I’m sorry.”
He turned away and I grabbed his shoulder. “Jake, wait.”
“I’m going home,” he said. “I’m tired. Go tell your girlfriend about her parents and hope they don’t come for her next.”
That hadn’t even occurred to me. My mind automatically went to Sam, and the image that came made me flinch back. All the air left my lungs. “They’re already there,” I whispered, my heart kicking up a notch.
Jake stared at me, silently screaming at me not to do something stupid because he knew me too well. I was great at doing stupid things.
“I have to go,” I said.
“Reid, you can’t. You’ll be bolted before you can ever get to her.”
I shook my head. “I don’t care. I’m going.” I couldn’t lie, I was nervous. I couldn’t break the tension in my stomach no matter how hard I tried. I was about to give myself over to the sliders but not without a fight. I couldn’t sit by and do nothing.
“Don’t do this.” He grabbed my shoulders. “Don’t hand yourself to them. They’ve got too many of us already.”
I swallowed hard. “She would do the same for me.”
“You know I can’t come for you,” Jake said. “I won’t be able to find you.”
“I know.” I gave him a nod. “It’s okay.”
The hardness in his eyes left, but he also didn’t have words for me. There were no words. I wasn’t even sure if I would see him again.
I acted before thinking, because I knew what I had to do.
SAM
NEW YORK, UNITED STATES
WHAT WAS HE THINKING, COMING HERE? HE HAD to know he would be caught, but he showed up anyway.
Two men held him to the floor, using their weight to keep him in place. My stomach turned, wishing he hadn’t come. I struggled against Gavin, wanting to help Reid, but all he did was put more weight against me.
After a moment, when Reid was finally restrained, with barely room to breathe, Buck barked out a laugh.
“Reid, fancy seeing you here,” he said. “What did Jake say last time? That you’d be on your own the next time I saw you?”
Reid struggled against the men holding him down, and Buck motioned for them to let him let up. They grabbed his shoulders and pulled him to his feet. Gavin did the same for me, not letting go of my arm as I pushed myself up.
Reid breathed heavily and he glanced at me, pain and regret filling his eyes.
He looked at Buck and asked, “What are you doing here?” his voice rougher than usual.
“I could ask you the same thing,” said Buck. “You lied to me the other night, Reid. You told me she was nobody—that she didn’t know anything.”
“She didn’t.”
Buck made a face like he didn’t believe him. Then he turned to the others. “Let’s go.”
The others took Reid out the front door and Gavin pulled me along behind them. For once, I wished our street wasn’t so quiet. There was nobody here to witness us being taken.
Two black SUVs idled at the curb, and Reid and I exchanged a glance before they put us into separate vehicles.
Throughout the whole trip, Gavin’s hand stayed around my arm and he never said a word. I was just glad Buck wasn’t in this car—but then regretted thinking it, because it meant he was with Reid.
They didn’t bother with a blindfold, or prevent me seeing where we were going, so it was obvious we were headed toward Huntington on Long Island. We passed huge mansions and other properties hidden by gates and hedges. Expensive properties that couldn’t be seen from the road.
Not much later, we were following a long road to a big house surrounded by trees. They pulled into the circular driveway in front of a huge porch and got us out. Reid had two men on either side of him, but he was staring at the house like he’d seen it before.
They brought us inside where only a few lights were on, illuminating the large paintings on the walls and the huge staircase wrapping along the right wall. They kept us moving, down a wide hallway, past multiple doors, and into a huge office with full bookshelves and a flat-screen TV hanging in the corner.
I glanced behind me quickly, catching Reid’s eye. He didn’t try to smile or nod, and I realized it was because he was nervous. It wasn’t reassuring.
There was a man sitting on one of the couches by the fireplace, reading something on his iPad.
Buck said, “Knox.”
The man looked up and I finally made the connection. This was Knox? The man who was supposedly taking drifters? The leader of the sliders? No wonder Reid was nervous—we were in his house.
His short hair had tinges of gray in it, but he appeared to be no older than my dad. He was tall, too, even taller than Buck, who stood a head taller than Reid and had a sharp look about him, an aura that spoke of confidence and intelligence.
“Any trouble?” Knox asked, his eyes gazing over us. They lingered over Reid a little while longer, curiosity striking.
“No trouble,” Buck told him. “Gavin was quick.”
Knox finally stood and came over to take a closer look.
“And I see you’ve brought an extra guest?”
“This one came to us.”
Knox raised an eyebrow and looked at Reid. “What’s your name?”
When Reid didn’t say anything right away, Buck slapped the back of his head and, surprisingly, Knox got angry about it. He grabbed Buck’s shoulder and said, so low I could barely hear, “Wait outside.”
Buck hesitated, looking like he wanted to say something, then left Reid’s side and walked out the door.
Knox looked at everyone else and said, “Give us the room, and free his hands.”
Gavin finally let go of my arm and unlocked the cuffs around Reid’s wrists. Knox gestured toward the couch and took a seat at the opposite one. Everyone else left the room except Gavin, taking a standing position behind Knox.
I glanced at Reid, wondering if we could drift before they stopped us. He caught my eye like he was thinking the same.
“Please,” Knox said, seeing our hesitation. “If you leave now, you’ll never find your parents.”
I took a sharp breath and turned to him. “What did you say?”
“Your parents are missing, right?”
“Yeah, because of you.” I was surprised at the anger in my voice but asked anyway, “Where are they?”
Knox had the audacity to look confused.
I took a step closer, ready to do something I’d regret, and Reid stopped me with a hand around my wrist.
“Sam, wait.” Reid glanced at Knox and said, “Maybe we should hear him out.”
“Hear him out? He took my parents and brother.”
Reid finally looked away from Knox and whispered in my ear, “I don’t think he did.”
I looked back at t
he man on the couch, wondering if anything he told me would be the truth. I couldn’t trust anything he said, could I?
“How do we know you didn’t take them?” I asked.
Knox sighed and answered, “Because long ago, your father and I used to be friends.”
Knox and my dad were . . . friends? “Why would my dad be friends with you? My dad would never hang out with someone who kidnaps teenagers or hires other people to do his dirty work.”
Knox tilted his head back, studying me. “They didn’t tell you anything, did they?” He gestured to the couch again. “Please, sit, and I will try my best to explain.”
We sat and I was glad Reid was close to me, giving me more courage than I would have had alone. He kept glancing at Gavin, and I wondered who he thought was the bigger threat in the room.
“What have your parents told you?” Knox asked, bringing back my attention.
“Nothing.”
His eyebrows knitted together. “Nothing? Not even of their past or—”
Reid interrupted. “She didn’t know anything until I told her she was a drifter barely even a day ago. Her parents left for the weekend and she got sick, and that’s when I figured it out.”
“What’s your name?”
“Reid.”
Knox asked me again, “So they told you absolutely nothing?”
“Yes.”
Knox just said, “Hmm.”
I let out a breath. “That’s all you have to say?”
Knox shrugged. “He always said he would try, but I never knew if he ever went through with it.”
“Try what?”
“Not telling you, for your own safety.” Knox leaned forward, elbows on knees. “As you can imagine, in our world, the longer someone doesn’t know they’re a drifter, the less danger they’re in. By not telling you, your parents delayed the process of your ability manifesting.”
Then Reid said the same thing. “Hmm.” I gave him a look and he actually smiled. “Sorry, it’s just . . . I never thought of it that way. I’m sure they always planned to be there for you when you got sick, but under the circumstances, they couldn’t.”
“Because they were taken.” I turned back to Knox. “How do I know you didn’t take them? Everyone knows you hate drifters.”
Knox spread out his palms and said, “Everyone knows we have our differences, yes, but your father wasn’t a drifter. And even though he married one and we lost touch, I still care about him.”
I opened my mouth, but no words came out, because what? It was like my mind was suddenly a sticky cloud and nothing made any sense. Thankfully, Reid made the connection for me.
He said, “He’s a slider? But—only drifters have been disappearing.”
Knox nodded once. “That’s true . . . until your father, Sam. Probably because he and your mother were together, but I can’t say for sure. But the fact is—we didn’t take them and we don’t know who did.”
“Then why are we here?” Reid asked, voicing my own thoughts.
For a moment, I felt lightheaded and just focused on breathing, then focused on listening to what Knox had to say and tried not to think about anything else. Knox was sure the missing drifters were still alive, but what if he was wrong?
“I sent for Sam because I think she might be able to help.” Knox looked at me and, again, even that was too much to take in. “Her family is missing and I couldn’t think of any other drifter who would be willing to talk with me.”
“You could have asked,” I said. “You know, instead of kidnapping me?”
“Would you have said yes?” Then Knox smiled because he saw the look on my face. “I didn’t think so. I’m sorry we had to be so . . . abrupt.”
Reid interjected, sounding angrier than before. “So you only care about the missing drifters because your friend is missing with them? How noble.”
“I never said I was a good man, Reid. But with this whole situation, I feel responsible.”
I narrowed my eyes. “How so?”
Knox stood and walked over to the corner of the room. It was like a scene from a movie—he took a painting down from the wall to uncover a safe hiding behind it.
“You know the saying ‘know your enemy?’“ Knox said, digging through the safe, finally turning back to us with a single piece of paper. “Well, I take that quite literally. Over the years, I’ve had a list of every drifter I’ve come to know about.”
“You made a list? Of people?”
“Drifters,” Knox corrected, like there was a significant difference. “And unfortunately, someone stole it.”
He sat back down, still holding the paper.
“Then what is that?” I asked.
“I keep two copies, because I’m not an idiot. This is the only thing I have that might help you find your parents. If you can find the person taking the drifters, maybe they’ll lead you back to your mom and dad.”
Knox handed me the list and Reid eyed it, asking, “How is this supposed to help us?”
“Whoever is responsible, they’re going down the list one by one, so if you find the next person before they’re taken—”
I finished for him. “Then maybe we can stop them.”
Knox sat back, nodding. “We would do it ourselves, but we obviously can’t travel like you do. You’ll need to be fast, try to get to the next person before it’s too late.”
I gripped the folded list in my hand, wondering how on Earth I could pull this off. Did he know who he was talking to? I had just learned to drift. I didn’t know what I was doing.
Reid put a hand on my arm and I looked over at him.
He said, “We can do this.”
And for some reason, I believed him.
“And to help you guys out,” Knox said, “I’m sending my son, Gavin, with you.”
Reid stiffened next to me and I immediately shook my head. “That’s not necessary.”
“No, it’s fine,” Reid said, and I gave him a confused look. He told me, “We can use all the help we can get.”
I took a deep breath and asked Knox, “So this is it? You bring us here, give us a list, and send us on our way?”
His mouth pressed into a thin line and finally said, “I wish I could do more. Please believe me when I say that.”
I stood, keeping a good grip on the list, like it was the only lifeline I had left. “I’m not going to believe anything until I find my family.”
Knox nodded and said, “I really hope you do.”
“And in the meantime, the least you can do is fix the door your people broke at my house and make sure my dog is taken care of.”
Reid glanced at me like he couldn’t believe I was making demands. Honestly, I couldn’t believe it, either, but it helped me feel like I had some control. Like I hadn’t just been taken against my will.
Knox actually smiled—just the teeniest amount, but still. “It’s the least I could do,” he agreed.
I glanced at Reid, silently telling him it was time to go, and we both left the room, not looking back. Another pair of footsteps followed us down the hall and out the front door. I didn’t like the idea of Gavin going with us, but did we have a choice?
Reid was tense beside me, and once we reached the driveway, he whirled on him. “What the hell, Gavin?”
In turn, Gavin glanced at the house, making sure nobody was around, and he finally said, “Look, I’m sorry, but we always made it a point to never talk about our families.”
Wait, what?
“You guys know each other?” I voiced, feeling really confused.
Reid scratched the back of his head and gestured at Gavin. “Well, I thought I did, but apparently that was just a misunderstanding. It might’ve been good to know that your father was Knox. The guy who has it out for every drifter around.”
Gavin shook his head, practically rolling his eyes. “That’s not true and you know it. Buck is worse than him.”
“Did you just try to make a joke?” Reid asked.
Gavin threw his a
rms out and yelled, “What else am I supposed to do? If you knew who my father was, you never would have been friends with me.” He took a few breaths and said more quietly, “And I—I couldn’t not be friends with you.”
I glanced at Reid, whose shoulders finally relaxed, and he gave a smiling smirk before saying, “I think you know me well enough to know—I’m not that easy to get rid of.”
Gavin shrugged. “I suppose you do need to keep eating.”
That’s when Reid broke out into an actual smile. “That’s not all you’re good for.”
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you.”
“It doesn’t matter, I was just . . . surprised.”
“I was surprised when you turned up at Sam’s house. You’re crazy, you know that?”
Reid admitted, “Okay, but my secret wasn’t as big as yours.” Gavin nodded and Reid finally turned to me. “You ready to find your family?” He pointed a thumb at Gavin. “I think it’s okay if this guy tags along.”
“As long as you think he can help.”
Gavin nodded at the paper. “The sooner we get started, the better.”
I studied the folded paper in my hand and then opened it. It was like this was just the first page of a very complicated and thorough project. Like an index. The first column of names was a list of known deceased drifters. The second, a list of possible known drifters. And the third column was a list of confirmed drifters. Knox had circled the third list of names for me already, like it wasn’t obvious.
There were a lot of names I didn’t recognize, and then there was Mom’s name, and under hers was Logan’s. Looking at his name, I wondered, How did it happen? Maybe he was coming back from class, ready to take a nap for the day, and they came for him while he was sleeping. I hadn’t seen any signs of a struggle in his room and his phone was still there.
There were a lot of possibilities, and all of them didn’t matter because he was already gone.
“They’re both on here,” I said, still staring at the list. Would I be on the list if I knew I was a drifter sooner? Would I have already been taken?
Gavin asked, “Who is listed after your brother?”
I pulled my eyes off Logan’s name and read the next name. “Someone named Jake Courtney.” I looked up at Reid. “Your friend’s name is Jake, right? Is that him?”
