by Julia Crane
Slowly, she opened her eyes and looked up at Keegan. She shook her head and stood up. “I don’t know where she is, but she isn’t far, and she is definitely there against her will.”
“Is she being hurt?” Keegan asked, alarmed.
“I don’t think so. She looks like she was just left alone in an empty room.”
Keegan crossed her arms, gazing off into the distance. “Hmm. How in the world are we going to find her?”
“I have no idea, but we have to try.” Anna gestured for Keegan to follow as she walked back towards Calvron’s car.
In the hot, bright midday sun, Anna thought of Lauren in that inky dark room. She hurt inside because she knew Lauren hated the dark.
She yanked open the truck’s door and slid inside. “I can’t find her. She’s in a small room, like a closet or something, but I can’t find the location. Some kind of magick is dulling my senses. She’s very upset.”
Calvron slammed his fist into the steering wheel. “I knew he was no good. Why didn’t she listen to me?”
Sam, leaning in Calvron’s open window with Donald and Spencer on either side of him, shook his head. “Getting pissed isn’t going to help us. If we can’t use magick to find her, we’ll just have to do it the old-fashioned way. Does her car have a GPS locator? Or we can track her phone.”
“I can hack into the phone system,” Audrey spoke up quietly.
All heads turned in her direction. She looked so innocent, standing still behind Donald, not quite an outsider, but not fully a part of the group.
“Really?” Keegan asked, clearly impressed.
She shrugged. “Sure, it’s easy.”
Calvron twisted around to grab his backpack from the backseat. He eased out his laptop and turned on his cell phone as a tether. “It’s a weak signal out here, but it will do.”
Anna hopped out of the truck, and Audrey slid into her place, accepting Calvron’s laptop. “What’s her number?” she asked. After Anna rattled it off, she typed away furiously on the computer for about ten minutes without pause. Then she shut the computer and handed it back to Calvron.
“Sorry. Her phone has been disabled. Whoever has her is good, but…” A wide grin spread across her face. “I got her last location.”
Calvron pulled up to the swanky gate outside of Tristen’s place. The security guard stepped out of the fancy gatehouse and looked into the truck.
“We’re here to visit a friend.” Calvron told him.
The guard narrowed his eyes. “Name?”
“Calvron Foster.”
“Who are you here to see?” The guard glanced down at his clipboard, his dark eyes searching the paper. “I don’t see you listed.”
“A buddy of mine—Tristen. My friend Lauren left something at my house, and I’m bringing it over for her,” Calvron lied smoothly.
The guard ducked his head to look over at the girls squashed together in the passenger seat. Keegan smiled and waved.
“I’ll let you through,” the guard said gruffly. “But you need to leave your ID with me.”
Calvron pulled his wallet out of his back pocket and handed the guard his driver’s license.
The large iron gate opened slowly. No one in the car breathed until they passed beneath it.
“I was scared for a minute he wasn’t going to let us in,” Anna said.
Calvron looked in his rearview mirror at Donald pulling up behind him. “I don’t think they’re going to get so lucky.”
Anna turned and saw Donald backing his car out. Oh well, at least there were three of them.
Calvron veered to the right. Anna pointed and yelled. “There’s her car.”
“What are we going to do?” Keegan asked. “You know he’s not going to let us just waltz inside.”
“You could turn invisible,” Anna said excitedly.
“Yeah, but I can’t walk through walls,” Keegan reminded her.
“Let’s just see what happens. We’ll have to wing it from there.” Calvron eased his car into a visitor’s slot, and they jumped out.
Keegan pressed the doorbell until she heard the chimes echo back. She rang the bell three more times. They stood there for five minutes, but no one answered
“Let’s walk around back. He has those big sliding glass doors,” Anna said.
Calvron led the way around the side of the house, over the small patch of perfectly mown yard between Tristen’s and the neighbor’s. The wrought iron gate shone in the sunlight. It didn’t make a sound as they pushed through it and into the backyard, where the swimming pool glistened and the lounge chairs sat empty.
They pressed their faces to the window of the kitchen and peered inside. All the lights were out, but they saw discarded fast food wrappers on the kitchen table and soda cans on the island. A laptop sat open, but dark. It appeared no one was home.
“Do you know what kind of car Tristen drives? I didn’t see any vehicles out front,” Calvron asked, his breath fogging up the glass.
“No, but I’m sure it’s something fancy,” Keegan mumbled. She looked around, searching for a way she could use her power.
“We could break a window,” Anna suggested.
Calvron rolled his eyes. “Sure, then the cops will be crawling all over the place.”
“Maybe that’s not such a bad thing,” Keegan said thoughtfully. She grabbed the handle and pushed down, gasping when the door creaked open.
“I can’t believe it!”
“We’re in luck,” Anna whispered, a smile on her face. Apparently, Tristen’s arrogance over his own safety could be his downfall.
They glanced at each other one last time, and then Calvron stepped through the door. For a long minute, they cringed just inside the doorway in the stillness of the house, waiting for an alarm to announce their presence, but they were met with silence.
The three of them stuck together as they tiptoed through the house, peeking in doors and closets. As they entered the master bedroom, they heard someone clear their throat.
They whipped around. Galen stood in the doorway, his hands clasped behind his back. He raised an eyebrow. “Can I help you?”
“Umm, hey, Galen! We were just looking for Lauren,” Anna blurted out. “She was supposed to come back to our place so we could go on a road trip and she never showed up. We got worried she got in an accident or something.” Anna heard herself talking a mile a minute, a sure sign she was nervous.
“She’s not here,” Galen responded easily as he leaned against the doorframe, blocking their way out. “She and Tristen left about twenty minutes ago.”
Keegan narrowed her eyes. “Where did they go?”
Galen eyed her. “I don’t know. I’m not their babysitter. I think Tristen had to take care of something at his office.”
“Where’s that?” Anna demanded.
Galen shrugged. “Downtown—Tel-Corp. Big glass building, can’t miss it. You do know that you’re breaking and entering, right?”
“We were concerned,” Calvron barked.
Anna put a hand on his arm to shush him. “Can we just take a quick look around the house to make sure Lauren isn’t here?” she asked.
Galen shrugged. “Sure, but make it quick. If Tristen comes home and sees you, he’s not going to be thrilled.”
Calvron looked like he wanted to say something, but Galen just turned his back on them and walked out the door, disappearing down the hall.
Anna, Keegan, and Calvron checked every nook and cranny. Lauren was not there.
Chapter 22
Lauren screamed at the top of her lungs. A lot of good it did—her tiny prison of a room was obviously soundproof.
She jumped to her feet and walked around the room, dragging her hand along the smooth wall. She’d already done it before, but she still held out hope that she could find some kind of emergency release. She’d never heard of a completely empty safe room. Usually they had supplies and things to keep you busy, just in case you were in there for a long time, whether because
of a storm or because someone broke into your house.
The dungeon. She felt sick to her stomach, wondering how many times before Tristen had used the same room to torture people. She had foolproof evidence that her boyfriend was a scumbag, but she still had hard time accepting it. She felt raw inside. If only she could wake up and find this had all been a terrible nightmare.
At least the jerk was gone. She sank back to the ground, and then immediately sprung back to her feet. He’s gone. She laughed manically, the sound harsh and startling in the still room.
He’s gone.
For the first time, hope welled up in her chest. She could get out and stop whatever madness Tristen and his friends had planned.
Lauren closed her eyes and splayed her hands across the wall. She pictured the fuse box. A bright fluorescent light came on in the room, causing her to squint.
Now I just have to undo the lock. Piece of cake. Lauren mentally beckoned the key pad. It was a snap for her to figure out which keys had been used the most. It took her four tries, but she finally got the right combination. The door clicked open.
Lauren stood still only for an instant, and then forced herself to move forward. Her stomach churned. The hairs on the back of her neck stood on edge, but she had to take the chance.
Inching the door open wider, Lauren peeked outside and didn’t see anyone. Her instincts screamed at her; something wasn’t right. Tristen was not dumb, so he would never let her escape this easily.
The house was unnaturally quiet. Maybe luck was on her side. She almost snorted at the thought. Luck had not been her friend lately.
Adrenaline rushed through her entire body. Lauren quickened her steps, trying to move silently through the guest room towards the closed door. Her skin felt cold and clammy. Tristen’s bedroom was right across the hall. If she could just make it there, she could sneak out the back door onto the patio.
Drawing a long, deep breath, she opened the bedroom door. It creaked slightly, and Lauren almost jumped out of her skin. She stayed perfectly still, her fingers wrapped around the cool, brass doorknob as she took a couple of deep breaths. When she had a hold of herself, she peered out, looking up and down the hallway.
Nothing.
Please. Please, gods, help me get out of here alive.
She made a beeline for Tristen’s room. The door stood partly open, so she just pushed it a little wider and slid into the room. Silence. The blinds covering the patio doors were open, letting soft light filter through the large windows. So close. Just a few more steps and she would be out of there.
She tiptoed across the plush carpet. She touched the door handle; pain flooded her body. She dropped to her knees, unable to move, the breath knocked out of her. The pain faded just as fast as it had come.
“Tristen knew you would try to escape.” Galen’s lazy voice filled the room. “You should have just stayed where you were, Lauren. Now things are going to get much worse for you.”
Her body relaxed. She turned slowly.
Galen stood in the doorway. He smiled, a surprisingly kind smile considering the circumstances. “You just missed your friends. A caring bunch.”
“My friends? What did you do to them?” She would never forgive herself if something had happened to them because she hooked up with a nutcase.
He shrugged. “Sent them on a wild goose chase.”
“I thought you were my friend,” Lauren managed to choke out. “Please just let me go.”
“I can’t do that.” A flicker in his eyes, of something that looked almost like remorse, quickly gave way to a grim expression.
She knew it was useless, but she wasn’t going down without a fight. She glanced up at the ceiling, willing the light to overheat. Shards of glass rained down on Galen, who threw up his hands to cover his face.
She only made it a couple of steps outside the patio doors before the pain hit her again. It was worse this time. Her muscles seized up, and she collapsed to the ground, her vision turning black as she twitched on the bricks.
“You got spunk. I’ll give you that.” Galen lifted her and threw her over his shoulder. The pain dissipated immediately, her vision returning as she hung upside down on his back. He held her firmly; Lauren knew that she wouldn’t be able to escape his grasp.
“Why are you doing this? Can’t you see he is insane?” Lauren screamed, kicking her legs in a desperate attempt to make contact with something that would hurt him.
Galen didn’t respond. He just carried her back to the room, unaffected by her struggling, then put her on the floor. She could see shards of glass in the collar of his shirt and dozens of tiny cuts on his face and neck. A few more scars to add to his already rugged face, Lauren thought, horrified to realize that, after all of this, she still thought he was cute.
She tried to run past him, but he stopped her cold. “Tristen will be home momentarily. Try to escape again, and I will have to make this much worse for you.”
“What does he want me to do?”
“Unthinkable things, Lauren.” Galen gave her one last, lingering look, his face unreadable, before he left the room, shutting the door behind him.
Lauren heard the lock click loudly in place. She had no doubt he was standing guard outside. She’d had a chance to escape and she’d blown it.
Lauren didn’t know how much time had passed before the musty earth smell once again filled her nostrils. A cold feeling of dread washed over her—Tristen was back.
The door swung open. Lauren squinted into the sudden light, seeing nothing but a silhouette. “Tsk. Tsk. I hear you tried to escape? Naughty girl.” He sounded like he was enjoying himself.
How could she have had such poor judgment when it came to him?
Tristen snickered. “Stand up.”
She stayed rooted to the floor. If he wanted her up, he would have to do it himself.
“You never make things easy, do you Lauren?” He yanked her to her feet. Her elbow scraped the stone. It felt so real that she flinched.
She heard the metallic rattle of a chain. No. No. No. She tightened her body, struggling to break free from his grasp as she whimpered. “Please don’t.”
“Don’t cry. You know I hate to hear you cry.” Tristen brushed back a strand of her hair and bent down to kiss her lips. He pulled a clamp down over her wrist and tightened it just enough to be uncomfortable.
Chained. Like an animal. She felt sick to her stomach.
“Tomorrow this will be all over. We’ve decided to move our plans ahead a few days. If you just do as we say, everything will be okay. I convinced my father that you are useful, so you will be kept alive. We will just have Galen wipe your mind. You and I will do great things together, my love.”
He clamped the manacle over her left wrist. The chains rattled as they pulled her arms above her head. She tried to struggle, but that just made the pain worse.
“Your first task will be simple,” Tristen said firmly. “Once we get through that, and my father sees how much of an asset you are to the cause, we will bring the humans to their knees.”
“You’ve lost your mind,” Lauren spat.
Tristen gave her an indulgent smile. “You’ll come around. You always do.”
“I can’t believe I ever fell for you. We’re through.” She knew how pathetic it sounded, but somehow made her feel a little better.
“You say that now, but, after tomorrow, you won’t recall a thing. We’ll go back to the way it was before, with you at my beck and call.” He smirked.
Bile rose in her throat. If she’d had anything in her stomach, she would have thrown up. Just the thought of food made her feel weak.
As if he could read her mind, Tristen murmured, “Don’t worry. Galen will bring you some food. We need to keep your energy levels high enough to complete the job.”
She grasped the chains with her fingers and yanked as hard as she could.
“Don’t bother,” he said with a laugh. He was still little more than a dark shape in front of her, his f
ace shadowed. “You can’t get free.”
“Why are you doing this?” she moaned, hating the sound of her own voice. She’d never felt so hopeless.
“There is no other way. I do love you, Lauren.” He turned on his heel and left the room.
How could he do this to her and still claim he loved her? He chained her to a wall, for crying out loud.
She couldn’t fight the sobs when they came, but she tried with little headway to yank the chains from the walls. As the cold and damp settled into her skin, she bloodied her wrists trying to break free. She tired quickly though, sinking against the wall as her tears slowly came to a stop.
She knew he could do exactly as he said: use her as a weapon and swipe her mind clean. Hell, maybe he had already done it and she didn’t know.
That thought terrified her.
Chapter 23
Lauren’s head shot up when the door creaked open. A stream of light flooded the room. She had sat in the dark for what felt like forever, listening to the rodents and bugs move around the spot where she was chained to the wall. Any doubt she had about Tristen had washed away in her hours of solitude. She hated him; she felt disgusted that she’d ever had feelings for the lowlife.
The greasy smell of fries and burgers made her mouth water. Just the thought of food brought tears to her eyes.
Galen came through the door holding a bag from Wendy’s. Her body felt weak, not just because her arms were chained to the wall. She was so hungry. Tristen knew she loved Wendy’s. That jackass knew everything about her. For the thousandth time, she thought, How could I have been so blind?
“Hungry?” Galen held out the bag.
The delicious smell grew stronger. Lauren closed her eyes and willed herself not to reach out in vain for the bag. She wasn’t going to play his stupid games. He probably wanted her to beg. That wasn’t going to happen.
“Tristen wants you to eat.”
“Tell Tristen to go screw himself.”
Galen sighed. “Just eat the food, Lauren. Please.”
“Not hungry.” She smiled at him, but it came out more like a grimace as she turned her face away from the bag.
