Take a Gamble

by Rachael Brownell

  I walk up the sidewalk and find Wes waiting on the front porch for me. He has a small box in his hands, probably with my things inside. He looks devastated. I see the look on his face and I have to look away. Making eye contact will only make it worse.

  “I packed it all up for you.”

  “Thanks.” He takes a step towards me and I reach out for the box but he doesn’t let go.

  “Can you at least have lunch with me?”

  “I don’t know if that’s a good idea, Wes. I know your wounds are still fresh and so are mine. I’m hurting, too.”

  “Yeah, but you have someone to comfort you. I don’t. Please, have lunch with me.” He’s begging and I’ve never heard him beg before. I feel sorry for him so I agree.

  I put the box in my backseat, lock up my car and hop into the passenger seat of his truck. He’s quiet as he drives. After about five minutes, it looks like we are going to jump on the highway. I know that Wes loves to drive Pacific Coast Highway, but I’m not in the mood for a road trip. I agreed to lunch, nothing more.

  “Where are we headed?”

  “Don’t worry about it,” he barks at me. I look over to see a devious grin spreading across his face.

  “Look, Wes, I know you’re upset with me, but I think you should take me back. We can talk about this another time. We can do lunch next week. How does that sound?”

  “Sounds like you’re about to be disappointed. We’re not going back. You and I are taking a little adventure.”

  “What do you mean? Where are we going?”

  “Don’t worry about it. In fact, why don’t you take a little nap?” He’s stabbing a needle in my leg before I even know what’s happening. I try to speak, to scream but the world goes black around me before I even get the chance.

  My head feels like it’s about to explode. It’s throbbing. I crack my eyes open and that only makes the pain worsen. Now I feel a little light headed and like I might puke. What the hell happened? Why does my head hurt?

  I keep my eyes closed and try to focus through the pain. I remember going over to Wes’ house to pick up my stuff. I remember him offering to take me out to lunch and I agreed. Then, nothing.

  What am I missing?

  I shift in my seat and I feel a tingling sensation in my thigh. A needle. Wes stabbed me with a needle. Why? What were we talking about? Why would he stab me with a needle and what the hell was in that needle?

  Whatever it was must have knocked me out. We’re still in the truck so I couldn’t have been out for that long. Why are we still driving? Where are we headed? Did he tell me? I don’t think he did. “A little adventure.” That’s what he said.

  “I know you’re awake so you might as well open your eyes.” Wes’ voice carries through the silence in the car. He sounds upset, irritated.

  I open my eyes and blink a few times to adjust to the setting sun streaming in my window. It’s almost completely beyond the horizon now so it has to be getting late. I look at the clock on the dash and see it’s just after 7:00pm. That means we’ve been on the road for almost six hours. Where is he taking me?

  “Are you going to tell me where we’re going?” I try to keep any indication of how scared I am hidden when I speak. I don’t want him to know that he’s scaring the crap out of me.

  “Well, my beautiful bride, we are going to get married tomorrow.” I cringe a little. Not because of what he said to me but because of how he said it, the sound of his voice. He sounded pure evil.

  I look around the truck for my purse. I need to get my hands on my cell phone so I can call for help. I have a feeling this is all going to end badly. I don’t see it ending any other way. I don’t see my purse anywhere. He must have it hidden. Smart guy.

  “Wes, I know I hurt you. Why do you still want to marry me after everything that has happened?” Maybe I can reason with him. Maybe I can talk my way out of this.

  “I love you, MacKenna, and I know you love me too. Everything was perfect before he showed up and ruined it.” He’s seething. I can hear how pissed off he is at Roe.

  “You’re right. It was perfect before he showed up but he didn’t ruin it. I did. If you want to be mad at someone, be mad at me. I made the decision to end our relationship, not him.”

  Why did I say that? Why am I protecting Roe when right now I’m the one in danger? I’m the one who needs to be protected. I should be agreeing with him and trying to plan my escape from him, not angering him further. Damn it!

  “You can take the blame if you want, but I saw the way you were looking at him at the game. I saw how uncertain you were. You weren’t looking at him like you looked at me. You weren’t looking at him like you loved him. He must have convinced you that you were still in love with him.”

  Wow! He really is delusional. He has no idea how much I love Roe. Wes has no idea that the way I used to look at him wasn’t how I look at Roe because he never held my entire heart. The small piece that he did hold, that piece belongs to Roe now as well.

  I want to tell him all of that. I want to argue with him. I don’t do either. I need to figure out a way to get away from him and if I anger him further by arguing with him, I may never be able to get away.

  “You’re right.”

  “I knew you would see it my way. We should be there in a few more hours. You can go back to sleep if you want.”

  He sounds so nice all of the sudden. Talk about bipolar.

  “Where exactly are we headed anyway?” Please tell me. I need to know. I look out the window and we are in the middle of the desert. I realize where we’re going just as he says it.

  “Vegas.”

  Shit!

  He’s going to try and make me marry him. He must think he can force me into it. Well, he can’t. I won’t let him. That’ll have to be when I escape. That’ll be my only shot. I have to get him to leave me alone long enough to at least call for help. Someone will come. Roe will come. Now, I need to locate my cell phone. I hope I didn’t let the battery die.

  I close my eyes and pretend to sleep so I don’t have to continue to try and carry on a conversation with him. The only thing I can think about is Roe. I wonder if he’s looking for me yet. He has to be by now. He has to know that something’s not right. I felt it before we even hit the highway, he has to feel it. I have no doubt that he’s looking for me. I hope he can find me. It took us four years to find each other again last time. I won’t survive another four years without him.

  ROE

  It’s getting close to midnight and I still haven’t heard from Mac. I keep trying her phone but it goes straight to voicemail every time. That doesn’t stop me from trying again ten minutes later just in case.

  I know something is wrong. She would never leave with Wes willingly. She wouldn’t leave me, not after all we went through to find each other again. She has to know that she’s it for me, for the rest of my life. I can’t, won’t, don’t want to live without her.

  He has to have taken her somewhere against her will. That’s the only thing I can come up with. Hailey offered to help me search for her but we both knew we wouldn’t find her. Not around here anyway. If they left together, whether Mac went by choice or not, they are headed somewhere far from here. If I were him, I would keep going and never look back. I have plans for his face if he ever shows it around me again.

  I know it’s the middle of the night in Boston but I call Alexa anyway. I need to know if I should have seen this coming. If anyone understands Mac’s mind, it’s her.

  “Hello?” She’s groggy and sounds like she’s probably still asleep.

  “Alexa. Wake up. Mac is still gone and I can’t find her.”

  “Okay. I’m up.” She’s slurring her words and sounds like she’s still asleep.

  “Alexa!” I scream into the phone and I hear a crash on the other end of the line. I wait, knowing the call is still connected, for her verbal abuse.

  “What the hell, Roe? I’m trying to sleep. What’s so damn important that it couldn’t wait unti
l morning?” I can hear the irritation in her voice but I don’t care. She’s going to change her tune in about two seconds.

  “Mac is missing.”

  The line is silent. She’s putting it all together and running it through her mind, processing what I said. This is how she operates. She tries not to say anything she’s not prepared to say.

  “Wes.” His name alone causes me to shiver.

  “I think so. She went to his house to get her things and no one has seen either of them since. I can’t get through to her on her phone, it keeps going to voicemail.”

  I want to ask her what she knows. Did Mac mention wanting to go back to Wes? Is she unhappy with me? Was this her plan all along? I want to ask Alexa but I’m also afraid to hear the answers. They may destroy me.

  “How long has she been gone?”

  “I talked to her after she got out of her last class this afternoon, about 1:00pm.”

  “What time is it there?”

  “Just after midnight. Sorry I called so late but I didn’t know who else to call. You understand her better than anyone. Why would she leave with him?” I hold my breath, waiting for her answer.

  “She wouldn’t.”

  “Oh thank God!”

  “You doubted that?” Surprise is the only thing I hear in her voice. I hadn’t realized I said that aloud.

  “Yes and no. I don’t understand where she is and why she hasn’t come back yet so I thought maybe she was running away with him. If that’s not the case, then we need to contact the police and report her missing.”

  My heart is racing and I’m pacing the living room again. She didn’t leave me. She was taken. Damn! That’s worse. I have no idea how to find her. What if he hurt her? I will fucking kill him if he hurt her.

  “Roe? You still there?”

  “Yeah. Sorry I was just thinking-“

  “About Mac. I know. I think you’re right. You need to call the police and report her missing. Tell them everything you know. I’m going to get up and try to book a flight. Hopefully I’ll be there by early afternoon.”

  “You don’t have to come out here, Alexa. What are you going to do? Wait around with me until they find her?”

  “Listen to me, Roe. Mac is my best friend. She has been since we were kids. There is nothing that I wouldn’t do for her. I agreed to stand up for her in her wedding because I love her but I always knew there was something off about Wes. There was something about the way he was always staring at Mac when she wasn’t paying attention which freaked me out a little. He was always looking at her, watching her, and his eyes told a story that I didn’t want to read. I was afraid of him. I tried to talk to Mac about it but she didn’t see it. Hailey didn’t see it, either. I was the only one. So, I am going to get on a plane and come help you find her and save her from him. I have no intention of waiting around until the police find her and I know you don’t either. I’ll see you in a few hours.”

  She hangs up on me. I had questions and she didn’t give me the chance to ask. I’m tempted to call her back but I know I need to call the police first. Someone has to start looking for her soon and I can’t leave until Alexa gets here.

  I tell the dispatcher what my emergency is and she takes my information. I tell her who I believe has her and why. She listens while I tell her everything I know and everything I suspect. Before I even have the chance to hang up, a police officer is knocking on my door.

  I go through the entire story again with him. I try not to leave anything out, knowing that sometimes the smallest bit of information can make or break a case. I’m hoping that I have the information he needs to find her. If I don’t, maybe Alexa will.

  He leaves me an hour later with a promise to try and find her and his business card. I sit down for the first time in what feels like hours and try to let my mind relax. I need to sleep but I know I won’t be able to. Images of Mac are racing through my mind. Images of her in pain, screaming for help, running scared.

  I open my eyes to try and avoid the images but they’re still there. I can’t get my brain to shut off. It only wants to think the worst. What about hoping for the best? What about keeping a positive outlook? I used to be able to do that, especially when it came to Mac. Now, my brain is blocking out the happy ending that I’m hoping for.

  Alexa calls at ten to let me know she’ll be landing in less than two hours. She’s sitting in the airport in Las Vegas, waiting to board her connecting flight.

  I hang up with her and jump in the shower, knowing I need to clean up. I wipe the fog off the mirror and take a good look at myself. I need a haircut. I need to shave. I need to sleep. You can tell I’m emotionally broke. The sparkle that Mac put in my eyes only a few weeks ago is gone, just like her.

  The drive to the airport drags on with each mile. I know that Alexa has the best of intentions. I know she plans to help in any way she can. I don’t know if I can handle being around her right now. Alexa and Mac are so much alike. I feel like I might have a nervous breakdown at any moment.

  I park and walk inside to find Alexa waiting for me as we planned. At the baggage carousel. Always there. I’m not sure why, but Mac always meets everyone at the baggage carousel so that’s what we decided also.

  “Hey,” I say as soon as she’s within ear shot. “Ready?”

  “Yeah. Let’s get out of here.”

  I expect her to say more. She normally doesn’t stop talking. Her silence tells me how scared she is. I think that makes me even more scared for Mac.

  “Alright,” she finally says as I pull out of the parking garage. “I have an idea but it’s a long shot.”

  “Well, since I’m fresh out of ideas, let’s hear it.” I don’t even try to hide the defeat in my voice. I ran out of ideas on how to find Mac months before I found her. In a way I guess she found me.

  “I was sitting in the airport, people watching, and I saw this couple. They looked happy and in love and then I noticed what they were wearing. She had on a wedding dress. They must have just gotten married. Now, I know it sounds like a long shot, but do you think that Wes would take Mac to Vegas? He wanted to marry her for a long time. He must have asked her three or four times before she said yes. Do you think he would force her to marry him?”

  I think about it and it makes sense in my head. Nothing has been making sense to me since Mac disappeared but this made sense. He wanted her to be his and the only way he could make that happen would be to force her to marry him. She wouldn’t do it willingly. He would have to trick her or threaten her.

  “I think you might be right,” I say as I pull off the freeway and onto my street. “Let me pack a bag and we’ll head out.”

  Hold on Mac. We’re coming for you.

  Nine hours in a car with Alexa is the closest to pure Hell I have ever experienced. I knew she was a talker. I knew she was opinionated. I never realized she didn’t have an off button or even a pause button. I was praying a semi would hit us about halfway here. Then I would think of Mac and how she was depending on us, on me, and I would push through.

  We pulled up to the valet station at the hotel and quickly got out to unload our bags and to stretch. As much as I didn’t enjoy listening to Alexa talk, I also didn’t want to stop unless necessary. Why prolong my agony?

  I check us into our rooms and we head up. I drop my bag in my room and meet Alexa back out in the hall. We’re starting our search right now. We have the perfect cover. We need a chapel to get married. The clerk at the front desk is happy to provide us with a lengthy list to help us out.

  Many of the chapels are located in one area of Vegas. I figured it would be best to start our search there. We could either eliminate a bunch of them right away or hopefully find her faster. If she’s here, that is. I’ve let Alexa convince me that she’ll be here. I don’t want to get ahead of myself. She may, in fact, not be here. It’s a long shot.

  My phone rings as the valet is brings the car around. I don’t recognize the number so I let it go to voicemail. My voicemail aler
ts me to a waiting message and then I dial in.

  Mr. Gamble, this is Detective Harrison and I was hoping to touch base with you about the missing person complaint you filed with us earlier today. Please call me back when you get this message so that I can fill you in on the most recent developments in the case.

  I don’t listen to the rest of the message. I hang up and call him back. Developments. There have been developments already? That was fast. Good news, I hope. Maybe she’s at home, waiting for me.

  “Harrison.”

  “Detective Harrison, this is Monroe Gamble. I just received your message.”

  “Yes, Mr. Gamble. I’m glad you called back. I finished interviewing Mr. Kaffin’s roommates and they seem to think that he and Miss Trist eloped. I understand that one of them spoke with Mr. Kaffin late last night. He told his roommate they would be getting married tomorrow and to not expect them back for a few weeks.”

  I hear what he’s saying and I don’t buy a bit of the crap which was peddled to him. Wes told his roommates that they “ran off together” not that he forced her to leave with him. I don’t believe she would go willingly. If she had wanted to be with him, wanted to marry him, she would have never started seeing me again. She would have saved us both the heartbreak. That’s the selfless person she is.

  “Thank you, Detective. I’m assuming that based on what you were told that you no longer consider her a missing person.”

  “No, she is still considered a missing person until we speak with her. I told Mr. Kaffin’s roommate to have her call me as soon as they hear from them.” He pauses, but I can tell that he has something else he wants to say. “Would you like me to let her know that you would like to speak to her?”