by Caitlyn Dare
I want to cuss and shout that he doesn't have anything better, but I know he’s right. We can’t possibly make a plan until we know what we’re dealing with.
The rest of the drive toward Sterling Heights is in silence. The tension and anticipation in the car is so thick it’s hard to breathe, but I use it to fuel me. I channel it into my determination to get Hadley out of this in one piece.
Every part of me screams to go running in there, but I know I need to be smarter if I don’t want to get us all killed.
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.
“This is all your fault,” I grate out.
Ace glances over at me. “You really want to play that game right now?”
“I need to blame someone,” I mutter, once again beginning to lose control.
“Yeah, well try looking a little further afield than this car. I only did what I had to do to keep us alive. Our parents are the ones who fucked this all up.”
Ain’t that the fucking truth.
“You still want to go to James with this?”
“I don’t fucking know what to do about this right now. This is a fucking mess.” Anger fills his tone, and while I know that he’s pissed I took his place with Donny, I suspect he’s angrier with himself for putting me in that position in the first place.
“If that cunt had just done what he should have from the very beginning, then none of this would have happened,” I muse.
“It’s too late now, Cole. What’s done is done.”
“For you, maybe,” I mutter, but I soon slam my lips shut when he looks over at me.
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
“Nothing. Forget it.”
“Fuck that, Cole. What don’t I know?”
“Nothing. Go down that way,” I say, pointing down one of the various tracks that lead to our former trailer park.
He glances over, his eyes telling me that this isn’t over. As far as I’m concerned, it is. I have no intention of ever telling anyone the things that still haunt me from our childhood. No one else deserves to have that fucked-up shit in their heads.
Ace pulls the car to a stop and kills the engine far enough away that no one would hear us coming.
“What the fuck are you waiting for?” I bark at him when he remains in his seat.
“Pass me your cell again.”
I do as I’m told, and he stares down at the image in silence for a few seconds.
“What?”
“Nothing, let’s go and see what’s going on.”
We jump out of the car before climbing the bank that will allow us to see the trailer park in the valley below.
The second our old home emerges before us, we both notice the issue.
“Where the fuck is it?”
“Motherfucker,” I roar.
“We should have known it wasn’t going to be this easy.”
My eyes lock on the patch of land where our old, dilapidated trailer used to sit. Nothing else has changed, but our home, the only evidence we ever existed here, is gone.
“Now wha—” My words are cut off as Ace waves his arm in front of my face before pointing across the park.
“See him?” he whispers.
I narrow my eyes in the direction he’s looking, and after a few seconds, movement in the trees catches my eye. “They’re waiting for us.”
“So what’s the plan? She isn’t here, so it seems pointless going down there and getting ambushed,” I point out.
“But then how are we going to find out where she is? They’re the only fuckers who know. We need them to lead us to her.”
“What are you thinking?” I ask.
Ace blows out a slow breath that only succeeds in filling my stomach with dread. “I think that I should go down there. Let them catch me in the hope they’ll take me to the same place. You can follow.”
“Just like that?” I don’t like it, at all, but we’re running out of time.
“Do you have a better fucking suggestion?” he snaps.
“Beat it out of him and leave the fucker fighting for his life?”
Ace eyes me for a second. “You really think that just because he’s the only one we see, he’s the only one down there? Donny knows what we’re capable of. He’s got his best guys down there waiting for us.”
“Great,” I mutter.
“Exactly. That means they’re not surrounding her. He’s probably left her wide open. We find her, it should be fairly straightforward.”
“Ok, great.” Sarcasm drips from my words. “Off you go then.”
He turns to look at me once more, shaking his head. “I know you’re getting impatient. Trust me, I understand, but we need to do this smart, not fast.
“The longer they wait, the more they’ll start to believe we’re not coming. They’ll get bored, impatient… tired. We need everything to our advantage right now, not to mention that when the sun sets, it’ll make my arrival more of a surprise. I’m more than willing to take down a few fuckers if I can.”
“So we just sit here and wait until the sun sets while fuck knows what is happening to Hadley?”
“He won’t touch her.” Ace levels me with a serious look.
“You sound awfully confident about that.”
“I know Donny,” he says. “I know how his mind works.”
“And if you’re wrong?”
“Then it’s just something we’ll have to live with.”
“I need her fucking back, Ace.”
“I know, man.” He reaches over and squeezes my shoulder. “Trust me, I get it. And we’re going to get her back. Hadley is stronger than this, and lucky for her, we’re better than Donny fucking Lopez. You don’t work for that cunt for as long as I have and not learn a few of his tricks.”
The next couple of hours are up there with some of the longest of my life as we watch Donny’s guys below do exactly as Ace predicted. They get bored and start wandering around instead of hiding in the shadows like he guessed they would.
They expected us to turn up before now.
“Why don’t we own a sniper rifle?” I ask. It’s not really a serious question, more just something to fill the painful silence around us. “It would have made this so much fucking easier.”
“Probably because I don’t really want to spend the rest of my life locked up for armed murder. That something you’re interested in?”
I swallow nervously. I could already be put away for a long time if the truth were to ever surface. And for all I know, every motherfucker down there knows my secret. Another reason why killing them off one by one seems appealing to me right now.
“No one would know it’s us.”
Ace narrows his eyes at me. “You’re fucking serious.”
“Oh, so you wouldn’t be saying the same if it meant getting Remi back in one piece.”
“Fuck me, Cole. You really fucking love her, don’t you?”
“I… uh…” My chest tightens.
“Yeah, don’t worry, bro. It takes a while to get used to.” Silence falls between us as I try to accept his words, but much like everything else that’s happened in the couple of days, they just don’t register.
I don’t think anything will until I can pull Hadley into my arms once more, knowing that she’s okay.
“Right. I’m done waiting. Shall we?”
Ace pushes from the ground and holds the car keys out for me. “You know where to wait, yeah?” I nod. “Don’t follow too close. You give yourself up, and all this is fucked.”
“I won’t. I got this.”
“Good. I’ll see you at the other end, brother.” He pulls me into a hug. I expect it to be a quick one, but when he holds me a little longer than I was anticipating, I start to wonder what he’s really trying to tell me with his unusual show of affection.
“Take those motherfuckers down.”
“As many as I can.”
He disappears into the undergrowth as I fall down into the driver’s seat, ready to go and park up in a layby tha
t will give me the perfect vantage point to see everyone who enters, and most importantly, exits, the trailer park. I’ve just got to hope that the vehicle I choose to trail holds my brother and leads us both to my girl.
Chapter Three
Hadley
I have no idea how long I’ve been here when the door creaks open again.
“And stay the fuck down,” someone yells as a body is thrown inside the trailer.
“A-Ace?” I let out a sob of relief—until I get a look at his mangled face. Blood seeps from a gash in his eye, and his lip is swollen and sore.
“Oh my God,” I breathe.
“It looks worse than it is.” He crawls toward me on his knees, and it’s then I realize that his hands are also bound.
“Why is he doing this?”
“Because he’s a piece of shit.”
“Is Cole—”
“He’s right behind me, but don’t worry, he’s our escape plan.”
“No,” I cry. “He can’t take them on by himself.”
“Hey, this is Cole we’re talking about.” Ace’s eyes bore into mine. His intensity should scare me, but oddly, it grounds me. “He’ll figure it out. Are you okay? They didn’t...”
“The guy who took me… he gave me something. I woke up in a van. But they didn’t hurt me, not really.”
“Thank fuck.” He breathes a sigh of relief. “I’m going to see if I can get these cable ties off.” Ace twists and turns, trying to see his wrists. “Shit, they’re on tight.”
“What time is it?” I ask.
“About eight.”
“How did you find me?” I ask, watching him struggle against his restraints.
“I recognized the trailer in the photo Donny sent Cole.”
“He sent him a photo?”
“Yeah. But when we got to the trailer park to check it out, it was gone.”
“Gone? But how—“
“Donny must have had it towed here. He owns the Heights. No one would have batted an eyelid.”
I try to process everything Ace is saying, but it’s a lot.
Cole is out there. He came. But the relief I feel is nothing compared to how terrified I am that he’ll get hurt.
Silence falls over us. Ace is sagged against the counter. I can just make out his profile in the shadows.
“I’m sorry you got caught up in all this,” he says.
“It’s not your fault.”
“It is... I should have paid closer attention, forced Cole to tell me what he was—”
“Ace, stop. People choose their actions. Nobody forced Donny to do this, just like nobody forced Cole. He did what he did because he cares about you, because he wanted you to have a shot at something different.”
“Yeah, but fuck, he’s my brother.” Pain twists his features. “It’s supposed to be me protecting him.”
“So this is where you lived, huh?”
It doesn’t resemble a home now. It’s trashed and smells like something died in here.
I shudder, hoping it didn’t.
“Yeah,” he answers. “Although so much has happened since we left, it doesn’t really feel like home anymore, ya know?”
Everything goes quiet again, until Ace says, “He’s different with you. I don’t think I’ve ever seen my brother care about something other than me, Conner or football. Can I ask you something?”
“Okay.”
“Do you love him?”
“I...” I press my lips together to give myself time to formulate a reply. But how do I even begin to put into words what Cole and I share?
“It wasn’t supposed to happen. I just saw something in Cole... something I can relate to.”
“I know that feeling. Remi knocked me so hard on my ass I still have bruises.” He chuckles. “Cole isn’t like most people, Hadley. He keeps a wall up.”
“I know.” Because I do too.
“He’s going to be in a dark place after this,” Ace sighs. “Just promise me, whatever happens, you won’t give up on him. He needs you.”
Ace’s words wrap around my heart, but then I imagine Cole’s face when he finds out I might be pregnant.
“Hadley?” Ace asks when a whimper spills from my lips.
“I’m okay.” The lie sours on my tongue.
“I know you’re scared, but just hang in there. Cole is coming, I promise.”
The minutes drag, each one longer than the last.
“Where is he?” Ace grunts from the shadows.
“Maybe they got—“
“No, Cole wouldn’t let that happen. Not when you’re in here.”
I’m about to ask him what he means when I smell something. Tipping my face up, I sniff the air, panic snaking through me when I smell burning.
“Ace....”
“Yeah, I smell it. Fuck,” he grumbles. “Okay, we need to get out of here.”
An amber glow penetrates the boarded windows, making everything look ethereal.
“The trailer is on fire,” I cry. “Oh God, what are we going to do?”
“Hadley, I need you to calm the fuck down. It could be nothing.”
“Nothing? Nothing?” I shriek as smoke begins to fill the trailer.
“I need to get out of these fucking cable ties.” Ace begins to shuffle on his knees. “Can you see anything that might help?”
“I can hardly see you.” I cough and splutter as the smoke thickens, invading my senses. My eyes water, overpowered by the smell, and my lungs burn.
“Try not to breathe it in,” he orders, still rooting around the trailer.
But the more I panic, the more I suck in greedy breaths.
We’re going to die here.
The thought slams into me like a bolt of lightning. I’m never going to get to tell Cole how I feel about him. I’m never going to find out whether I’m pregnant or not. I’m never going to get to live.
Tears stream down my face as I start to drown in a trailer full of smoke.
“Hadley, I can’t see you. Just stay calm, okay? Cole will—“
“HADLEY?” a voice roars.
“Cole, thank fuck.” The words catch in Ace’s throat, and he starts choking.
The door is wrenched off its hinges and Cole’s silhouette fills the space. He looks like a dark angel against hell’s inferno.
“Get Hadley,” Ace yells. “I can make it out.”
I can see the inky night beyond Cole’s shoulders, but exhaustion weighs heavily in my body.
“Cole,” I croak, as the world starts to fade. My body slumps forward as I desperately try to stay lucid, but strong arms catch me.
“I’ve got you, Dove.”
But I lose the fight, and darkness engulfs me.
“She needs a hospital.”
“No, no fucking way. We need to end this, and now.”
Cole and Ace’s voices flit through my groggy mind. I try to open my eyes, but it’s safer here. Fingers gently brush my face and I turn into their warmth, wanting more.
“She’s coming to.”
Cole.
It’s Cole.
But just as I reach for him, my body begins to crash again.
“She needs a doctor.”
“So we get her a doctor. But not a hospital. She wouldn’t want that.”
“Fine, we take her to James’ house. Ellen might be able to help us.”
My body sinks further and further into the abyss, and the last thing I hear is Cole.
“Don’t leave me, Dove. I need you.”
My eyes flutter open and relief slams into me.
I’m okay.
Everything aches and my throat is dry and sore, but I’m okay.
I’m alive.
“C-Cole?” I rasp, but it’s Remi who rushes over to my side.
“Hadley, thank God. I was so scared...” She stops herself. “You’re okay, Hads. You’re going to be okay.”
I go to lift a hand to my head but feel the sharp pinch of an IV running into my skin.
“The doc
tor said fluids would help.”
“D-Doctor?” I try to sit up, but the room spins.
“You need to relax.” Remi gives me a reassuring smile. “You’ve been through some major trauma.”
“Cole, where’s Cole?”
“He’s... he’s not in a good place.” Her expression darkens. “Ace is trying to talk him out of doing anything stupid.”
“I need to see him.”
“I’m not sure that’s a good—“
“Remi, please.” Tears prick my eyes as I clutch her hand. I can’t explain it, but I need to see Cole myself.
“Okay.” She lets out a resigned sigh. “But don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
Remi hesitates, and I ask, “What is it?”
“I told him. I’m sorry, but when we realized you were gone, I panicked.”
My eyes shutter as I inhale a sharp breath.
Cole knows.
He knows I might be pregnant.
“Maybe seeing him isn’t—“
The door opens, and Ace peeks inside. “It’s good to see you awake.”
I nod, because it’s all too much.
The kidnapping. The trailer. The fire.
We could have died.
But as Ace stares back at me, I feel a strange sense of comfort. He gets it. He was there.
He almost died too.
“I’m glad you’re okay,” I say, my voice cracked with pain.
“Cole wants to know if he can see you?”
“Okay.” The word falls from my lips.
“You sure?” Remi asks, and I nod. “We’ll be right outside.” She squeezes my hand before walking over to Ace. The two of them leave me alone, and, seconds later, Cole appears.
The sight of him has fresh tears burning the backs of my eyes.
“You’re okay,” I say.
He steps into the room, closing the door behind him. “Isn’t that supposed to be my line?” There’s no hint of softness in his face, no relief in his eyes. Instead, anger bleeds from him.
“Cole, I—“
“Shh.” He reaches me and brushes a finger down my cheek. I watch with awe as he studies my face, imprinting it to memory as if it might be the last time he ever sees me.
