Dazzle

by Amber Garza

  “You still have dried blood all over your face,” Ariel says. “I’ll get you a rag.”

  “No.” The look of desperation returns to Sam’s features. “There’s no time. I’m sure I have something in my truck I can use. We have to get to Delaney now. Let’s go.”

  The last thing I want to do is get in the truck with Sam, but I realize that I don’t have any other choice. As I hop into the passenger side, I have a moment of hesitation. I hope this isn’t some kind of trap. But regardless, if Delaney’s life is at stake it’s a risk I have to take.

  Sam peels out while Ariel fishes in the backseat for a rag. Finally she locates one and shoves it in his direction.

  “Thanks,” he mumbles before swiping it across his face.

  “Where do you think she went?” I ask as he careens around a corner.

  “They took my phone. I think that’s how they got a hold of her. My guess is that they’re meeting at our usual spot.”

  “Where’s that?” I feel sick thinking about how they have a “usual spot.” It makes their relationship seem so real.

  “The park.” Sam throws the rag down even though there is still blood on his skin. His face looks terrified and he lets out a frustrated groan. “I just hope we get there in time.”

  I narrow my eyes at him. If I didn’t know better I’d say the guy really cares for Delaney. Then I remember that he’s the reason she’s in danger in the first place and the thought vanishes.

  “Do you have your phone?” Sam asks abruptly.

  I shove my fingers in my pocket. “Yeah.”

  “If she got a text from them she probably thought it was from me. Call her and tell her it wasn’t.”

  I am dialing her number before he even finishes talking. My fingers are sweaty and trembling. My heart beats faster with every ring. When her voicemail clicks on, I sigh heavily. “She’s not answering.”

  “Maybe she had a vision and she was able to get away.” Hope brightens Sam’s face.

  “But how come she’s not answering?”

  “I don’t know. Try her again.” Sam takes another corner so fast that my body slams against the window.

  While I dial again, Ariel leans forward from the backseat. “Um…Sam…my dad has been kidnapped by the Sarafites. Did they happen to mention anything to you about a hostage?”

  When Delaney doesn’t answer, I let out a frustrated groan. “Her voicemail came on again. This is not good.” My chest tightens and I have trouble breathing. I don’t know what I’ll do if anything happens to Delaney.

  “Um…Sam?”

  I’m irritated that Ariel is trying to get information out of Sam when we’re running out of time to save Delaney. “Ariel, let’s just deal with this issue right now, okay?”

  Her eyes widen and her lips tremble. It makes me feel bad for snapping at her. I’m just so worried right now. I can’t think straight.

  “No.” Sam glances at Ariel through the rearview mirror. “They didn’t mention a hostage. What’s your dad’s name?”

  I’m surprised by Sam’s gracious behavior. I mean, I’ve known the guy for years and he’s always been a colossal jerk. This Sam is new to me.

  “Killian.”

  Sam laughs, appearing stunned. “You’re kidding, right?”

  “No.” Ariel scoots toward the front seat. “Why?”

  “Killian’s the guy I’ve been dealing with. He’s a Sarafite leader. He’s the one who’s after Delaney right now.”

  Ariel’s face drains of color. “No, that’s not possible.”

  “I’m sorry, but it’s the truth,” Sam says.

  I feel sick, but I don’t have it in me to comfort Ariel. All I want at this moment is to find Delaney and get us all to Zerach’s headquarters. Everything has gotten too out of control. As Sam flies around another corner, I hear Ariel sniffling in the backseat. I glance back, a funny feeling in the pit of my stomach. I remember Delaney telling me about the Ekloge Warrior who would betray us. Ariel’s story has always seemed a little off, and now I find out her dad is the Sarafite who’s trying to kidnap Delaney. It’s all so convenient. I narrow my eyes and turn back around to face forward, wondering if maybe Delaney had been right about Ariel all along.

  “We’re almost there. I really hope we’re not too late,” Sam mutters under his breath.

  Anger sparks in me. “If we are, it’s all your fault and I’m gonna make you regret it. And this time I won’t let Ariel heal you.”

  Sam glances over at me. “Hey, I won’t stop you. What you’ll do to me won’t be any worse than the pain of losing Delaney.”

  “Don’t give me that crap. If you cared about her you wouldn’t have betrayed her like this.”

  “You think I wanted to hurt her? I love her, man.”

  I glance away. The last thing I want to believe is that Sam actually loves Delaney.

  “I planned to keep her secret. I was even going to come clean about my involvement with the Sarafites, but when I showed up at her house, guess what I saw?”

  My stomach tightens.

  “I saw you two kissing in the front yard.”

  I find Ariel in the side mirror. She bites her lip and stares into her lap. The hurt she feels is evident on her face. I feel bad that she found out this way. No matter what my suspicious are of Ariel, I never meant to lead her on or hurt her.

  “I was so upset,” Sam continues. “I went home and got royally hammered. When Killian showed up, I didn’t even know what I was saying.”

  I turn to him. “That’s your excuse? That you were drunk?”

  He shakes his head. “There is no excuse. I messed up. But I’ll spend the rest of my life trying to make it up to her.”

  I roll my eyes. “She’ll never forgive you, you know? It’s over between you two.”

  Sam presses his lips together. “I won’t give up on her that easily.”

  “It may not be your choice to make.”

  The park comes into view and I sit up, anxious and ready. The thought hits me that I never called the police and we may need backup. I guess I’m so panicked that I’m just not thinking straight. After pulling out my phone, I dial Officer Thomas with shaky fingers.

  Please let Delaney be okay.

  Chapter 30

  Delaney

  I HAVE TO c u. Meet me at the park.

  My insides flutter when I read the text. I know exactly how he feels. Ever since last night I have been consumed with longing for Sam. Without him near I feel dazed and foggy. The world around me is all muted grays and browns. Sam brings a clarity and focus to my life and I’m assaulted with a rainbow of bright colors.

  When? I type, my fingers shaking with excitement.

  Now.

  Ok.

  I drop the phone and immediately start pulling clothes out of my drawers. I find my sexiest dress. Perfect. After putting it on along with my favorite pair of boots, I head out into the night. I race down the walkway, a blossom of apprehension opening in my chest. I know that I’ll have to say goodbye to Sam tonight. We’re leaving in the morning to go to Zerach’s headquarters. I thought of running away, but that would be foolish. This is my duty and I can’t run from it. But the thought of not being with Sam tears my heart open. Even so, I plan to enjoy my last night with him as much as I can. And if I’m lucky, he’ll be waiting for me when this is all over.

  When I arrive at the park it is completely deserted, which is odd because normally there are at least a few kids hanging around. Then again, I suppose it is pretty late. I glance up at the black sky and the smattering of twinkling stars. The cool dry air feels so good against my bare arms.

  Sam. His name runs through my mind, causing my heart to leap from my chest.

  I rub my hands along my arms and lean against the car. Staring out at the park, I wait for him. The chains on the swings rattle slightly from the breeze. I watch the seats sway gently back and forth when suddenly a white light creeps into my line of vision. My body numbs. The park vanishes. Everything is shimmer
ing and white. I squint. Then the park comes back into view, only now it is grainy like the old black and white movies my parents used to watch. A large van skids into the lot. Two men dressed in all black emerge from the vehicle. I see the symbols of Saraf above their eyes, and my stomach tightens.

  What are they doing here?

  Then I see what I had missed before — a girl standing off to the side, just at the corner of my vision. The men spot her and walk in her direction. Only her back is to them. She has a phone pressed to her ear and she doesn’t seem to know they’re there.

  “She’s right on time,” the skinny man says.

  I open my mouth to scream, to warn the girl, but it’s too late. The burly man grabs her around the waist. She struggles, flailing and kicking, but it’s no use. The skinny man plunges a syringe into her arm and the burly man carries her toward the awaiting van. As the girl’s body is tossed into the van like a rag doll, panic sets in.

  The girl is me.

  The vision gets fuzzy and starts to disintegrate, but not before the burly man says one last thing. “We finally got her, thanks to old Sammy boy.”

  When the vision disappears, I inhale sharply. I feel sick. For a second I think I might hurl. My mouth fills with moisture and sweat breaks out on my forehead. I slow my breathing and take deep steady draws, willing myself not to panic. There’s no time. I have to get out of here. A buzzing in my pocket startles me. I yank my phone out and Micah’s picture flashes on the screen. He will help me!

  Just as I press it to my ear, terror lands in the pit of my stomach. My vision. I’m playing right into it. How stupid. Without answering, I turn and run. My head smacks right into something hard. I look up and realize I’ve run into a man’s chest. Heart hammering, I back up. My shoulders ram into something and arms come around my waist.

  I can’t give up. I can’t let my vision come true.

  Glancing down I see my boots. The heels are really sharp, so I kick backwards slamming one into the burly man’s leg. He staggers back and howls in pain, but his grip remains firm.

  Where is Micah? I need Micah! I silently channel my best friend — the boy who has loved me since we were in diapers. Surely he’ll come to my rescue. He’ll know something’s wrong since I didn’t answer the phone. He always does. A surge of hope builds in my chest at the thought. Maybe he will come if I can just fight them off a little longer.

  I flail my arms, not allowing the skinny man to pin them down. I scratch with my nails connecting a couple of times with his flesh, but the man is strong and wrestles them down. A tear betrays me, and rolls down my face.

  The skinny man exhales. “Sam was right. You are special.”

  I cringe at his words, refusing to believe them. There is no way Sam really betrayed me. I think of the last time we were together; of all the sweet things he said. That couldn’t have all been a lie. There’s no way.

  “Sam would never talk to you about me.” I lift my chin, not willing to let these Sarafites poison my feelings for Sam. Sarafites are untrustworthy. They’re lying. It’s just a game to them, that’s all.

  “Really?” The man comes in close, his eyes searing into mine. “Then how did I find out your phone number, or your secret meeting spot with lover-boy? Better yet, how do I know that your power lies in your hair?”

  His words pummel me and I feel physically ill. How does he know these things? As much as I don’t want to believe him, doubt creeps in. I remember all the dreams, the funny feelings, the nagging in the pit of my stomach. My mind travels back a few months to when Sam was so cruel to me. Didn’t I always think it was odd how he suddenly took an interest after all these years? Could it be that I was just too stupid, too naïve to see the truth? Maybe because I had wanted Sam for so long, I was willing to overlook the truth even when it was staring me in the face. I swallow hard, my head spinning. Anger rises up in me. I’d given my heart. I’d shared my secrets. All to someone who planned to betray me. The truth tastes like poison in my mouth. It rises in my throat and burns my tongue.

  The man smiles as if he can see my inner turmoil. It makes me mad and I spit in his face.

  Without warning, he reaches behind my head and yanks my hair so hard my neck snaps back. I kick my legs out, but they don’t connect with anything.

  A growl reverberates through me and a shiver runs down my spine. “If you don’t calm down, we’ll have to introduce you to our friend.”

  The growl is louder this time, like the rumbling of thunder and I hear the rattling of chains and a thumping like a constant knock. The skinny man roughly forces my head to turn in the direction of the noise. The door to their van is open and inside is a large cage like the ones people use to bring their pets to the veterinarian. Only this one is twice the size and it’s bouncing and jumping as the creature inside fights to get out. I see red eyes the color of blood staring at me through the bars. My breath hitches in my throat. I remember my dream where Sam introduces me to that awful creature. It wasn’t just a nightmare. It was a premonition.

  My mind spins. Panic grips me.

  Where is Micah?

  “That’s more like it,” The man purrs, when I stop struggling. He runs a finger up my arm, and I tremble. He pulls a syringe out of his pocket.

  “No, I promise I won’t fight. Please don’t drug me.” Terror fills me, and more tears spill down my cheeks. I hate the fact that I’m groveling. I’ve never done that before. But I feel so scared and alone, and I don’t know how to save myself.

  “What do you think, Kaine? Should I trust her?”

  The man holding me just laughs gruffly.

  Before I can say anything further, the needle is plunged into my arm. I yelp in pain as a burning liquid lights down my arm. It feels like they poured boiling water into my veins.

  The park becomes fuzzy, my head heavy. I fight to keep my eyelids open but they keep lowering. In the distance I hear a car skid into the lot. I hear car doors open and close and footsteps on the pavement. But it all seems far away. I feel Kaine pick me up off the ground, and my body jostles as he runs with me in his arms.

  I’m here. Please someone help me, I scream in my head, but I know I’m not saying it out loud. I think I hear someone holler my name just as darkness creeps into my vision. The noises around me get further and further away.

  Before I completely black out, I have one final thought: Sam has betrayed me.

  Turn the page to read an excerpt from Chapter One of SHATTER, Book 2 in the Delaney’s Gift Series

  Chapter 1

  Sam

  MY HEART IS beating faster than ever as I pull into the park. Delaney’s car comes into view, and hope sparks like a lit match. I slam on my breaks, scouring the lot for her. Micah is already tearing out of the truck. He hurtles his body forward and races into the night. Ariel seems frozen in the backseat, her face a mask of sorrow and shock. After cutting the engine I jump out of the truck, and start hollering Delaney’s name.

  Only silence and the echo of my own voice respond. A chill runs through me.

  My gaze darts from one end of the park to the other, but there is no sign of Delaney. My chest burns. A breeze kicks up, and I think about how I would give anything to spot her red hair flying in the wind. As I near her car I catch a whiff of her apple scent, and my heart speeds up. She was just here. Her smell still lingers.

  That’s when I see it. Her phone is lying face down on the ground. As I bend to pick it up, I hear sirens in the distance.

  Micah calls out from the other end of the parking lot. “There are tire tracks on the asphalt. Someone peeled out of here fast.”

  My stomach drops. I hold her phone in between my fingers. The face of it is cracked, broken in half. I take a few steps forward and see a strand of red hair on the ground, being carried along by the wind. Feeling sick, I take deep breaths to keep from throwing up. I can’t believe she’s gone. I can’t believe I didn’t get here in time. I double over, clutching my stomach.

  A hand reaches for me, and yanks
me up by the collar. “She’s gone. They took her.” It’s Micah. His face is so close I can smell his minty breath, and the sweat on his skin. Anger radiates from him like an electric current.

  I hang my head, defeated.

  He shakes me, and my teeth rattle. “You handed her over to them. Do you have any idea what they’re going to do to her?”

  I swallow hard as the gravity of the situation crashes over me like a strong wave. My knees buckle under the weight of it. Images of Delaney being hurt, imprisoned and tormented by the Sarafites fill my mind and I feel dizzy. I didn’t want this to happen.

  When I finally find my voice, I say, “We have to find her.”

  “We aren’t doing anything.” Micah speaks through gritted teeth. He pushes me backward and I teeter on the balls of my feet. “You are going to stay away from us, you understand?” Micah comes toward me, darkness flashing his eyes. I know he’s going to hurt me but I don’t care. It’s like I told him. If Delaney’s gone he can do whatever he wants to me. I deserve it.

  “Micah, stop.” Ariel rushes to him, and forcibly grabs him by the arm. “This isn’t helping anything.”

  He pulls away from her harshly, and her eyes widen. “Yeah, and who’s side are you on anyway?”

  “What?” Her head whips up like she’s been slapped.

  “Your dad’s the one who took her. The dad you’ve been helping. You expect me to believe it’s all a coincidence?”

  Ariel’s lips quiver. “I didn’t know. I thought he was really kidnapped.”

  Micah turns away from her, running a hand over his face. “I don’t know who to trust anymore.”

  “Look, we’re all really upset, but we need to work together to find her.” Desperation surfaces inside of me. “We can’t waste any time.”

  Micah spins toward me. “I told you, Peterson. You’re not coming with us.”

  “You can’t stop me from looking for her. You’re forgetting that I have an in with the Sarafites.”

  “Oh believe me, I’m not forgetting that. Ever.” He spits out the words with disgust. I think he’s going to come after me again, but two cop cars pull into the lot with their lights flashing. “Get outta here before I have you arrested.” He shoves me back again and storms toward the police.