by C. L. Stone
Uh oh.
Erica got in, strapped her seatbelt on and then held the steering wheel. The rain pelted at the windshield. She didn't start the car. She just looked at the wheel for a few moments.
Silence loomed between us. I looked over at Nathan. He looked ahead at the rain, waiting.
“I don't know what happened tonight,” she said slowly. She twisted her hands against the wheel and then fished in her purse for her cell phone. She put the purse on the middle console, dialed on the phone with one hand and started the car. She switched to reverse and started backing out, holding the phone to her ear.
Nathan sat back in his seat, folding his arms across his chest. He gazed out the window, and then looked back at me through the rearview mirror.
We shared the same questions. What happened to you? How did you end up in this car? What in the world do we do now?
Something went terribly wrong for him, too. I could tell. He was supposed to be in a car with Luke. Where was Luke? Where was the car?
And where was Kota?
Erica spoke into her phone as she turned the car to leave the lot. “Kota? Where are you?” Pause. Her tone lowered. “Don't lie to me.” Pause. “Kota, she's sitting right here in my car. Don't tell me you're out with her.”
I closed my eyes, sat back, crossing my arms over my body and holding myself. This might be worse than her finding out about Nathan kissing me. There was no way to explain what was going on.
I had nothing to offer, nothing to help explain this. My cheeks were on fire. My body shook, not just from wet clothes, but from fear.
Suddenly, Erica reached back to me, handing me the phone. “He says he needs to talk to you.”
I took the phone and held it to my ear. “Hello?” I breathed into it.
“I'll fix this,” he said. “Try not to say anything until I get there.”
Did I need to tell him something else? Maybe I should warn him about Nathan? “Hey,” I said carefully and then considered what I could mentioned in front of Erica at this moment. “Yes, I think Luke has it?” I didn't know how else to tell him. I didn't want to mention where Luke was.
He paused on the phone. “Are you asking me about Luke? I don’t know yet but he’s okay. I need to find Nathan.”
“Yes,” I said. “That. I found it.”
“Really?” He blew out a breath hard into the phone. “Okay, okay. Is Nathan okay?”
“Yes.”
He paused. “Wait, is he in the car with you?”
“Yes.”
He grumbled. “Can nothing else today go wrong, please?”
“I know,” I said. There wasn't much else I could say. She picked us up from two different locations, found me shopping in a grocery store close to midnight. Some of our team was missing still. I wasn’t sure where Silas, Mr. Blackbourne and Gabriel were supposed to be, but after all this, I wanted to make sure everyone was okay. And where was North?
“Sang,” Erica said in a voice a little too kind for the craziness we were going through in the moment. “Sweetie, can you tell him to get home, and that we're all going to have a talk when he does?”
“I heard her,” Kota said. “I'm sorry about all this. I'll fix everything.”
“It's okay,” I told him. Without the ability to say it another way, I just needed him to know. “Just so you know, North left that thing in the back of the truck.”
“What?”
“Him,” I said.
He paused. “I'm on my way.”
He hung up. I only hoped he got my meaning, but I still needed to make sure to get word out clearer as soon as possible. I passed the cell phone back to Erica, and she tossed it into the cup holder.
“I don't understand anything going on tonight,” she said and then checked her review mirror, making adjustments. “Sang, were you the one throwing fireworks at the school?”
“What?” I asked. “What fireworks?”
She breathed out quickly from her lips. “I guess it wasn't you. But all of this is an odd coincidence. You walked all the way out here for groceries? Why didn't your parents drive you?”
The lies started on my tongue, but faded. There was no way I could ignore her questions completely. What Academy protocol was there for a situation like this? “My mom doesn't have a car,” I said.
“Sweetie, why didn't you tell me? Or why not wait for Kota?”
My voice cracked as I continued my lie. “I didn't think it was that far.”
She sighed and glanced over at Nathan. “You need a car, too.”
“I've been saying that,” Nathan said, still looking out the front window. “I need one. Sang needs one...”
Erica drove on but stopped on our street at Bob's Diner. “I'm picking up some dinner for all of us,” she said. “Are hamburgers okay with you two?”
“Yes,” we said at the same time.
“Stay here. Keep warm until I get back.” She went in, taking her purse with her but left the engine running.
The moment she was out of view, Nathan turned to me, reaching for my hand. “Holy shit, are you okay?”
I grabbed his hand to hold on to but blurted out. “North got in the truck. I had to go back to the Jeep, but...it's gone.”
He grumbled. “I know. I saw it.”
He told me what happened, up to the point where he got into the car with Erica. “Next thing I know, she's bringing you out.”
I told him what happened with me, too. “Could you call the others?”
“My phone’s in the lake.”
I gripped his hand. I couldn’t believe what happened to him. Victor’s car. The Jeep. All of it gone. “My phone is in the security trailer. If Victor’s still there.”
He sat up. “Victor...is he still...” He turned around and lunged at the door. “Stay here. We’re going to need that phone.”
“What if she comes back?”
“Tell her I went into the restroom.” He got out, shutting the door quickly.
I waited in the back, watching as he jogged across the parking lot in the rain and around the back.
I waited and then worried I was alone in the car with the engine running. I debated going inside with Erica just to be near someone.
Before I could, Nathan returned from around the corner, carrying with him my pink-encased iPhone. He got into the front seat and pulled it around to his face, breathing rapid. He pushed a green button on someone’s app and put it on speaker.
The phone rang a few times before it picked up. “Yell-ow?” Gabriel said although his voice was odd.
“What the hell are you doing, man?” Nathan asked.
“Hey! I found him!” He spoke more, but the next part was at a distance from the phone. “Hey! We got him.” He came back. “What the fuckery of hell...where did you go?”
“I chased Volto down the road after he threw that smoke bomb,” Nathan said.
“Yeah, we got that part. What happened?”
“He’s gone. He’s got the Jeep. Although he might have ditched it by now.”
“We can’t get a tracker on it. Or Vic’s car.”
“That’s because the BMW is in the lake.”
There was a pause. “Holy shit. What happened?”
“Long story.”
I interrupted. “Gabriel, North’s probably still in the truck.”
“Mr. Blackbourne followed it with Silas. The idiot. He’s going to get it now. He didn’t need to go in. And he’ll be pissed about his Jeep.”
“Where are you?” Nathan asked.
“I was in Dr. Green’s trunk. Now I’m in the front seat.” He paused again. “We’re still at the grocery store. We’re waiting on Luke. He’s still inside the school, but I don’t know if we can get him out. The place has cops all over. Did you know Wil works here now?”
“About him,” I said. I told them everything he said to me. It was a weird time to mention it, but I didn’t want to forget. “I know Mr. Toma wanted updates about him? Are we still doing that?”
&nbs
p; “Last I heard, his sister was giving him space. She’s in with some other Academy team. You met her. Remember? You told me about the angry girl at camp?”
I forgot about that. And how I’d met Marc and we swapped numbers. North swapped numbers with her. I didn’t know her and Wil were related.
I wanted to ask more questions, but Erica reappeared at the front of the diner and Nathan hung up on Gabriel. He hid the phone from view.
I sat back. There was some relief in knowing most of the team was recovered, or at least safe for the moment. But we now had our own challenge with Erica.
The Long Wait
Nathan
Erica passed Nathan the food containers filled with burgers and fries and got in behind the wheel. Nathan dropped Sang’s phone to be able to hold them. The phone slid down until it was underneath the seat. He’d have to come back out and get it later. The important part was they got word where they needed to. The rest they’d have to straighten out when they got a chance.
Within moments, they were back at the Lee house. The light above the garage was already on, and one of the garage doors open. Max barked as the car pulled in. The golden retriever shook his blond fur against the rain and sat just inside the garage, out of the weather.
Erica parked inside the garage and turned toward Sang. “Sang, do you want to run your groceries to your house? Or did you want to wait until morning?”
“It can wait,” she said.
“I need a shower,” Nathan said. He wanted to keep with his plan, to not say much more at this point before Kota got there. But now he needed to talk to Sang and Kota together, hopefully before Erica got a chance to quiz them about tonight. “Sang, you want one?”
“Yeah,” she said. “And dry clothes.”
“Feel free to stay tonight,” Erica said. “And shower up quickly. I’ll have the food waiting for you all after you get out. Sang, if you want the one downstairs, I’ll have Jessica run up and get your clothes.”
Nathan got out of the car, holding on to the containers. “She’s here by herself? At night?” It wasn’t the first time, but usually there was someone on the street, like himself. He supposed there was Victor, but Jessica didn’t know that. Or maybe he was more paranoid now after running into Volto?
“I was on my way home,” Erica said and walked around the car to let the dog off the lead. “She told me she wanted to wait until I got home tonight. Silly girl doesn’t like sleeping without someone in the house.” Max nudged at her legs for attention and then went to the inside door that led into the house.
Sang trailed behind Erica and Nathan as they went in. Jessica sat inside on the couch, a movie playing on the screen. She paused it, looking back over her shoulder. When she spotted Sang and Nathan, she jumped up.
“What happened?” she asked.
“Caught in the rain,” Nathan said.
“Was the rain muddy?”
They were pretty dirty. Sang’s knees, stomach and elbows were covered in dirt. Nathan was mud up to his knees and over his arms. It had been hard to tell in the dark, but now it was clear how it was caked on. “Long story.” He put the food containers down on the table.
Sang kept her arms over her stomach, like she was trying to hold herself together. She avoided eye contact. “I'll go get my clothes,” she said.
Maybe she should be the one to shower upstairs this time. Nathan thought to follow her, but given the prior circumstances, he didn't want to be alone in the same room in the house. Not right now.
Even if he really needed to talk to her.
“I’m going to change clothes,” Erica said and walked past them to drop her keys and purse on the couch and headed toward the hallway. “This is a crazy week.”
Nathan waited with Jessica. She was poking at the containers, checking the contents. “Weren't you supposed to be over with Danielle?” she asked him over her shoulder.
Nathan stepped a little closer to her. “What?”
She stood up fully and tilted her head, touching a cheek with a fingertip. “Or was that tomorrow night?”
He had no idea what she was talking about, but Sang came down the steps again, with folded clothes in her hands, holding them away from her body. “I'll take the downstairs bathroom.”
Nathan nodded and went to the rear hallway. He opened Kota’s door, closed it behind himself and then took to the stairs carefully, trying to be very light on the carpet. He wasn't totally sure removing his shoes before he went up would help, given the state of most of his clothing. He should probably just toss his clothes into a trash bag.
He did throw the rugs out of Kota's bathroom to help not get dirt into them. He brushed himself off as best as he could before he started the process of removing everything from his body.
He did it absently, scraping dirt and grime off. He left the bathroom naked once he was clear of most of the dirt and mud.
He should be getting Sang’s phone and do something. Help them find North’s Jeep and the BMW. Not that they'd be able to fish out Victor's car until the morning, but he needed to let them know and also make himself available.
Mostly, he needed to go over a plan with Kota. What were they going to tell Erica about tonight? Maybe he should call him.
Kota’s closet was dark, and he flipped the switch. Above the hanging clothes were boxes of old gear. He dug through it, finding an old cell phone, and then realized it was dead.
He wasn’t sure sending an email from Kota’s computer would work. Written records were not the preferred method of communication. They shouldn’t have used the cell line for earlier with all they said, but they needed to say it all. They didn’t have a chance to do it another way.
And would it matter if he sent anything right now? Maybe he could wait until Kota was actually here. With North gone and the cars gone and Volto out there, they probably needed to handle the personal problems on their own, for now.
He went into the bathroom again, turned on the hot water, waited for it to start steaming and got into the shower.
He stood still and let the water run over his body, rinsing off some of the dirt. The contact and warmth did something to his muscles, making them ache in areas he didn’t feel before.
He’d been too tense, too in shock to notice. There were new bruises on his arms and legs, probably from crashing into the lake and escaping. He scrubbed and washed but even after that, he remained in the hot water, as if he could wash away the soreness.
He was still in the shower when there was a knock at the door. He peeked out.
Victor poked his head in through the door. “You didn’t tell me what happened with the car,” he said.
Nathan tensed and then shut the water off. “Sorry,” he said. “I’m real sorry.”
“No, it’s okay.” Victor came inside all the way and shut the door. “I didn’t realize everything going down. You ran in for the phone and left.” He looked down at the floor, at the pile of dirty clothes and bits of mud flaked all over.
Nathan motioned to the closet, and Victor pulled a towel out for him. “Which reminds me, can you go get Sang’s phone? I left it in Erica’s car. It’s probably under the passenger seat.”
“Sure. But after that, let’s figure this out.”
He agreed. Victor left. After patting himself dry quickly, he went back to the closet, getting redressed in there. Kota’s pajama pants and one of North’s black T-shirts would have to do tonight. Most of his own clothing had been removed.
There were footsteps on the stairs and Victor reappeared, emptyhanded. “Are you sure it was in the passenger seat?”
“Under it,” he said. “I dropped it down to hide it from Erica. Honestly, now I don’t know why. I didn’t want her seeing we were trying to work with people to make up a good story for all this behind her back.”
“Which is what we need to do,” he said. “But I didn’t see it.”
Odd. Nathan crossed the room, motioning to him. “Let’s go look.”
Victor followed him dow
n the stairs. The movie was playing again in the living room. Noises came from the kitchen. Erica must be doing something in there. They quietly headed out into the garage.
Erica’s car was parked in her spot. Nathan went over the passenger door. Dirt was stuck to the floor of the car where he’d sat. He’d have to clean it out for her later.
He bent down and peered into the underside. The garage light was on overhead but it wasn’t really enough. “Got a flashlight on you?”
Victor pushed a button on his own cell phone and passed it to him. The camera light remained on steadily. “I looked under there. I didn’t see it.”
Nathan checked and couldn’t find the cell phone either. He checked underneath the mat, and then switched sides to check out under Erica’s seat. And then for the sake of it, checked the back seat.
Victor bent over, lifting the floor mats again and then checked the glove compartment. “Nothing.”
Nathan checked underneath the car and then stopped and stood up. He padded over in bare feet to the garage door and pushed a button for it to rise. He peered out into the dark.
The neighborhood was absolutely quiet. No cars on the road tonight. The rain had slowed a bit. The Sorenson house down the road was lit up in a few windows. His own house was dark.
An eerie feeling rose in his chest.
“What?” Victor asked. He stepped up beside him, scanning the street. “What is it?”
“I think he was here,” Nathan said. “I think he took it. The phone.”
Victor made a face and then rolled his eyes. “Again? Ugh. Well that’s one more to replace.” He pinched his fingers at the bridge of his nose. With his other hand, he pulled out his cell phone. Without even looking at it, he used his thumb to turn it on and dial out. “I have to let them know.”
Nathan went to him, covering his phone with a palm before Victor had a chance to lift it to his face. “Wait,” he said. “We know he’s out there and he likely has her phone. We need to stop using them right now.”
“We can’t,” Victor said. “North is still out there. Luke is in the school. We have to keep communication lines open. I can’t shut them all down now. I’ll try my best to secure them. And I’ll shut down her phone.” He walked over to the door that went into the house. “I might not even want to. I might want to track him. Maybe we can find the Jeep and him. I’ll have to use Kota’s computer. I guess I’m spending the night tonight.”
