by Evelyn Dar
“Whatever you guys decide to do,” Charlie said. “Be careful, yeah?”
“We will,” Maddy said.
Charlie left and Maddy resumed pacing. “Okay, this is good. We’re good.”
Kendrick raised an eyebrow. “Your definition of good needs work.”
Laylah approached the Audi’s back door and pressed her palm against the glass.
“Holy mother-effing shitballs.”
Laylah looked up.
Siobhan and Jessie, along with half of the cheerleading squad, had just spilled out of the warehouse.
“Avery!” Siobhan yelled as she pushed her way through dozens of Snapchatters. “Have any of you assholes seen Avery?”
“Why don’t you text her like a normal person?” a smart ass Snapchatter suggested.
“Obviously I have like a million times,” Siobhan shouted. “She’s not responding, but thank you for your helpful suggestion, now get out of my way, freak.”
“This is not good.” Maddy closed her eyes. “What are we going to do?”
“We?” Kendrick laughed. “I told y’all this whole thing was stupid.”
Laylah gritted her teeth. “I’m so sorry, Kendrick.”
He snorted. “You should be.”
Laylah continued. “I’m sorry I asked my good for nothing, freeloading, weed-head cousin to help the only family that acknowledges his existence.”
“There you go with that guilting bullshit again.”
Maddy clapped her hands. “Children! Can we save the dysfunctional family dynamic for Iyanla to fix? Actual crisis happening.”
Kendrick rolled his eyes. “Why are y’all tripping for no reason?”
“Excuse me?” Maddy asked.
“Siobhan’s looking for her girl, right?”
Maddy glanced at Siobhan who was trying to wrestle some poor girl’s camera away. “Obviously.”
“Why not take Avery inside and dump her ass in a corner behind one of those cabanas somewhere?” Kendrick suggested. “Her people will eventually find her and think she passed out drunk. Plus, she won’t remember shit about tonight, anyway.”
Maddy spoke slowly. “I mean, he’s not wrong. And there is a side door.” She peered at Laylah. “Laylah?”
“What if someone sees us?” Laylah stared at the warehouse. “I know it’s huge inside but if everyone’s looking for Avery…”
Maddy bit her lower lip. “What if I go in first and make sure the coast is clear? If it is, I’ll text you to bring Avery in.”
“I don’t know, Mads.”
“Babes, it’s the best plan we have.”
Kendrick scoffed. “It’s the only plan y’all got.”
Laylah watched as several more teens emerged from the warehouse and joined the hunt for Avery. She nodded. “Okay, let’s do it.”
Maddy tossed Laylah her keys. “See you on the inside.”
Laylah turned her back to the Audi so she wouldn’t have to look at Avery and crossed her arms. She and Kendrick kept a watchful eye over the search party, and when Siobhan called everyone to the sidewalk, the hairs on the back of Laylah’s neck stood up.
“What are they doing?” Laylah asked. “Are they coming this way?”
Kendrick squinted. “Nah, it looks like they’re huddling up.”
“They’re what?”
“A huddle,” Kendrick explained. “Like in football.”
Not long after it formed, the huddle dispersed, and a tall kid ran inside the warehouse. Moments later he emerged dragging a chair. They watched as he closed the front door and jammed the chair’s back beneath the doorknob.
“Yo,” Kendrick said. “They’re trying to stop people from leaving.”
Laylah gasped. “Maddy.” She started for the side door when Kendrick grabbed her arm.
“Give me the keys,” he demanded.
“What? Why?”
“In case they start searching cars,” he said. “You want them to find her in Maddox’s car?”
Laylah sighed. She didn’t have time to argue with Kendrick about car keys or Maddy’s name. She tossed him the keys and raced for the side door.
Thankfully, the door was open, but Laylah knew she didn’t have much time. The party had thinned out, but there were still at least fifty people inside.
Laylah spotted Maddy in the corner behind a cabana. “Maddy! We have to go. Now.”
“Oh my God,” Maddy said. “Siobhan and her posse are confiscating people’s phones and checking for footage of Avery. Clearly, someone watched “Don’t Fuck With Cats” way too many times.”
“Maddy!” Laylah shouted. “They’re barricading the doors.”
“What?”
Laylah took her hand. “We have to–”
A scream sliced through Laylah’s words.
“That can’t be good,” Maddy said.
They followed the scream to the dance floor where Siobhan was standing on a chair with a phone clutched tightly in her hand. “Turn off the music!”
The music died.
“Avery is missing,” Siobhan shouted. “We’ve called the police.”
“Yeah, that’s definitely not good,” Maddy said calmly, but all the color had drained from her face.
“She’s only been missing for a few hours,” Laylah said. “What happened to the twenty-four-hour rule?”
Maddy made a face. “This is Avery Bradley. Rules don’t apply to her.”
The remaining partygoers crowded around Siobhan, forming a panicky, drunken mob. Laylah glanced at the side door – their only means of escape. Three beefy football players had taken up residence in front of it and stood with their arms crossed, daring anyone to try.
Laylah turned around. “Maddy I think we’re trapped– Maddy?”
Maddy had elbowed her way through the mob and was on a clear path to Siobhan. Laylah glanced once more at the blocked exit, then ran after her.
“Let me see,” Maddy demanded, as Laylah approached.
Siobhan stepped off the chair and handed Maddy the phone.
Maddy raised an eyebrow. “Um, I like Zayd’s videos and all, but–”
“Behind him.” Siobhan sniffled. “The top left corner.”
Laylah watched the video over Maddy’s shoulder and concentrated on the background. Sure enough, thirty seconds later, a blurry figure appeared in the corner of the shot. The person was several yards away, and their back was to the camera, but you could clearly see a small person with long blonde hair slung over the figure’s shoulder.
It didn’t take a rocket scientist.
Laylah held in a gasp. “H-How do you know it’s Avery?”
Siobhan paused the video and took a screenshot. She then pulled up the photo and enlarged it, pointing at the screen. “I picked out that dress.” She peered at the screen. “Look, you can even see the sparkles on her belt and”–Siobhan gasped–“oh my God, is that a gun?”
Laylah snatched the phone and held it an inch from her face. Something small, black, and shaped like the grip of a gun was sticking out of Kendrick’s waistband.
Laylah heard approaching sirens and suddenly felt faint.
Maddy nudged Laylah. “Don’t you think you should text your brother?” she asked.
“What?” Laylah asked, still stunned. “I don’t have a–”
“It’s his night to take the trash out, remember?” Maddy said. “Waaay out. Far out.”
Laylah nodded slowly. “Right.” She pulled out her phone and shot off a text to Kendrick.
Laylah: LEAVE NOW!
Maddy wrapped an arm around Siobhan. “Hon, it’s probably not what it looks like. Maybe Avery knows the guy.”
Siobhan shrugged off Maddy’s arm and jumped on the chair.
“Everyone!” she shouted. “Shut the hell up and listen.”
The warehouse went silent.
“Avery’s been kidnapped!”
The chattering resumed even louder.
“Shut up!” Siobhan screamed.
Silence.
“Okay,�
�� Siobhan continued. “This is like a crime scene. The police are on their way so no one can leave.”
Most of the College Park kids had already left, but the few who remained expressed their discontent. Loudly.
Siobhan ignored them. “Okay, Influencers, get on your shit and start live streaming now.” She pulled out her phone and spoke to the camera. “What’s up, you guys. It’s ya girl Siobhan and I swear this is one-hundred percent not clickbait.”
Laylah pulled Maddy away from the growing chaos. “Maddy, I’m freaking out.”
Maddy massaged her temples. “Okay, I’m thinking.”
“I’m going to kill him,” Laylah growled. “Where did he get a gun?”
“Okay, here’s the plan.” Maddy lowered her voice. “Text Kendrick and tell him to dump Avery somewhere.”
“Dump?” Laylah asked.
“Or gently move her from my car to anywhere else. The back of someone’s pickup truck. The curb. The fucking sidewalk. A nice park. It doesn’t matter. As long as it’s somewhere without cameras.”
“No way,” Laylah said. “We can’t leave her somewhere unsafe.”
“Fine, then tell him to leave her at Chuck E. Cheese, I don’t care.”
“Maddy.”
“Babes, orange is not the new black and prison isn’t as fun as Netflix makes it out to be. Tell him to dump her.”
Laylah sighed and pulled out her phone.
Laylah: You need to
The front door of the warehouse opened, and dozens of police officers filed in. A woman with a large star-shaped insignia on her chest stepped forward, a megaphone in her hand.
“My name is Elma Sanchez and I’m deputy chief of the City of College Park. None of you are in trouble, but a potential kidnapping has been reported and we need to speak with everyone present. My deputies are canvassing the neighborhood and surrounding area. Thank you in advance for your cooperation.”
The officers fanned out with notepads in hand.
Maddy pulled Laylah behind a shipping container. “We’re going to prison.” Her eyes widened. “Oh my God, what if they put me in with the men like Chelsea Manning?”
Laylah’s phone buzzed.
Kendrick: Meet me at home.
Laylah slumped against the shipping container and let out a breath. “He’s gone.”
“What?” Maddy asked.
Laylah handed her the phone.
Maddy read the text and collapsed against Laylah. “I just had like three heart attacks.”
“Ladies?” A lanky officer with kind grey eyes stepped in front of them. “I’m going to need y’all to join the rest of the group near the front.”
Laylah stood up straight. “Yes sir, officer, sir.”
“Um, officer?” Maddy held up Laylah’s phone. “Is it okay if I finish talking to my grandmother first? She’s really worried.” Maddy sniffled and looked as pathetic as Laylah had ever seen her look.
The officer sighed. “Just hurry, sweetie.”
Maddy smiled and put the phone to her ear as the officer walked away. “We have to get our stories straight,” she whispered.
“What?” Laylah hissed.
The officer glanced back, and Maddy sobbed. “It’s okay grandma, I promise I’ll be home soon. We have to talk to the police. That’s right, grandma. The police are here. I’m one hundred percent safe.” She batted her eyes at the officer. He tipped his hat and turned away.
Maddy sighed. “We can’t tell them we drugged Avery and dragged her to my car, then your cousin took off with her and – oh my God, that is the literal definition of kidnapping.”
“Okay,” Laylah said. “We’ll tell them we were drinking and dancing and then we went outside to…vape?”
“Ew.” Maddy cringed. “Really? Vape?”
“Oh, I’m sorry,” Laylah whispered. “I’ll just tell them we went outside to, you know, drug Avery.”
“Shit, we’re overthinking this.” Maddy bit her bottom lip. “This is how people get caught on Dateline.”
“Maddy.”
“Okay,” Maddy said. “We tell them we spent all night dancing and we might have gone outside briefly, but we don’t remember because we were drunk. Got it?”
“What about Riley?” Laylah asked.
“Ugh, she left with this gross sophomore named Marc two hours ago. I mean, I don’t really care but–”
“She helped us drug Avery,” Laylah hissed.
“Oh, that.” Maddy waved dismissively. “She won’t tell.”
“How do you know?”
“Let’s just say I covered up a lot of shit for Riley when we dated. Illegal shit. She owes me.”
Laylah held her stomach. “I think I’m going to be sick.”
Maddy rubbed her back. “Hey, it’s okay,” she whispered. “Everything will be fine. You know what to do, Laylah.”
Laylah opened her eyes. “I just have to do it, right?”
“You got this, baby girl.” Maddy handed Laylah her phone. “Remember, keep it simple and don’t–” She gasped. “Oh, fuck me.”
Laylah spun around.
Teddy Bradley had just bulldozed his way inside the warehouse followed by a young woman who resembled a Kardashian, three local news crews, and CNN.
With his chest puffed out, Teddy marched up to Deputy Chief Sanchez and invaded her personal space like it was his God-given right.
Laylah and Maddy watched as the news crews raced to set up their equipment. Someone rolled in a podium and in less than two minutes, Teddy was mic’d up and the impromptu press conference was ready to commence.
Teddy stepped up to the podium. “Tonight, sometime between the hours of 1:00 a.m. and 2:30 a.m. my daughter, Avery Charlotte Bradley, was kidnapped from a warehouse on Charlestown drive. I have not been contacted by the kidnappers, but I am working closely with the Atlanta PD. Deputy Chief Sanchez has advised me not to do this press conference, but my faith in my people – my constituency – is strong. So I am appealing to you now.”
He nodded to the Kardashian clone. “Kaleigh. The photo.”
Kaleigh tapped the shoulder of a man holding an iPad. He plugged the iPad into a laptop and nodded. She gave Teddy a thumbs up and mouthed ‘it’s on.’
“On your screen is the only known photo of my daughter’s kidnapper,” Teddy said. “If this person looks familiar, please call the number on the bottom of the screen.”
A wide-eyed Maddy tugged on Laylah’s sleeve and held up her phone. It was playing CNN’s live coverage of the press conference and displayed the blown-up image of Kendrick and Avery taken from Zayd’s video. Laylah covered her mouth with her hand.
“And to the kidnappers,” Teddy continued. “No stone will go unturned in the effort to locate my daughter.” He glowered into the camera. “You won’t be able to move in this city. You won’t be able to breathe in this city. And you won’t be able to leave this city. Do yourselves a favor and let her go before you dig yourselves into a hole with no way out.”
Laylah glanced at Maddy. Her face had gone ashen, and she was trembling.
Laylah squeezed her hand. “Hey,” she whispered.
Maddy looked terrified.
“Don’t freak,” Laylah said.
“We messed up, Laylah,” Maddy said. “We messed up, bad.”
“It’ll be fine,” Laylah assured her. “This will all be over soon.”
Maddy nodded, her wide eyes on Teddy.
“It’ll all be over soon,” Laylah repeated, wishing to God she believed it.
CHAPTER FIVE
Avery opened her eyes, and the world went white. She squeezed them shut and groaned as a sharp pain pierced her skull. Grabbing her head with both hands, she rolled into a ball and after several minutes, the sharp pain lessened to a manageable throb. She forced her eyes open.
She was alone in a dark room, lying on a narrow bed. She tried to sit up, but a wave of nausea rolled over her, knocking her back down. Avery clutched her stomach and prayed she wouldn’t heave all over her
self. While she waited for the nausea to pass, her eyes adjusted to the darkness and she took in her surroundings.
The bedroom was the size of Avery’s smallest shoe closet, yet someone had squeezed a desk and a chair along with a twin bed and a tiny bookshelf inside the cramped room. Thank God she wasn’t claustrophobic.
Avery tried to recall the evening’s events and how she’d ended up wherever she was. She remembered arriving at the party with Jessie. Then chatting with Riley. Then looking across the warehouse and seeing…Laylah.
Avery let her fragmented memories of Laylah wash over her. Laylah’s surprising charm and easy smile. And the way goose pimples sprouted on Laylah’s skin wherever Avery touched her. But most of all, Avery remembered wanting – no, needing to touch Laylah. And they had come so close. Or had they?
She frowned at the gaping hole where her memories should be. She was certain she and Laylah had been on their way to something more, but Avery couldn’t remember. She looked around the room again.
The bedroom was tiny, but…could it be Laylah’s? Avery bit her bottom lip. If she had ended up in Laylah’s bedroom, things must have gone well. Very well. But where was Laylah? And if things had gone the way Avery had hoped, why was she still dressed? Did she pass out before they had a chance to…
Avery furrowed her brow. She supposed that was technically possible, but thanks to Joanna’s professionally stocked full sized home bar, Avery was far from a lightweight. But even if she had overindulged, there’s no way she would have blacked out.
Avery stood slowly, but not slowly enough. She lost her balance and tumbled forward, but at the last moment grabbed the edge of the desk, saving herself from a fall. Avery’s stomach lurched violently, and she almost threw up in the middle of Laylah’s bedroom. After several anxious minutes, her nausea passed, and she was able to stand.
Out of nowhere another blinding pain ripped through her skull and she squeezed her eyes shut. Something was wrong. Very wrong. And why was it so difficult to move her arms and legs? Avery’s skin tingled, and her alarm grew. She needed to find Laylah.
She painstakingly crossed the room and opened the door, expecting light to flood in, but the hallway was as dark as the bedroom. Avery stepped into the hall when a male voice stopped her.
