“Hello, Melanie,” Nora said in a clipped voice.
“Hi, Mrs. Clark. Thank you so much for doing this.”
“Of course. You are a dear family friend. We care about you.”
Okay, Melanie, here goes. Get her to acknowledge the plan she forced you into.
I heard Melanie clear her throat. A few seconds went by and she cleared her throat again.
What’s going on? She’d better not be chickening out.I carefully peeked around the trunk of the tree at the two of them. Melanie was scratching her arm and looking around nervously.Dammit, Melanie, don’t spook her. Get on with it!
Finally, she said, “I really appreciate you loaning me this money, so I can put a down payment on a doctoral program, Mrs. Clark.”
“Of course, Melanie. You know how highly our family values education. And when you’re all finished, you come see me and Mr. Clark—we’ll see if we can’t find something for you at his law firm, or my real estate firm.”
What? Loaning her money for school?Wait a minute …
Oh no, no, no!
Melanie had played me.She tipped Nora off and they made up a phony story about what the money is for.I swallowed a lump in my throat, trying to hold back tears.My plan is ruined.
A twig snapped somewhere behind me. Someone was approaching between the trees. I watched with wide eyes as the person emerged from the shadows.
“You must be Jenna.”
It was Madison, standing before me with an evil grin on her face. My breath froze in my lungs.
“It’s time to come with me,” she said, and I heard a small, metallic click.
That’s when I looked down and saw the gun in her hand, pointed right at me.
My heart pounded as Madison jerked the gun in the direction of the street and Nora’s Mercedes. I barely felt my limbs move.
My eyes scanned the park frantically, hoping someone would spot Madison with the gun, call 911—but Madison’s coat concealed the gun as we walked side by side. She kept her face calm and smiled outwardly, as though we were just two friends out for a stroll in the beautiful October weather.
Nora watched us walk by, a self-satisfied grin on her face. Melanie looked terrified. I was furious at her for selling me out, and as we passed, I shot her one last look.Please, Melanie, call or text someone for help! Don’t let them get away with this!
What were Nora and Madison going to do with me? Maybe they just wanted to talk, to scare me into keeping my mouth shut. Maybe I’d let them think they’d won; I could cower and cry and make all the promises they wanted to hear, until I could get away and get to Savannah.
Savannah!I had to get a message to her somehow.
We reached the car; Madison opened the door and shoved me into the back seat. Then she shut the door and turned around, her arms crossed at her chest as she waited for her mother. I saw her slip the gun into the deep pocket of her coat. It gave me an idea.
While she was looking away, I angled my body away from the car door and shoved my hand into my pocket, reaching for my phone. I pulled it out but kept it low, against the seat. With trembling fingers, I pulled up the photo of Melanie at Starbucks and texted it to Savannah. I was about to send another message asking her to send help when the door of the car swung open. I barely had time to turn my head before Madison was shoving a piece of fabric against my face. A sharp, chemical smell overwhelmed my senses. My head filled with black storm clouds that pressed down on me, heavier and heavier, until they pushed me over the edge of a cliff, into darkness.
Voices floated in and out of my head. I could hear them, but I couldn’t see them. Who did they belong to? My eyes felt glued shut. There was nothing but black, stretching endlessly in every direction.
“How long do you think we can keep her here?” a male voice asked.Max?
“I don’t know. I really hope no one shows up to tour this house. My mom said there were no other appointments on the schedule today, but since the owners don’t live here, an agent could always just drop by,” said a female voice.
For a moment, everything was silent. Then: “Mom? … Yes, she’s still unconscious … Listen, how long do we have this house? Do you think anyone is going to show up? … Okay, good … Oh, fantastic…Okay, we’ll see you soon.”Madison.
“What did she say?”
“My mom got us a cabin at the state park in Lagunitas. She’s on her way here to help us move everything over there.”
“Oh, okay. But what’s the plan from there? I mean … what are we going todowith her?”
