Something about her going to that apartment alone to meet him caused a pit to form in my stomach. Even though I want to stop her from going, I know I can’t. This is something she needs to do on her own and I have to respect that. I give her a quick kiss and then I watch her leave. Once she’s out of sight, I head back inside to get dressed.
The drive to Pages is quick. I park my Audi on the curb and head inside to the cozy little corner that has become our spot. It shouldn’t be too much longer before she’s heading this way to meet me.
An hour comes and goes. How long could their conversation last? My anxiety builds with each passing minute. I pull my phone out to make sure she hasn’t contacted me asking for help. Nothing. No text or missed calls from her. She definitely should’ve been here by now. My little stalker is never late which makes me worry even more.
Is she leaving me again? After everything? Is that why she needed to talk to him in person instead of just texting? I try to weigh my options. I need answers, but I don’t want to interrupt her if she’s fine.
I cave anyway and decide to call her.
It goes straight to voicemail and my world freezes. She wouldn’t have turned her phone off. I ran out of the bookstore and jumped in my car.
I crank the car and I’m already speeding towards her apartment before I even have time to put on my seat belt. I click it into place as I take a corner a little too sharp. My tires screech to a halt as I throw the car into park right outside her apartment. I don’t even take the time to park in a spot or turn it off before getting out and running to her door.
My stomach sinks as I come up to her door. It’s cracked open. I enter the apartment and desperately search for her, but no one is here. The living room looks messed up. Like there was some kind of commotion. I glance around looking for any clues when my eyes land on a syringe on the carpet.
No. No. No. No. This can’t be happening right now. I just got her back. This isnotfair. Life doesn’t get to take her from me again.
Gavin picks up on the second ring. “What do you want now, loser?” He said it in a joking manner but I’m in no mood for his shit right now.
“He took her.”
“Who took who?”
“Trevor fucking took her Gavin!” I shout as I climb back into the car and speed towards the house.
“Woah, woah, slow down. Tell me exactly what happened.”
I retell him everything from today’s events when it clicks into place. This is bigger than I thought. “Gavin… you remember a while back when you helped me install that secret tracker but I couldn’t tell you why?”
“Yeah… what about it?”
“I was pretty sure Maizyn had a stalker back then. That’s why I needed it. Then the car accident. No witnesses but someone dropped her off at the hospital. What if they were the same person? What if it was Trevor this whole time?”
“Shit. That’s not impossible. Let me run facial recognition with that hospital photo and his picture to see if it’s a match….” After a few tense moments of silence, “Fuck! Atlas it’s a match.”
“I’m almost to you now. Fucking find him, please. I don’t care what it takes, just do it. Call Ramos too if you have to.”
I’ll stop at nothing to find her. I should’ve never let her walk out that door alone. I said the same fucking thing last time. You would think I learned from my mistake. She’s my entire world and I’ll burn this one down if I need to.
Chapter 20
Emily
I crack one eye open to take in my surroundings. I might be impulsive but I’m not stupid. If I can assess the situation without alerting anyone that I’m awake, I’ll have more time to make a plan. Other than a headache and rope burn from my bound wrist, I feel fine. Good, fewer injuries will work in my favor. I haven’t heard any movement yet, so safe to assume I’m alone for the time being.
Opening both eyes fully, I’m able to really look at my situation. I’m tied to a fucking chair in what seems to be an abandon warehouse. Well at least my clothes are still on, that’s a plus.
I start wiggling in the chair, testing my restraints and the steadiness of it when I feel it. I can’t help but chuckle to myself. Who kidnaps someone, but doesn’t check their pockets?Fucking amateur. You’d think if he was going to go through all this effort, he’d at least take the knife out of my pocket after he tied me up. Honestly, he never seemed to be that bright.
Not sure why I’m surprised he can’t even kidnap someone correctly. Everyone always gave me odd looks when I told them I always have a knife. They said I was paranoid. Who’s paranoid now, assholes? I’d rather be prepared in case shit like this happens than not have it when I need it. Trevor must’ve never paid attention to that fact or he thinks I’m too fucking helpless that he didn’t even care.
I stretch my fingers out far enough to reach the cool metal of the switch blade in my pocket. The smooth metal feels right in my grasp, and the distinct click of the blade flipping and locking into place is calming. I take a deep breath as I slowly move the blade so it’s wedged between the rope and my wrist. I slowly move the knife up and down against the ropes. A sharp burning pain flares in my arm where the blade accidentally grazes it.
Fuck that hurt.
They make this shit look easy in books and movies. Well, it’s not easy. My arm hurts and blood is trickling down it while I’m barely making a dent in the fibers of the stupid rope. Zero out of ten, do not recommend it. Okay, so the sawing motion is not helping me at all. It’s time to think of another tactic.
I place the handle under me so I’m sitting on it with the blade facing away from me, forcing my arms to bend against their will as I manage to place the rope underneath the blade without cutting myself any further. Leaning back, I make sure my weight will hold the blade still enough and pull my wrist upwards with as much force as I can muster. The movement feels awkward with my elbows bent at an odd angle, but I’m soon rewarded with the satisfying pop of the ropes snapping. I can actually do this. Hope swelled in my chest but I tried to push it backdown. Hope had the power to get you killed. Hope made you sloppy. It made you make poor choices and I planned to make it out of here alive.
