“No, it doesn’t.”
Ricky rubbed my bare hip. “Yeah, it kinda does. If Gabriel was that adamant about me not dating you, it could mean he really is—”
“He isn’t.” I told him about Gabriel’s deal with James. When I finished, his mouth opened. Then it shut, and he shook his head.
“I’d say I’m stunned, but it’s more like mildly surprised. Gabriel saw the chance to make a little extra on the side, and since it didn’t hurt your case, it wasn’t against your interests. On a professional level.”
“Which is all that matters with Gabriel. The point is that your dad has zero reason to think you were overstepping. Gabriel was only guarding someone else’s ‘property.’ If Gabriel still complains, it’s only because us dating could add a mild complication to his business interests, which come first.”
Ricky nodded slowly, digesting that. “That helps. On all levels.”
“Good. Because I understand that the club comes first for you, and I won’t interfere with that. But if we can make this work . . .”
“I’ll make it work,” he said and pulled me on top of him.
CHAPTER FORTY-THREE
When my phone rang, I surfaced from sleep, confused and groggy, thinking I heard a funeral toll, that slow dong that signifies a death. I leapt up, sleep falling away, Ricky stirring beside me. Then I heard the familiar tone of my phone. I checked it. Private caller.
I answered.
“E-Eden?” It was a woman, her voice pitched so high she sounded like a child. “Is th-this Eden Larsen?”
I tensed. Ricky touched my arm, telling me he could hear the caller.
“Where did you get this number?” I said.
“I-Is this Eden Larsen? Please. It’s important.”
“I don’t go by that name, and if you’re using it, you’re not someone I want to speak to, especially at three in the—”
“Wait! Please, please, wait. He told me to ask for Eden Larsen. Get to this phone. Call this number. Ask for Eden. That’s all I know.” Her words tumbled out on a wave of panic.
“I’m hanging up now,” I said carefully.
“No! Please, please, please.” Her voice broke in a sob. “I only get this one call. It was programmed in. If you hang up, I can’t phone back.”
“Programmed in?”
“To the phone. I can’t use any other number. I tried. I only get this one number and this one call. I have to speak to you and give you the message.”
“Who are you?” I asked.
“Macy. My name is Macy. You don’t know me. I don’t know you. I was at a party with some friends. I left with this guy, and he brought me here and . . . and . . .” Her voice broke again.
“Okay, slow down. You said there’s a message?”
“Yes. It’s that you need to come find me.” She paused. “You understand, right? You know what this is all about? Because I don’t understand any of it.” She hiccuped as she sped through the words. “Tell me this makes some kind of sense. That you know why he’d do this, and you’ll come help me.”
“Give me the whole message,” I said, speaking slowly to calm her down.
“Call Eden Larsen. Tell her to come to this address. If she comes, I will let you go. I have information she needs, but she has to prove she’s worthy of it. She must find you and she must save you. Then I will tell her the truth about her parents and her birthright. And if she does not come, I will—” Her voice cracked and she had to start again. “I will kill you.”
“Where are you?”
She rattled off the GPS coordinates left for her. “So you’ll come?”
“He sent you to that phone, correct? Meaning he isn’t there right now. So how are you in danger? You can run for help.”
“There’s nowhere to run. I don’t know where I am. There are all these abandoned buildings, and a cemetery. He’s watching, too. He’ll shoot me if I run.” She paused. “You don’t believe me. Oh God, you don’t believe me.”
She continued babbling. How cold am I if I admit I was ignoring her words and gauging her voice and her tone, trying to decide how genuine her plight was? Yet Ricky could hear, and he wasn’t saying, Come on! We need to go help her! When I glanced over, I could tell he was assessing, too.
I made Macy go over her story again, in more detail. She’d been at a party. She’d left with a man. She didn’t know who he was—it was a big party—only that he was alone and good-looking, and he’d singled her out for attention. They had a few drinks, and she was sure he must have slipped something in hers because otherwise she’d never just leave with him, especially without telling her friends.
He’d driven out of the city. She wasn’t sure which way. They’d been talking and the next thing she knew they were in the countryside. He’d taken her to what looked like an army base, with lots of buildings. Then he’d gotten out and said he had to go inside and talk to someone.
After he’d left, she realized all the buildings were dark. When she’d taken a closer look at one, she’d seen boarded-up windows and doors. She’d just started to panic when a cell phone rang. It wasn’t hers. She couldn’t find hers. That’s when she’d begun panicking for real. The phone kept ringing. She’d found it under the seat and answered. It was him.
He told her that she needed to follow his instructions and make a very important call. He gave her the directions and told her what would happen if she didn’t do as he said. She started to scream. He hung up.
She’d tried to call 911, call anyone, but the phone was blocked. Hers was gone. The car keys were gone. She’d made a break for it. When she ran past the building she was supposed to enter, he shot at her, the bullet hitting the ground at her feet.
“It’s—it’s horrible in here,” she whispered. “He left me a flashlight, but it barely does anything, and it’s dark and empty and there’s writing on the walls. Writing everywhere. Crazy stuff. I hear noises. I think it’s only rats.” A high-pitched laugh. “Only rats. I can’t believe I said that. I hate rats. Bats, too, and they’re everywhere, flying out when I walk into a room and—”
“Where are you now?”
Ricky rubbed my bare hip. “Yeah, it kinda does. If Gabriel was that adamant about me not dating you, it could mean he really is—”
“He isn’t.” I told him about Gabriel’s deal with James. When I finished, his mouth opened. Then it shut, and he shook his head.
“I’d say I’m stunned, but it’s more like mildly surprised. Gabriel saw the chance to make a little extra on the side, and since it didn’t hurt your case, it wasn’t against your interests. On a professional level.”
“Which is all that matters with Gabriel. The point is that your dad has zero reason to think you were overstepping. Gabriel was only guarding someone else’s ‘property.’ If Gabriel still complains, it’s only because us dating could add a mild complication to his business interests, which come first.”
Ricky nodded slowly, digesting that. “That helps. On all levels.”
“Good. Because I understand that the club comes first for you, and I won’t interfere with that. But if we can make this work . . .”
“I’ll make it work,” he said and pulled me on top of him.
CHAPTER FORTY-THREE
When my phone rang, I surfaced from sleep, confused and groggy, thinking I heard a funeral toll, that slow dong that signifies a death. I leapt up, sleep falling away, Ricky stirring beside me. Then I heard the familiar tone of my phone. I checked it. Private caller.
I answered.
“E-Eden?” It was a woman, her voice pitched so high she sounded like a child. “Is th-this Eden Larsen?”
I tensed. Ricky touched my arm, telling me he could hear the caller.
“Where did you get this number?” I said.
“I-Is this Eden Larsen? Please. It’s important.”
“I don’t go by that name, and if you’re using it, you’re not someone I want to speak to, especially at three in the—”
“Wait! Please, please, wait. He told me to ask for Eden Larsen. Get to this phone. Call this number. Ask for Eden. That’s all I know.” Her words tumbled out on a wave of panic.
“I’m hanging up now,” I said carefully.
“No! Please, please, please.” Her voice broke in a sob. “I only get this one call. It was programmed in. If you hang up, I can’t phone back.”
“Programmed in?”
“To the phone. I can’t use any other number. I tried. I only get this one number and this one call. I have to speak to you and give you the message.”
“Who are you?” I asked.
“Macy. My name is Macy. You don’t know me. I don’t know you. I was at a party with some friends. I left with this guy, and he brought me here and . . . and . . .” Her voice broke again.
“Okay, slow down. You said there’s a message?”
“Yes. It’s that you need to come find me.” She paused. “You understand, right? You know what this is all about? Because I don’t understand any of it.” She hiccuped as she sped through the words. “Tell me this makes some kind of sense. That you know why he’d do this, and you’ll come help me.”
“Give me the whole message,” I said, speaking slowly to calm her down.
“Call Eden Larsen. Tell her to come to this address. If she comes, I will let you go. I have information she needs, but she has to prove she’s worthy of it. She must find you and she must save you. Then I will tell her the truth about her parents and her birthright. And if she does not come, I will—” Her voice cracked and she had to start again. “I will kill you.”
“Where are you?”
She rattled off the GPS coordinates left for her. “So you’ll come?”
“He sent you to that phone, correct? Meaning he isn’t there right now. So how are you in danger? You can run for help.”
“There’s nowhere to run. I don’t know where I am. There are all these abandoned buildings, and a cemetery. He’s watching, too. He’ll shoot me if I run.” She paused. “You don’t believe me. Oh God, you don’t believe me.”
She continued babbling. How cold am I if I admit I was ignoring her words and gauging her voice and her tone, trying to decide how genuine her plight was? Yet Ricky could hear, and he wasn’t saying, Come on! We need to go help her! When I glanced over, I could tell he was assessing, too.
I made Macy go over her story again, in more detail. She’d been at a party. She’d left with a man. She didn’t know who he was—it was a big party—only that he was alone and good-looking, and he’d singled her out for attention. They had a few drinks, and she was sure he must have slipped something in hers because otherwise she’d never just leave with him, especially without telling her friends.
He’d driven out of the city. She wasn’t sure which way. They’d been talking and the next thing she knew they were in the countryside. He’d taken her to what looked like an army base, with lots of buildings. Then he’d gotten out and said he had to go inside and talk to someone.
After he’d left, she realized all the buildings were dark. When she’d taken a closer look at one, she’d seen boarded-up windows and doors. She’d just started to panic when a cell phone rang. It wasn’t hers. She couldn’t find hers. That’s when she’d begun panicking for real. The phone kept ringing. She’d found it under the seat and answered. It was him.
He told her that she needed to follow his instructions and make a very important call. He gave her the directions and told her what would happen if she didn’t do as he said. She started to scream. He hung up.
She’d tried to call 911, call anyone, but the phone was blocked. Hers was gone. The car keys were gone. She’d made a break for it. When she ran past the building she was supposed to enter, he shot at her, the bullet hitting the ground at her feet.
“It’s—it’s horrible in here,” she whispered. “He left me a flashlight, but it barely does anything, and it’s dark and empty and there’s writing on the walls. Writing everywhere. Crazy stuff. I hear noises. I think it’s only rats.” A high-pitched laugh. “Only rats. I can’t believe I said that. I hate rats. Bats, too, and they’re everywhere, flying out when I walk into a room and—”
“Where are you now?”
