Page 79 of The Burdens We Share
Aria and I makeit to the sidewalk in front of the set. After leaving Dallas’ we walked a mile before we got a cab and from there, the set was only a ten-minute drive. Dallas lives relatively close to the set, hence why I didn’t leave too early.
“Remember the plan?” I ask, even though I know she does. I don’t think either of us could forget, our adrenaline is already racing through our blood.
She nods, “Yup. You?”
I dip my chin in a nod. An hour ago, I was fully prepared to accept my imminent death and follow his directions. But after Aria confronted me, I changed my mind. My best friend is right. If either she or Brody were in my shoes, they would immediately throw themselves into the line of fire to save my life. That’s the kind of friends we are. But it isn’t worth saving one or two of us if all three of us can’t be together. We’re in this thing together. Three go in, three come out.
I take a long breath. “Okay, let’s go.”
She grabs me and wraps me in a hug so tight I wouldn’t be surprised if a rib cracked. “Be careful,” her voice is muffled into my hair.
I grip her shoulders and pull myself back, “You too.”
She gives me a weak smile and nods, stepping back. “Two minutes,” I remind her.
She repeats, “Two minutes.”
I reach into my pocket and grab my key card that each of us has to get in and out of set for security purposes. I scan thesensor on the side of the gate and hear the gears turning as it unlocks. Once the green light flashes, I push it open before I can hesitate over my own fear.This is for Brody. This is for Brody. This is for Brody.I remind myself.
I step inside and don’t close it all the way, making sure that Aria can access it and things can go according to our own little plan. I walk through the empty set, lit up only by the moon’s light, an eerie chill running down my spine. With each step I take, my heart sinks lower and lower in my stomach.
My mind hyper-focuses on every little sound, anticipating a threat. As I walk I realize that my stalker never gave me an exact location. He just said the set, he didn’t specifywhereon the set. I think. If I were a deranged stalker with an evil plan, where would I be? My trailer is the first thought that comes to mind. After all, this is about me so it only makes sense he’d be somewhere that has to do with me. I pick up my pace as I rush over to my trailer. I stop before the door and take one last breath before I twist the handle and push it open, stepping inside.
Nothing.
Empty.
I look around, there’s no sign of anyone being here. Maybe I was wrong.
I exit the trailer and continue searching the set for any signs of life. I see none. So I continue to brainstorm. If he isn’t in my trailer, maybe he’s on a scene set. It’s the only other place that makes sense. Maybe my original theory was right, but my exact location was wrong. With that in mind, I hurry into the main building which houses all of the many little sets we’ve filmed on. There’s a light switch next to the door and I flick it on, but no lights turn on. The building is still pitch black, encased in ominous shadow. I let my eyes adjust to the dark and reassess, scanning the room for even a hint of light. There. Faintly anddown the very long hallway is a dim white light.
I follow it immediately, wasting no time.
I trip over what feels like wires and props along with my own feet as the light grows closer and closer. It’s dim, but it’s there. I round the corner, tripping over a wire and falling face-first into the cement floor, my chin smashing against the surface. I wince, “Fuck.” I feel a breeze on my chin along with some coolness and know right away it’s blood. I swear to God I wanted to kill this bastard before, but if this scars, I really will kill him.
I use my arms to lift myself back up, dusting myself off as I focus back on the task at hand. I round the corner again, more careful this time and get a clear, perfect view of the room encased in dim, white light. There, tied to a chair and bound at her wrists and ankles is Brody. Her cheeks are stained with mascara and tears and her eyes are so bloodshot from crying that I immediately want to run to her and hold her. She has a gag in her mouth and she looks so unbelievably broken, so afraid. “Brody,” I whisper before my body reacts and sprints over to her.
I kneel before her, “Hey, B. I’m here, okay? You’re okay. I promise it’s gonna be okay.” Tears are now forming in my eyes as she begins silently sobbing, her head lolling back in exhaustion. With shaking hands, I do my best to untie her wrists one at a time.
She makes a moaning sound and I reassure her, “I’m gonna get you home. Harvey has been so worried about you. He hasn’t once stopped looking. He hasn’t even taken a bathroom break,” I ramble because if I don’t stop I’m going to freak the fuck out. I am so unbelievably scared.
She moans again, the sound louder and I look up from her wrists to meet her eyes which are wide with fear and locked on something over my shoulder. I tense and freeze. “Hello, my love. You’re right on time.”
Dallas
I’M ON MY COMPUTER,working my ass off as fast as possible to track the IP address of Ivory’s stalker from her texts. He’s good in a way that terrifies me because it takes practice and skill. If he’s worked this hard to remain hidden and splice footage like an expert, it’s because he knows of my relationship with Ivory. If I weren’t a tech genius, he wouldn’t have had to go to these lengths, which means he’s done his research on me. He’s thorough, good, precise. But so am I.
“Anything?” Slater asks at my back.
I ignore his question and keep typing code.
The room goes silent for a minute aside from the sound of my furious typing. When I find this motherfucker, I am going to inflict the most excruciating pain on him. He’ll wish that he let Connor Mulligan take the fall and that he stayed hidden. When I’m through with him, then I’ll let Harvey have his turn and then Slater. He’s fucked with all three of our girls and that’s asking for a death sentence.
A phone ringing breaks the silence. I don’t look up, I continue coding.
The call disconnects after two beats and Sly gasps, “Aria called me, but she hung up,” his words are breathless.
I stop typing, “What?” I look at him over my shoulder.
