Page 97 of Who's Saving You
“So that’s it? You hand me to her? You’re such a coward,” I spit.
He yanks me by my arms, pulling me to a sitting position and backhands me. My head snaps to the left with force and my lip burns. I soothe it with my tongue, the metallic taste sharp letting me know it’s already bleeding. “Better me than someone else. You dig where you don’t belong, you could end up buried in that hole.” He hoists me onto his shoulder from the trunk.
“You don’t even know the whole game she’s playing.”
“And neither do you. But unlike others, I’m just following orders. I don’t care why or who.”
40
Nik
Club Trick is quiet as the employees begin prepping for opening. I’m sitting upstairs with Dante, leg bouncing furiously, hands tapping on the table top. We wait, and watch, the tracking device in Noelle’s shoe showing us she’s still sitting at that piece of shit bar, straight across town, too far for my liking.
“You gotta calm down. We’ve got eyes on her.”
I shake my head. “Until she’s back in my sight, I’m not resting.” I stand, pacing the room, glancing down below onto the empty dancefloor, then right onto the empty tables and black screens that show no game stats. A ping hits my phone. I look down and see an email from an unknown sender. No subject, no sender, just numbers as an address. I open it, and my heart drops.
The locker room from all those years ago at ZeidersUniversity fills my screen. The video is old, grainy-looking, but I see it clear as day. All of a sudden, I’m transported back in time, standing back there, sophomore year. I watch the video as Trevor gets in my face. I shrug him off, but he won’t stop. I finally turn and throw a punch. He charges me, pinning me to the locker. The guys rally around us, while the coaches tear us apart. There’s yelling, and then Trevor flips a bench before storming off.Shame.My gut twists.
Only one person could’ve kept this.My sister. She sat in on those meetings with me, controlled the interrogations by the school and insisted on handling everything. I remember her asking for the locker room tape. And having this tape only means she has them all. The tape from the interview room, from the coach’s office. She was cleaning up and storing ammunition for later.
I’m alerted that the tracking device we planted on Noelle is on the move. I open the app and see her moving, “Where’s she going?” Dante sits forward in his chair, watching the same app I am.
“She’s moving too fast to be walking. And in the opposite directi–”
“He’s fucking taking her!” I roar.
Dante stands, putting his hand up as the security guards come around us. “We don’t know that–”
Before he can finish his sentence, a text comes through with a picture of Noelle, hands tied behind her back.
Unknown: Time to play, Warrior.
“Follow her, now. I’m not waiting.” He’s up in a second, eyes snapping wide when he sees my face. I shove the phone at him as he sees the picture and reads the text. His mouth hardens.
He rounds his desk, opening the bottom drawer, pulling out a Glock, and sliding it into the waistband behind his back. Another drawer, another gun as he hands it off to Stone. “Take Stone. I’m behind you.” Stone and I are moving already, feet pounding, the night pressing in close. Every second that ticks by is another second she’s alone with Rhett. My sister’s name burns in my brain.
~~
We follow her path, taking us into the back roads of Mistletoe Falls. We’re about ten minutes behind them when it takes us off onto a dirt road. There are no street lights, and we cut our headlights, only the moon lighting our way. We drive, and my heart only races faster as a fence comes into view. It’s dilapidated and looks like it’s been here for a hundred years. The fence eventually breaks away, and we’re able to turn onto a field. I realize this is an old, long-abandoned football field.
The goalposts still stand, but there is no grass, only weeds and dirt, rocks thrown around. Behind the furthest goal post is a building, and as we approach, I see a car with the trunk still open, the inside light showing it’s empty.
“Motherfucker. What's her location?”
“That building," Stone says as we creep slowly, trying to remain invisible.
“Where the fuck is Dante?” I grind out my teeth, wanting him here.
Stone checks his phone. “On his way.”
“Let’s go. I'm not waiting.”
We make our way around the building, which appears to be an old equipment shed. Overgrown bushes and low-hanging tree branches are pushed aside as we try to get close. We come up to the only door, slowly stepping in. Glancing around, I try to get my bearings as quickly as Ican. There are shelves lining the left side, all empty. To the right are rusty tacklers and old push-pull sleds that have long been forgotten. We walk further inside, and I stop in the middle of the room, spinning to look at Stone. It reeks of cigarettes here.
“There’s no one here,” I speak softly, then freeze when I hear a slow clapping begin. Looking back over my shoulder, I see Eva leaning against double doors.
“I knew you'd come, Warrior.”
