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“Zach.” The voice filtered in, through pain, through the ice that spiked his veins. “Damn it—Zach, talk to me.”
“Okay,” he whispered. He pried his lids apart. Alex leaned over him, one hand cradling his cheek. “I’m okay.”
With her help he sat, shaking so badly he could feel it down to the bone. Alex settled him against the wall, brushed sweat soaked hair off his forehead.
“Where did you go, Zach?”
He met her eyes. “Your stomping ground, Alex.”
“What—no, not the haven.” She stared at him. “He’s not still down there? All this time?”
“He’s in pain, and I have to get him out of there—” He started to get up, and clutched at the floor, his head spinning. “How long was I out?”
“It’s been over an hour, Zach.” God—no wonder he felt like he’d been beaten with a stick. “You stopped breathing, long enough that I was ready to start pounding on you.”
He knew she was trying to lighten the mood, and he appreciated it. “Whoever took Simon is using him, feeding off him.”
Anger sparked in her eyes. “We have to get him out.”
“Can you get us down there?”
She smiled. “I happen to know the new owner. Personally.”
***
Alex helped Zach to his feet, and stayed right behind him on the ladder, step for step. He was pretty sure her presence kept him from pitching off, more than once. When they reached top she climbed past him, helped him up to solid ground.
“Rest a minute, Zach. You look terrible.”
Good to know he looked as bad as he felt.
After a couple of minutes, he nodded, pushing himself to his feet. Alex helped him up, one arm around his waist as she led him back into the basement. His legs wanted to give out under him, but she was strong—so much stronger than she looked, in more ways than one.
By the time they reached the stairs, he felt more or less stable. And he realized that her touching him didn’t hurt anymore. Huh.
“I’m going to take you to the nearest empty classroom,” she said. “And we’re going to make a quick plan, instead of running in blind, like last time.”
“Okay,” he mumbled.
Sitting sounded like a spectacular idea. He originally thought they could rush right out and head for the town that hid under Alex’s beach town of Emmettsville. A town that had once been a haven for monsters.
But after what he had gone through to reach Simon, that idea went the way of his strength.
They climbed the stairs, slowly, and made their way down the empty hall. The school had a deserted feel, and Zach realized Alex hadn’t been exaggerating about how long he’d been—gone. She maneuvered him into the nearest open doorway, sat him at the first desk, and stood over him, crossing her arms.
“Okay, handsome. Talk.”
He told her everything. By the time he finished, Alex was sitting on the desk, holding both hands.
“How could I not know he was there? I’ve been down in Hyattown for months, helping Sam get the haven ready...” Her voice faded. “What if he’s there, and I can’t see him anymore? God, Zach, I could have walked right past him without knowing it—”
“Alex.” He tightened his grip. “There’s no way you can blame yourself for this. If I couldn’t detect Simon before now, and we’re—attached, then I hardly expect you to have stumbled over him down there. I have an idea about what happened to him, but I need to be down there, to feel it in person, before I know for sure.”
“Let’s go. I know Sam is down there. I was on my way to meet him when we—ran into each other.”
“You’re sure I’ll be welcome? I didn’t get that ‘happy to meet you’ feeling from him the last time we were together.”
“He’s cautious with strangers. I blew in with you, like we were best friends. It didn’t exactly sit well with him, but he’s over it now.”
Zach could just imagine how that conversation went—Alex telling Sam to get over it. Period. She didn’t pull punches, and he liked that about her, had from the second they met.
“I need to call Misty,” he said. “We were supposed to have dinner together. I’ll make an excuse.” Again. She wasn’t going to be happy.
He pulled his phone out and hit speed dial. Misty’s voice burst out of the speaker, with the enthusiasm that always made him smile.
“This is Misty, and I’m busy cheering my butt off! Leave a message and I’ll call you back. Promise!”
“Misty, it’s Zach.” He cleared his throat. “I’m going to have to cancel dinner. I’m sorry, but I have another headache. I hope you can forgive me—again. I’ll call you later, when I can see straight. Promise. Bye.”
He ended the call, and turned around, halting when he saw Alex studying him, arms crossed. “How many times have you cancelled on her?”
“Uh—a few.”
“For the same reason?”
He scuffed the floor with his shoe. “Yeah.”
“Why didn’t you tell us what was happening, Zach? You’re not alone, you know. I thought we were friends.”
“We are. I just—I didn’t want you to—”
“Pity you?” Alex stalked forward, favoring her left ankle. Zach remembered her telling him the injury pretty much ended her dance career. Maybe he could ask her about that, to distract her from— “I have a boyfriend who is constantly trying to ‘protect me’, and I’m not about to let you wrap me in pretty excuses because I’m a girl. Next time, pick up the damn phone and call me. Are we clear?”
“Um—yes?”
Laughter burst out of her. “Poor Misty. She doesn’t stand a chance.” Before he could ask her what that meant, she took his hand and pulled him out of the classroom. “If you need to rest, let me know before you topple over, so I can turn around in time to catch you.”
“Okay.” He’d forgotten her wicked sense of humor. He also forgot how much he liked her company. “I think I can make it to my car—”
“My car, handsome. You’re not touching anything resembling a steering wheel.”
They made it to the front steps before he had to sit.
“Sorry,” he whispered.
Alex kept her arm around his waist after she lowered him to the step. “How long have you been like this, Zach?”
He swallowed. “Since Simon disappeared.”
“And dealing with it alone.” She let out a sigh, brushed hair off his forehead. He could feel sweat sliding down his neck. It pretty much slicked every inch of skin, from what he could tell. “You must have worked hard to hide this from Misty. She notices everything.”
“The reason for multiple cancellations. I couldn’t face her... oh, no.” He grabbed the metal rail.
Misty Corwin was standing with her cheerleaders in the field next to the parking lot, and she had just turned her head. Zach could tell by her body language that she spotted them. A second later, she confirmed it by sprinting toward them.
“Get me up, Alex. Now.”
“Oh, no. You are getting out of this on your own, angel boy.”
He only managed to get halfway up when Misty skidded to a halt in front of him.
“What the hell, Zach? A message?” He sat again, to give himself some distance from the anger smacking him. “If you were here, you could have just come out and told me to my face you didn’t want to...” Her voice faded, then her eyes narrowed. “You’re hurting again, aren’t you? And don’t look at me like I shouldn’t know. I can tell when someone is in pain, even when they try their damn best to hide it.”
She didn’t curse much, until he pushed a button that set her off. Usually it was the “just because I’m a cheerleader” one. Since he had no idea what cheerleaders did and didn’t do, he managed to slap that button pretty often.
“I didn’t want you to worry.” He knew that was the wrong thing to say almost before the words finished leaving his mouth.
“Wrong answer.” She moved up from mad to furious, but when she took his hands and helped him stand, her touch was gentle, telling Zach just how worried she was. “Okay, where are we going?”
Panic jolted through him. “You’re not—”
“A quick trip down under,” Alex said, raising one eyebrow at him. Right—too late to keep Misty from going now. “We may have found Simon.”
Misty’s blue eyes widened. “He’s down there? Oh, God.” The fury disappeared, just like that. “I’m so sorry, Zach. Can I—are you okay for hugging?”
“Yeah.” He didn’t care how much it hurt—having Misty in his arms was worth any pain. When she wrapped her arms around his waist, he pressed his face into her shoulder. “Thank you,” he whispered.
“Hey.” She leaned back, and he lifted his head, meeting those eyes that seemed to be able to see right through him. “I know how important he is to you. Even if I’ve never seen him.” She glanced over at Alex. “You ready?”
“More than,” Alex said. “Zach?”
“Ready.”
“Okay.” Misty flashed the smile that always made his heart beat faster. Man, he was sinking fast, with no chance of rescue. “Then let’s go get him away from whoever was stupid enough to think they could keep him.”