CHAPTER 9

 

The sounds, colors, and movements blend into one as I groove to the music with hooded eyes, my arms and legs in harmony with my swaying hips. I’m burning up with a constant buzzing in my head, the world around me vibrating in a surreal dancing light. As a matter of fact, everything appears surreal. It’s like I’ve traded in the troubled, haunted Kelsey for the fun-loving and laid back girl I used to be before my abduction. It’s dreamlike and I love every minute of it.

I have also discovered a new favorite—golden tequila. Together with lime and salt, those are the best shooters ever, and Finn and I have almost killed our first bottle. The fake ID has worked magic. We had no issues getting into the club and the bartender has not once raised an eyebrow when I demanded a refill. I never even imagined that it would be that easy to fool people about my age.

Finn’s fingers intertwine with mine as I continue to sway to the music. Deciding to move in, I tilt my head backward and close my eyes as I grind against him to the rhythm of the song. He plays along, his arm cradling my back when he pulls me closer. He is such a tease. The volcano in the depths of my belly erupts once again as his body reacts to mine, matching the lust in his eyes. He wants me badly and for the first time in three years, I don’t mind at all. Breaking down his reservations and getting laid has become the ultimate goal of the night.

The nausea hits me unexpectedly and I almost barf all over the floor. With a crooked grin, I spin around and head in the direction of the restrooms. Ignoring the snide remarks of the other girls waiting in line, I squeeze through an opening in the door just as someone is leaving.

The strong scent of perfume and toilet bowl cleaner sends me over the edge. My insides rebel as I lunge into the stall, ignoring more angry mumbling from the other patrons. Before I can even lock the door, my stomach contents begin to leak into the toilet. When the retching stops, I lean back, my whole body shivering. Rapid changes of hot and cold flashes battle through me while I catch my breath. My throat is raw and on fire, the foul taste in my mouth almost making me gag again.

I must have dozed off. When the stall door slams against my feet, I’m startled. A girl stands in front of me, her features blending in and out of focus. I squint, trying to figure out what she wants.

“Hey, are you okay?” Her brows knit together in a critical frown.

I feel judged.

“Your boyfriend is out there, going nuts, because you’ve been in here like an hour,” she says. “Do you need help?”

I have no clue what she’s talking about. I don’t even know how I got here. “I don’t have a boyfriend.” And then the truth hits me. It must be Jed or his friend, trying to recapture me. This terrible fear has been constantly in the back of my mind ever since I escaped.

My arms wrap around the girl’s calf. “Please, don’t leave me. This guy is trying to kidnap me. You have to call the police.”

She tries to free herself from my grip, but I hold onto her leg for my dear life. She is the only one who can save me.

“Are you crazy?” she hisses when she finally gets out of my clutches. “Call the cops yourself. You’re totally wasted.”

She storms out just as my eyes fall on the window. It’s wide enough for me to squeeze through. I fiddle with the handle until it finally pops open. A warm night breeze brushes over me. The sweetness of lavender in the air makes me sick again and my stomach heaves, but the fear and unrest that cause my heart to beat triple its speed drives me forward. I won’t allow them to drag me back to Jed’s cabin.

I almost make it. My head is already hanging down, my arms stretched out to reach for safety. The sidewalk is close, only inches away, when someone pulls on my legs, inching me back toward danger.

I squeal, kicking. “Leave me alone.”

Colorful curses assault my eardrums when my feet find a soft target. The pulling stops, but my efforts prove too stringent on my body. Vomit spills from my mouth again. I end up a trembling mess, just as my assailant resumes hauling me back into the club, despite my growing protests.

“HELP!” I scream at the top of my lungs. “HELP! He’s trying to abduct me.”

A sharp “What’re you doing, dude?” makes my heart rejoice. Finally, someone is coming to my rescue.

“My friend had too much to drink and is freaking out. I’m trying to get her inside. She doesn’t even realize she’s on the second floor and will get seriously hurt if she falls.”

No, no, no—he’s totally lying. The sidewalk is right under my nose, even if it is a tad blurry. I start to kick again, but another set of hands comes to my attacker’s aid. They restrain my legs from causing any more damage and also bar my escape. I can’t fight them both. After one joint pull, I find myself back inside the bathroom.

I immediately change strategy and punch the air in front of me. The room is spinning. I’m dizzy, but stand my ground until two strong arms wrap around me.

“Kelsey, stop. It’s just me—Finn.”

“NO,” I yell, my shrill voice almost splitting my eardrums. “You’re him. You’re Napoleon and you’re only nice to me because you want to rape me again.”

“Hooo.” The guy next to Finn raises his palms, taking a step back. “That’s getting too heavy for me. I’m gonna call the cops and they can figure this out.”

Finn releases me. “Hey, she’s totally high and doesn’t know what she’s talking about.” His hands run through his hair. He looks like he is about to cry. “I’m on probation, man. If you call the cops, they’ll arrest me. She’s underage and you’ll be in trouble as well for serving her alcohol.”

I get sick again, throwing up right on the floor. Finn jumps back, but is still hit with a generous amount of half-digested food and tequila. Good.

“Goddammit,” the guy cusses. “You better get her out of here. I swear if you’re not gone in the next five minutes, I’ll have the bouncers beat the crap out of you.” He extends his hand. “And before you get any ideas, gimme your car keys.”

Finn’s eyes go wide. “Are you crazy? How’m I supposed to get her home?”

“Not my problem. You’re both drunk and you’ll probably kill someone if you get behind the wheel. The club will be sued and I’ll lose my job on top of all this.” He adamantly shakes his head. “No, dude, not happening. And I swear if I find out you touched her tonight, I’ll personally crack your skull. Now get out of my sight and don’t think of ever coming back here again.”

“Please, I don’t want to go with him,” I whimper.

The guy just shoots me a nasty look and leaves. A large group of girls gawks at me, but no one even lifts a finger. Each and every one of them lowers their gaze when my begging eyes meet theirs.

Finn’s hand gets ahold of my wrist. “Come on, Kelsey. We’ve to go or we’ll both be in trouble.”

I tear my arm away from him. “NO.”

He grabs my shoulders and shakes me violently. “What’s wrong with you? I’m not Napoleon. I don’t even know who the hell that is!”

Tears roll down my cheeks. “Please don’t hurt me.”

He catches me just as my knees buckle. I stagger through the club, hanging onto his neck. I can’t fight him anymore. My head swims and a jackhammer is moving in. Thirst burns in my throat while I desperately fight the nausea. The sound of the music explodes painfully in my skull as we seem to crawl over the dance floor toward the exit.

We finally make it outside, and as the cool night air hits me, I barf again in a corner next to a dumpster. When I’m done, I pant, too weak to remain on my feet without support. I double over and sink to the ground, cradling into a ball. My eyes twitch from exhaustion.

Finn squats next to me. “Kelsey, you have to get up.”

I grunt, tiredness slowly luring me under its spell. The humming of my blood in my ears is soothing. My eyelids become heavy.

“Luke,” I mumble. “I want Luke.”

“Okay, I might as well call him to pick us up since I can’t get ahold of anyone else. What’s his number?”

With a last-ditch effort, the numbers slur from my mouth before my mind goes totally blank.

 

~~~~

 

I awake when the car swerves and I’m almost tossed off my seat. It takes me a minute to realize that I’m squeezed in the back of a moving vehicle. The slight scent of coconut suggests it’s Luke’s truck. He’s always been a fan of those air fresheners you hang from the rearview mirror and coconut is the flavor of the month.

“What the hell were you thinking of taking her from the hospital?” Luke’s voice trembles with fury. “That was totally irresponsible.”

“Look, all I wanted was for her to have a break for one night. I never thought she would freak out like this.” Finn’s words are whiny, reminding me of a small child.

Luke huffs. “What did you give her?”

“We had a few joints and some shots.”

Luke clicks his tongue and the temperature in the truck drops by a few notches. “That’s just great. Mixing shit like this is fucking genius.” The sarcasm oozes from his voice. “No wonder she freaked out. If you paid any attention in class, you would’ve known that mixing alcohol and weed can cause anxiety attacks and paranoia. You were just lucky that she didn’t try to cut herself.”

Finn’s head hits the back of his seat. “God, that would have been awful.”

Heavy silence falls over the truck. I almost drift back to sleep from the even humming of the engine when Finn clears his throat.

“Who’s Napoleon? She thought I was him.”

Luke sucks in a deep breath. “That’s Jed’s friend who also abducted her.”

“I thought his name was Drake something.”

“Well, yeah, that’s what everyone thinks.” The car makes a left turn before speeding up. “But there was never any real evidence that it was him. It could have been anybody. Napoleon was what Jed called him.”

“That’s stupid.”

“Oh yeah, and why is that, genius?”

“Napoleon’s character was highly influenced by his height. He was very insecure because of that, which made him so vicious. I doubt the abductor was really short, so the nickname isn’t really fitting.”

Luke snorts. “I guess you do pay attention in class when you want to. And yes, I agree. It was a stupid nickname, but then, Jed isn’t really smart. The few brain cells he had were destroyed in the boxing ring. He’s dumber than a brick.”

The nausea crawls up my throat again when the car makes another turn. “Hey, I’m really sick.”

Finn peeks over the passenger seat. “Do you need us to stop?”

“Uhum,” I mumble before my hand clutches my mouth.

The car slows. I jump out before it has fully stopped. My stomach heaves and I gag. Finn holds my hair back as my ordeal continues while Luke strokes my back. In that moment, I swear I will never touch another drop of alcohol—or smoke a joint for that matter.

Luke produces a bottle of water which I down in one go before climbing back into the truck. My throat is still raw, my head pounding. The water settles my stomach, but I’m still not convinced I will be able to keep it down. The humming of the engine soon lulls my mind as we continue our journey in silence.

“Luke,” I whisper just before drifting back to dreamland.

“Hm,” he grumbles.

“Please don’t tell anyone about tonight. I don’t want Finn to get into trouble.”

He lets out an exasperated gasp. “Kels, I can’t just ignore—”

“Luke, please. Do it for me. He’s my friend.”

An annoyed sigh escapes his lips. “Okay, as long as this stays a one-time thing. I won’t cover for you guys again.”

“Thanks.” A small smile tugs on my lips when the Sandman knocks on my door. Luke really is the best big brother any girl could ask for.

There are three more stops until we finally get back to the hospital. Finn shows Luke the back entrance, and while cursing, my brother commits a misdemeanor to end our little adventure. A sweep of Finn’s employee card allows us access to the building, which is covered in total silence. I’m snuggled into Luke’s arms while he carries me upstairs to my room and tucks me into bed.

He kisses my forehead. “Good night, sis. You’ll feel worse tomorrow morning, but that’ll be a good punishment.”

“Thanks for coming to my rescue, bro.”

There are tears in his eyes. “Nothing will ever make up for me not coming to get you that night of the party. If I had only picked you up, you would never have been kidnapped. It’s all my fault. I will never forgive myself.”

“Hey.” I grab his hand. “Don’t beat yourself up. If it hadn’t happened that night, it would have been some other time. Jed and Napoleon planned for months—he told me so himself.”

He gave me a crooked smile. “Yeah, maybe.”

“Tonight you were there for me and that’s the most important thing. I’m sorry I messed up.”

“I guess we’re both experts when it comes to that.”

I close my eyes, battling more nausea. “Yes, I guess we are.”

“Sleep now.” He tucks the blankets closer around me. “I’ll take your friend home and make sure he gets his truck back tomorrow.”

“Thanks.” My eyelids flutter. “I love you, Luke.”

“I love you, too, sis.”