Darkness

27. Search Party

27. Search Party

// Justin//

♦♦♦

The boys are gathered in the living room. The only one's missing are the few of us who weren't so lucky as to get away with less than a scratch.

Ari is taking up the majority of the room, pacing the floor; his face set in grim fury, tension rolling off of his shoulders, his eyes shooting daggers around the room, until finally settling onto me.

"It was a fuck up, she couldn't have known."

"You think I'm stupid? It was a stake out," Ari booms, but I don't flinch. "A fucking stake out and she led us right into the heart of. If she's willing to risk the lives of our men, then she's willing to die."

"You threaten her again and you'll be the one six feet under," I growl, closing the distance between us until we're toe to toe and I'm staring down into his hollow eyes. I've only got two inches on Ari, but his commanding nature has always been enough to overthrow me. It's the nature of the gang; I have to abide by his rules, follow his commands without question, but I'm not backing down on this. He's not fucking touching her.

"Don't you fucking start with me, Bieber," he warns. "I'm not risking this business for the sake of your play thing."

"She's not a play thing," I spit, not caring that we have an audience. "She's sacrificed just as much as others here."

"What? The princess gave up a nice bed in the palace for a spot in the dirt? Not fucking likely."

My ringtone blares through the room then, cutting straight through the tension.

I dig a hand into my pocket and retrieve it, fully intending to send the caller to voicemail and continue my stare down with Ari, but when my eyes catch sight of the caller ID flashing across the screen all bets are off.

I feel Ari's weighted glare on me as I turn away from him and head towards the hallway.

"Spencer?" I greet, holding the phone close to my ear, as I take a few steps further down the hallway, putting as much distance between me and the guys as I can get.

A soft whimpering on the other side of the line catches me off guard and I freeze, mid-step, halfway down the hallway.

"He knows," she sniffles.

"He knows what?" I bark, demanding she answer.

"He knows abou-" she starts to say, but her words are cut off abruptly. Then muffled sounds follow, like hushed protesting and a choked cry for help.

"Spencer?" I call out, as the commotion on the other end of the line continues. "Spence? Spencer?!"

The speaker erupts loud scratching static. I suspect she's dropped her phone, because her voice is farther away now.

"What's going on?" Nolan is on high alert the moment he spies my frazzled expression.

"I think someone took her," I tell him. The words fall numbly from my lips. I'm unable to do much else than fucking stare at the stupid device in my hand, the line on the other end mute, despite still being connected.

"What do you mean someone took her?" Nolan's alarm jostles me from my shock and sends me into action.

"Someone fucking took her," I spit, searching my jean pockets for my keys, my other hand still clasping my phone tightly.

"Couldn't she just have gotten cut off?"

"The call is still on," I snap, flashing him the screen, where the clock is still counting up the seconds.

"I told her to call me when she was done," Nolan calls out behind me, as I head for the door to the garage. I don't turn around, as I rip it open. "Shit, why didn't she just call me?"

"She's fucking stubborn," I grumble, over my shoulder, before stepping into the garage.

I cross the space between the door and my car in three determined strides and slide into the driver's seat of my car, before anyone can come running after me, trying to stop me.

I've already got the engine running and the car in gear, when Nolan steps out into the garage and heads for his own car.

I already know he'll be following me, before I spot him in my rearview mirror, turning onto the highway and heading for St Jude's Memorial Hospital.

But she won't be there.

I know it before we get there.

I know it before the front desk personal dismisses us and I know it long before Nolan tracks her phone to three blocks down, lying crushed on the pavement.

"Find her," I growl, clutching the broken device in my large palm. "Fucking find her. Now."

Nolan has Ky on the phone within seconds, barking out orders to pull up hack the local traffic center and pull up the footage from the latest half an hour.

I listen to his orders but none of it registers. The only thing I can think about is some creep's hands on her, holding her down, a tight fist wrapping around her neck.

Blue lips, white eyes, cold skin.

I'll fucking find you.