Lee
When Reyna had called me that evening I'd thought many things but never did I imagine this.
"What are we doing?" Landon asks for the second time. I have the same question but it's just annoying coming from him, it's annoying how he got involved in this whole thing. Clearly, Reyna called me. But coincidentally he'd just been coming to visit her. Reyna flat out told him that we had plans but somehow, in a way I'm still trying to understand, he'd coaxed her into telling him that we were going to help out Adonis. He didn't even know where or what we were going to do but he oh so eagerly agreed to follow. Like a puppy.
Oh who am I to judge. That's the exact same thing I did.
"I don't know how long this will take, did you bring the biscuits?" Reyna turns to me. I open the nylon filled with all sorts of sweets, chips and biscuits and hand one to both of them.
"Who are we waiting for?" Landon asks, leaning back on the seat. I can't resist the scoff that comes out.
"You can't be that slow, whose house is it that we're at?" I roll my eyes from irritation.
"I want to believe that there's a mistake or something. Declan is at the game," he replies coldly.
"He's going to come, I'm pretty sure of it," Reyna takes a bite from her biscuit.
"You've been pretty sure of him being the culprit from the start," Landon says, a bit too drily. Reyna's eyes focus on him from the rear view mirror.
"Why? You don't think it's him?"
"It's just hard for me okay? Declan is my friend. He's a jerk and he thinks like a snail but kidnapping? Bro that's sick."
"That would mean he's sick," Reyna sums up immediately.
"Reyna, won't you even at least wait before you label him a criminal?" Landon pleads.
"I didn't come here to debate whether or not he did it Landon. I'm waiting for him to come."
"And if he doesn't?"
"Then he doesn't think as slowly as you've assumed."
Landon opens his mouth to continue arguing but I butt in before he can.
"That's enough. I'm going to call Adonis and ask if Jordan's told him anything new." I reach out for my phone in my pocket and I'm about to open the door of the car when I catch the look Reyna's giving me.
"What?"
"Nothing."
"Not. Speak now or forever hold your peace," I release the handle. She doesn't stop sending me that uncertain look.
"Do you really think we can trust Jordan?" she asks me. My face must go still because she continues. "She already lied once and she's had a crush on Declan since forever. Would she really out him for us?"
"Us? Maybe not, but it's Adonis she's doing all this for. I'd like to think she would at least try to help."
"Gosh, I feel like we shouldn't have left such a big thing in her—"
My ringtone blares, rudely interrupting her.
"It's Adonis," I tell her before picking up. "Yo."
"There's a problem."
"What? What happened?"
"Declan left the game but he didn't come to the park. Nick and I are with Detective Sean right now and they say he's headed towards the beach house."
"The b–beach house? There's no one—"
The loud roar of a power bike blows past us as fast as a bullet.
"That was—"
"Turn on the car! Turn on the car!"
"A.D! We're going after him!" I hang up at the same time Reyna pulls the car into gear.
"What the fuck is happening?" Landon demands.
"We're going after him, that's what's happening."
"He's going to the house, shouldn't we wait?"
"No..." I trail off, almost in awe as the bike rides past the beach house. "Reyna go go go!"
She presses her feet on the gas and the breeze almost knocks my teeth out.
"Drive us to him not to our deaths," I warn her.
"Oh shut up."
"I cannot believe he actually came. That's his dad's bike, I thought it was in police custody," Landon says, mostly to himself.
"His dad probably got it back?" I reason.
"Landon check the map, where else could he be headed to?" Reyna says.
"Unless he plans on riding all the way back into town, it's just a long stretch of sand. His neighbour's house is like 14kilometers away."
"Do you think...Avery's there?" I dare to say aloud. Reyna doesn't reply, she just steps on the gas, determined not to miss Declan even though it's just one straight road.
If Declan knows we're following him he gives nothing away, he makes no attempt to confuse us or mislead us. He just continues speeding until a huge cabin comes is sight.
"That's the house. The neighbor's house," Landon points nervously. I narrow my eyes at the wooden cabin.
"Reyna stop. He's about to pull over he can't notice us," I tell her. She obliges quietly and pulls over behind a minivan.
"We can't see anything like this," Landon grunts. I slowly get my head out of the window and it's enough to see Declan climb out of the bike and take off his helmet. He stands still and takes in the house before going inside.
"Landon, who owns this house?" I turn back to Landon.
"Huh? I don't know, some rich dude," he shrugs.
"Think about it. Does anyone we know stay here?" I urge.
"No. We only used to hang around here when we were kids. It was mostly empty," he continues.
"What are we gonna do? We can't just wait here can we? What if he wants to take her elsewhere—"
"We don't know if she's actually in there—"
"Are you seriously still doubting!?" Reyna turns around to glare at Landon.
"You guys, this is isn't the time to argue. We need to get in there somehow."
"How? Anything we do can literally damage the entire thing and endanger Avery—"
VROOM!
We whip our heads around at the sound of another bike passing us.
"Isn't that Adonis?" Landon sounds in disbelief.
"He's right. Adonis got a bike and drove here? What was he thinking?" Reyna says, her head stuck outside of her window. I stick mine out as well and I'm right on time to see him run inside the building.
"What is he thinking right now?" I gape.
"I guess we're going in too right?" Landon has the nerve to shrug.
"Do we have a choice?"