I swivel in my Converse and catch the silhouette of the grand master douche himself.
“Oh, Jesus,” River hisses with frustration. “What are you doing here, Blake? Aren’t you in enough trouble already?”
He stands there but doesn’t say anything, and I suddenly get the feeling he’s not here to apologize.
I slide my phone from my pocket to hit the emergency call, but a hand comes out of nowhere, and my phone goes flying. Suddenly, River is screaming. I’m only able to make out her shadow kicking and punching against a large guy.
“Leave her alone!” I charge toward her, but I’m yanked back by the neck of my T-shirt.
“Where you going, dipshit?” Blake growls.
I no longer have the power of tequila in my blood, but I do have painkillers. I twist my body and punch Blake, but it’s like hitting a tree trunk. I don’t make a dent.
One of the SUV’s back passenger doors open, and two guys shove River inside.
“No! You can’t take her!” I wiggle free of Blake and charge toward the vehicle, only to be tripped from behind.
River’s cries turn to muffled whimpers, and I jump to my feet. All I can think about is getting to her, but I’m pushed to the ground again.
Blake sits on me, covering my mouth. “Shut the fuck up, or we’ll hurt River. All of us. Taking turns, if you know what I mean.”
I freeze. Yeah, it’s fear. Fear fueled by the violent image my mind just produced of these guys doing some very bad shit to River. And somewhere inside this fucking mess I call a head, I’m figuring out that these dudes are either morons for doing this—because they’re already in deep shit—or they’re out of their minds for coming here.
What the hell are they thinking?
This visit could be meant to scare us so we won’t file charges. That’s the most obvious explanation. It’s what a normal person would believe. But I’m not normal. My sister was murdered. Right in the middle of the day in a middle-class town, in a middle-class high school, where middle-class parents sent their children to school every day. It was the sort of place people moved to, believing nothing bad could ever happen.
But I’m not naïve. I know how life can turn into a senseless nightmare when you underestimate the depths of an evil person’s heart. No one wants to believe that people act like animals. But I know.
My mind quickly plays through the possible outcomes. These guys are here to silence us. In which case, they’ll threaten River to shut me up. Then they’ll tell her I’m going to have my balls cut off if she presses charges against Blake. That’s scenario number one.
Then there’s scenario number two. They’re going to kill us.
As these thoughts rush around my head, I know it behooves me to assume the worst.
Why? Because River will tell them to go fuck themselves when they threaten her. She’ll tell them they’re idiots because the police will be looking for them. Half my upperclassmen dorm must’ve heard the commotion. And by morning, the entire campus will have heard about the incident.
Unfortunately, River will be thinking like a person who doesn’t believe this situation is anything more than a bunch of drunk assholes trying to make us piss our pants.
No. Wait. I’m wrong. River knows. She knows how the most “upstanding” of people can behave like monsters. She was the one who found Joy in the locker room first.
Yes, she’s going to play this smart. She’s going to play this like our lives depend on it.
But what if she doesn’t?
She’s a hothead, something I love about her, but she might not be able to keep herself from reaming these guys.
My only move is to protect her, to offer myself up to save her life. If I’m wrong about their intentions, then great. I’m probably in for one hell of a beating. I can live with that. But if I’m right, then only my life ends tonight.
CHAPTER NINE
I avoid lifting my blindfold to look at River behind me as the driver with the hairy double chin takes us down a road overgrown with vegetation.
How do I know the driver has a double chin? I caught a glimpse of the side of his face before they put the blindfold on.
And how do I know the vegetation is overgrown? I hear branches smacking the front and sides of the SUV. Add the rumbling sound of the dirt or gravel we’re on, and it all tells me people don’t come this way often. The road probably leads to some secret beach. Eventually. I suspect we won’t make it that far. They’re not likely taking us all the way to the ocean, which from my calculations, is another ten miles from here. We’ve been driving for about thirty minutes, going the speed limit. Fast. But not fast enough to attract attention.
The acid in my stomach climbs up my throat. I think they’re taking us somewhere hidden, away from prying eyes, and once this vehicle stops, it’s going to be too late. My stomach clenches painfully down on itself.
“You’re making a big mistake,” I say. “They’ll know it was you. They’ll find your DNA all over our bodies and our DNA all over this SUV.”
“Shut up,” Blake says.
“Why? You plan to kill us, right? So don’t you want to get away with it? Because let’s face it, I’m way smarter than you. Four-point-oh GPA, here. And I barely crack open a book more than once to study for a test.”
“Shut the fuck up, dipshit.” The guy to my side punches me in the ribs.
I grunt on impact, but I expected that hit and continue anyway. I’m fighting for River’s life here. “Why don’t you listen to what I have to say? I mean, take a look, guys. I’m blindfolded. Totally powerless. You’re in complete control, and you have nothing to lose by hearing me out.”
“Huff, what the hell are you doing?” says River, her tone frantic.
I ignore her. She will never—not in a million years—go along with what I am about to propose. I can only hope she’ll see the logic in it. Someday. “I’ll kill myself and film it live. That way, there’ll be no doubt you had nothing to do with my death.”
“What the hell, Huff!” River yells.
I continue, knowing this is the only chance she’ll have to get out alive. “All I want is for River to go free.”
“No,” she says, “I won’t—”
“Yes. You will,” I say. “Because if you don’t, they’ll kill both of us. That’s why they’re bringing us down a deserted road near a swamp. That’s why they shut their phones off and used an old SUV without GPS that probably belongs to some cousin or uncle who never uses it.” The seats are vinyl and all cracked from age, and the vehicle smells like stale cigarettes. These guys don’t smoke. This SUV is old, and it’s not theirs.
“They’re planning to kill us, River, because they’re drunk, and they think they’ll never get caught, especially if they all have alibis. Which they will, since each of them will swear they were somewhere else. Together. Am I right, Blake?”
Blake says nothing.
“Blake, that’s enough! This’s gone too far. Let us out right now.” River begins to cry, and I know she’s facing facts. Some people are worse than monsters. They only value themselves and are willing to crush anyone who gets in their way. And, for some fucked reason, I keep coming across them.