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Anderson.
My oldest stepbrother moves into clear view of my spying crack. His head is newly shaved. Jaw tense, eyes cold and unfeeling, he’s working, not here about car trouble. Just like Tucker said, it appears that he’s searching for me. But if Tucker wants to frame me, the that means Anderson wants to save me. I start to move toward the door, but hesitance holds me back, remembering the mistake of letting Tucker known I was there.
“Well,” Nick shrugs and a few of his scarves catch the wind. “I’m the only one here, so I think you should keep looking.”
“There was a woman in your car. Where is she?”
“A woman?” Nick motions to his half-buttoned kimono robe, cell still in his hand. “Do I look like the kind of guy who would have a woman in his—”
Anderson’s fist collides with Nick’s face before he finishes the sentence. He crumples to the dirt, unmoving. I smother my scream with both palms, sinking to the floor of the shop. I don’t know what to think anymore. I thought Tucker was trying to kill me, but Anderson doesn’t look much safer. Monroe was carrying one of his guns. Tucker said Anderson has been hunting me. Maybe I had it all wrong.
“Eliza!” His voice booms through the wall as though he’s right next to me. “Eliza, I know you’re here. Come out. You need to face what you did.”
I will myself to stop breathing. I can’t make a sound, but I also can’t hide in the open hoping he won’t roll back the door. I creep along the floor, choking on my cries of pain every time my barefoot finds a screw or bolt instead of concrete. I tuck around the back of a pink rusted Beetle as the door rolls back, spilling light inside.
“Eliza. That’s enough of this. I’m tired. I want to go home.” Anderson exhales but it sounds more like a growl. “Come out and I’ll go easy on you. If you make me work for it, you know you’ll regret it.”
I squeeze my eyes shut. My joints hurt from staying in a crouched position. The terror makes everything sharper. The smells of the shop, iron, oil and dirt. The pain of leaning against the broken taillight and the way it digs into my shoulder. I should have run this morning with Rhett. I never should have called out to Tucker. If only we would have made a break for it.
“That’s it. I’m coming in after you.” Heavy footsteps venture into the shop. Metals crash to the floor as he ransacks the place searching for me. It won’t take long. He’ll systematically tear the shop down to studs if that’s what it takes. It’s only a matter of time.
His footfalls shift toward me. I lengthen my leg and slip around the side of the car, careful to step in time with him. Anderson pauses, waiting. I freeze in place, feeling the burn of unspent adrenaline as I hold as still as possible. My bare toes slip in the oil, but I catch myself before I fall. When he moves again, I move in time with his steps. By the time he reaches the back of the shed where I started, I’ve nearly made my way to the doors. If I could just get Nick up. If he could fire off a text and alert Rhett then I might have a fighting shot.
“Eliza!” The tone of his voice shifts from one of warning to one of alert. I look over my shoulder too late to see my mistake. My oily foot left a trail leading directly for me. The energy spikes in an instant. I break into a sprint as his footsteps pound behind me. I brace myself for impact, almost able to count down to it. His shoulder boulders into my back, knocking me forward. I hit the ground, rocks and debris cutting my skin as I tumble. I give into the inertia, letting it carry me away from his wrath, but Anderson doesn’t let distance stop him. His fingers lock into my hair. I grab his hand with both of mine and pull them against my head while I roll under his arm, breaking his grip. The heel of my palm strikes out, crashing against his ribcage, doubling him over. He swings with his right fist, but I duck under it, delivering a kick to his knee, knocking him to the ground. In the time it takes to fall, I start sprinting again.
The ground sways and moves in my vision. Holes and divots in the earth throw my balance, threatening to take me down. In the distance, Nick’s mechanic shop draws closer with every step. All I have to do is alert one of his employees. Even if they don’t know me, they won’t let Anderson hurt me. Tears rise up in my throat again, too tired, too confused, too worn to make sense of it all.
I catch the corner of the building, cutting my hand on the metal siding before I propel myself around the bend. My foot sticks with every hurried step. One glance back confirms it. No way to hide when I’m leaving a trail of bloody footprints in my wake.
“Help!” I scream, hoping to alert someone. “Please, someone! Help!”
My voice feels shredded with emotion, but when I see the sign on the office, I realize no amount of screaming could save me now. They’re gone for the day. The note spells it out clean and simple. Nick was my only hope and he’s unconscious, phone likely undialed. I spin back, noting with irony the light blue car I gave Nick when he pulled it from the beach. How fitting that it should be here for this. With no time to lose, I start working on the back end.
Rhett
“I know we need to hurry, but if we die along the way, we aren’t gonna help anyone.” Carl slams his palm against the window as I turn out on the highway. “You don’t even know where you’re going.”
“Well, I plan to get there as fast as I can.” I rack my brain, trying to think of where Sunny went. She said the bonfire beach, so I plan to go there first. But it’s a big stretch and no way of knowing where she took him. Or if he decided to change the plans along the way, they could be anywhere.
“Hey, your phone is buzzing.” Carl starts digging through my glove box where I stuffed it. “It’s probably Dad telling you to back off.”
“We both know that’s not happening. Feel free to tell him.” I push my old truck and kick myself for not taking Carl’s much faster car.
“It’s Nick.” He flashes the screen at me, displaying Nick’s information. The next second the call ends. “Oh, I guess we missed him.”
“It’s probably nothing. He’s always bugging me to go somewhere with him.”
“You should. You never do anything.” Carl keeps messing with my phone. “You realize you have about fifty unread texts, right? Do you ever answer anyone?”
“When I have to.” None of this feels like relevant information when Sunny’s life could be in danger. I don’t need him fishing through my phone. I need him to help me think of where Tucker might take her.
“You even have girls texting you, man. They’re openly flirting, and you just ghost them. Geez, I thought I was bad.” Carl sinks against the seat cushion like he’s settling in with a good book, not my text log. I grip the steering wheel, regretting bringing him.
His feet jerk and slam against the floor. “Dude! Nick’s shop, now!”
“What?” But his hand starts slamming against my shoulder and my question gets lost in the commotion. “What’s going on?”
“Nick has Sunny. He said her brother flipped out on her and he found her in the middle of the highway.” He smacks my arm again, pointing to the next turn. “Here, turn here!”
