Chapter 32 – Taken

The day progressed like every other school day—with one small exception. Chloe had been unusually quiet, barely speaking to me or anyone else. She’d answer when spoken to, but she wasn’t her normal self, and I couldn’t shake the feeling that was a direct result of what happened with Isach this morning.

She did eagerly agree to let me drive her home, though, so I took that as a good sign. Of course, she could’ve said yes just so she wouldn’t have to be stuck in Abby’s car with Isach again. I’d take whatever I could get.

“You’re quiet,” I said as I pulled into the driveway and killed the engine. “Are you sure everything’s okay?”

She nodded.

“I think I liked it better when you asked too many questions.”

She cracked a smile. “It’s been a long day. I’m tired. That’s all.”

I wanted to believe she was telling me the truth, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that there was something else going on with her. “Come here.” I reached for her, and she slid across the seat. “If I frightened you this morning, I’m sorry.”

“You didn’t.” She paused. “I shouldn’t have provoked Isach, but I’m really worried about Abby.”

“I know you are.” I draped my arm around her, and she rested her head on my shoulder.

I couldn’t blame her for being worried about Abby. I’d do anything necessary to protect my family, and Chloe, and I wouldn’t judge her for doing the same. Isach had pushed her too far, and she’d snapped. Exactly like I had. Maybe we had a little more in common than I realized.

A moment later, she drew in a shaky breath.

“I should probably head inside. I still have a lot of back assignments to catch up on. And I need to work on our history project, too.” She straightened and moved over to the passenger’s side.

My stomach knotted. I couldn’t let her leave yet, not until I knew we were going to be okay. She’d barely gotten out of the truck before I was in front of her.

“I’m worried, Chloe.” I rested my hands on either side of her neck, holding her gently. “You’re still with me, aren’t you? One day at a time, right?”

She shivered. “One day at a time,” she said.

I responded with a slow, soft kiss packed full of everything I felt for her. Despite what she said and how she acted, I knew she was struggling with everything she’d learned this past week. How could she not? I wanted her to know everything would be okay, that I was incredibly grateful for her sticking with me.

When I released her, she swayed on her feet, and I was quick to steady her. A self-satisfied smile tugged at my lips. She wasn’t immune to me.

“Can I pick you up tomorrow morning?” I asked.

“God yes. Please.” She laughed. “I do not want to get stuck riding with Isach again.”

I smiled. “See you in the morning.”

I stood in place, watching until she disappeared inside, then I climbed into my truck and drove home. I wasn’t quite as happy and confident today as I had been yesterday, but she hadn’t dumped me, so I would focus on that.

At home, Jax was sitting on the very edge of the couch, gaze glued to the TV. Sean paced nervously in front of the large window. His hair stuck up in all directions as if he’d been repeatedly running his fingers through his locks. The tension was thick.

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

Dad stopped pacing and faced me. “Four kids from Lake Placid have been missing for over a week. They were last seen here.” He frowned.

My eyebrows shot up. “Any guesses as to what happened to them?”

“My money’s on the Zoya,” Jax said without looking away from the TV.

“The Zoya mess with us, not random humans,” I said and moved around the couch to sit next to Jax. “It’s probably the same vampire who killed Marc and Rachel.”

“That’s my thought, too.” Dad sighed. “It’s odd, though.” He sat in a chair, back ramrod straight. “Normally, vampires just pass through here. Maybe kill one or two people, but this is now six that we know of, and it’s been weeks. Why is he or she hanging around?”

I frowned and rubbed the back of my neck. Nothing about this added up. Dad was right—we were the only vampires who stayed in this town for any length of time, and we always made sure we didn’t draw attention to ourselves by killing locals.

Jax clicked off the TV and leaned back. “We have to find this vampire and dispose of them before they cause any more trouble.”

Dad nodded, though he appeared lost in thought.

The last thing I wanted to do tonight was hunt a vampire, but I had no choice. I couldn’t let anymore innocent people die, nor could I risk this vampire getting anywhere near Chloe or her family.

“We know where Rachel and Marc’s bodies were found, but we don’t know where they were murdered,” Jax said. “Which means finding this vampire’s scent is going to be impossible.”

“Do we know where those kids were last seen? Have the police narrowed down a search area?” I asked, my gaze dancing between Dad and Jax.

“Roaring Brook Falls.” Dad rubbed his hands over his face and pushed to his feet.

“Same place Rachel and Marc were dumped,” I said.

“Then we start there and work our way out.” Jax stood and stretched his arms over his head. “Those falls are a huge tourist attraction and perfect hunting grounds. I bet anything this vampire has a hideout somewhere close by.”

I flopped back against the couch cushion, blew out a breath, and stared up at the ceiling. Was it too much to ask to have a quiet night at home? To be able to lock myself in my room and simply text my girlfriend?

“We’ll head out as soon as the sun sets.” Dad walked out of the room.

Jax rubbed his hands together and laughed gleefully. “I’ve been itching to kill something.”

I rolled my eyes. “How can you be so happy about this? We’re killing one of our own.”

“No, we’re not. We’re killing a murderer.” He turned toward me, arms crossed. “We’ll be doing a public service by getting rid of this vampire. We’ll be protecting this town and everyone in it.”

Well, when he put it that way, I couldn’t really argue. Looked like I’d be hunting a vampire tonight. I only hoped we wouldn’t be wasting our time.

***

As Dad said, when the sun set, the three of us headed to Roaring Brook Falls on foot. We didn’t want the sound of a truck engine to giveaway our presence, and we could move faster and quieter on our own anyway.

We each walked in a different direction away from the falls but none of us were ever far enough away that we couldn’t still hear each other—or be able to return should one of us need help. Fighting one-on-one with another vampire wasn’t too difficult, but we had no idea who this vampire was, if there was only one of them, or how strong they might be.

I walked slowly, paying close attention to my surroundings, for anything out of the ordinary. My senses were sharp, attuned to every sound, no matter how inconsequential. I continuously inhaled deep breaths in an effort to pick up any scent that was out of the ordinary, but I found absolutely nothing. The area smelled exactly as I’d expect the woods to smell—bark, dying leaves, wet earth, animal feces, fishy water.

Stopping, I pulled my phone from my pocket. No missed calls or messages from Chloe. I frowned and glanced around to ensure I was alone, then I typed a quick message.

Me: Wishing I was with you right now instead of stuck with my stupid brother. Lol.

I hit send, slid my phone back into my pocket, and resumed my search. Though I had no idea why—we were clearly wasting our time out here. Whoever this vampire was, they were good at covering their tracks.

We searched until the first rays of the morning sun pierced the sky. We hadn’t found any traces of vampires or the missing hikers. Dad rounded us up, and we headed home. I really wanted to crash on my bed and sleep the day away, but I promised Chloe I’d pick her up for school, and I wasn’t willing to miss an opportunity to spend time with her.

As soon as I got home, I took a quick shower, changed my clothes, grabbed a cereal bar from the cabinet, and checked my phone. Still nothing from Chloe. She hadn’t even responded to the text I’d sent her. That was odd. Maybe she didn’t get my message, but even as that thought entered my mind, I knew that wasn’t the case.

Something was wrong.

I didn’t know how I knew that, but I did. The feeling was soul-deep and terrifying. I debated for all of half a second if I should call or just go over there. I opted for the latter and sped the entire way to Chloe’s house. Two police cruisers, lights flashing, were parked in the driveway. Why were the cops here?

My heart stopped. I slammed my truck into park, jumped out without bothering to close the door, and ran toward the front door. I banged on it, probably a little too hard, but frantic fear fueled my every move. The door swung open, and Abby blinked up at me. Her eyes widened and filled with tears that streamed down her puffy, red cheeks.

“Where’s Chloe?” I asked.

“She’s missing.” Abby covered her face with her hands and sobbed.

My ears rang, and I stumbled back a step. “What do you mean she’s missing?”

“Abby? Who’s at the door?” Dean appeared behind Abby and rested his hand on her shoulder. She turned into him, and her shoulders shook with sobs. “Trent,” he said with surprise. “Now’s really not a good time.”

“Abby said Chloe’s missing.” I fought to keep my tone neutral, despite the worry gnawing away at me. And the sudden flair of annoyance that Dean was attempting to get rid of me. “What’s going on?” I demanded.

“We don’t know.” Dean sighed. “When was the last time you spoke to Chloe?”

“Yesterday after school. I dropped her off here and watched her walk inside.” I shifted my weight. My muscles were tensed, poised to take off and not return until I found Chloe, but I couldn’t do that until I had a bit more information.

“Abby, why don’t you go sit with your mom?” Dean kissed her forehead, then gently ushered her toward the dining room. He stepped aside and motioned for me to enter. “Come in. The police are here. I’m sure they’ll want to talk to you.”

I clenched my jaw. The last thing I wanted to do was talk to the police. Every moment I spent here was another moment I wasn’t out looking for Chloe. And I had a sinking feeling that wherever she was, no human was going to be able to find her.

With a nod, I stepped over the threshold and into the house. Dean swung the door closed and led me into the dining room. Beth and Abby sat side-by-side, their faces matching expressions of despair and worry. Two cops sat across from them.

“Officers, this is Trent. He’s Chloe’s…” Dean paused. “Boyfriend?”

“Yes,” I said, refusing to dwell on the thrill that shot through me at that label. I’d be nothing to her if I couldn’t find her.

“I’m Officer Ramirez, and this is Officer King. When was the last time you saw or spoke to Chloe?”

“Yesterday after school. I dropped her off here and watched her walk inside,” I repeated. “I sent her a couple of messages last night, but she hasn’t responded to any of them.”

“Her phone’s in her room,” Abby mumbled.

“What?” I glanced around. That didn’t make any sense.

“Chloe was here doing homework,” Beth said, her gaze darting from me to the cops. “She came down and said she was taking a break. She wanted to get some air. No one has seen or heard from her since.”

Fear clutched my chest. Only one person could be responsible for Chloe’s disappearance—Isach. I was going to find him and kill him.