Again.
We were supposed to keep her safe. We’re her Supermen and I’m sick of being bested by whoever the fuck this prick is.
My heart stutters in my chest as my feet touch the concrete floor of the basement. People might think I’m a little unhinged, but what in the actual fuck is this? The walls are papered with photos of V. The most recent of them was taken last night, hours before she was taken. The oldest, as far as I can tell, is from the day she arrived back in The Cove. There are even pictures of all of us and a few other Knights scattered throughout. Red string loops around push pins, drawing haphazard and mostly wildly inaccurate connections between us like a fucking crime board.
None of it makes any sense to me.
“What the fuck is this?”
“It’s his nest,” Lincoln growls, studying the walls. “He watched her, but there’s obvious gaps. This was her at Nate’s, I’d say before school started, but then there’s nothing for a few weeks, because this was in September,” he says pointing to a picture of him with V.
I lean in to study the photos more closely and realize he’s right. There are gaps. Tons of them. Though fewer and fewer the last few months. It’s almost like constant surveillance.
“Could all of this have been done by just one person?” I ask, fucking stunned stupid from the sheer number of photos.
“It could,” Finn says, “but if he’s a Knight like we think, he could’ve had help. Or just paid a private PI. It’s easy enough to do.”
“Whoever it is followed her on both trips she took with Indi,” Ellis says from his spot on the far side of the room. “That picture over there is from the bar they went to when Octavia went viral for singing. Indi told me all about it… and this one is from the spa retreat they went on. I recognize the building.” His finger taps one of the pictures in front of him.
“This is seriously fucked up. Who the fuck is after your girl?” Dylan mutters, and Lincoln glares at him.
If looks could kill, Dylan would be in a body bag already. “If we knew that, we wouldn’t be standing here, dick in fucking hand, like idiots.”
I rake a hand down my face. The last thing we need is for those two to start fighting. And coming from me, that’s saying something. Because I really, really want to see someone bleed right now. My monster is scratching the inside of my skull, beating against the walls of his cage. Someone has what’s ours and all he wants to do is make the streets run red until we have her back.
“We’re going to need to go to the Conclave,” Finn says, and Lincoln curses. My heart races in my chest. Why the fuck would we ask them for anything? “With the information we have now, they’ll help us. They won’t want her hurt by a Knight. Your dad will have a fucking conniption and I don’t want to ask them for help any more than you do, but we’re in over our heads.”
I guess whatever I need to catch up on is fucking vital if they think this is a good idea.
“If you need us, you know where to find us,” Ryker says, nodding at Finn. “But our girl is sitting outside and we’ve been in here too long already.”
“Thanks,” Lincoln responds. “We should head out too. If we’re going to ask the Conclave for help, we should leave this as it is for the sake of preserving evidence.”
Not our usual M.O., but okay…
The fire in me burns red-hot as we leave the basement. How the fuck are we going to find her? This was our only lead. Even if the Conclave does help us, we have nowhere to even start.
“Fuck!” Ryker’s shout has my feet moving faster as we run out of the house.
Holy shit.
Thomas is on the ground bleeding, both cars are fucked, and Indi is gone.
Ellis crouches down to assess his friend and lets out a sharp breath. “He’s still breathing.” Rolling him over, Thomas groans and I move to help Ellis while the others secure the rest of the area. Noticing the gaping wound in his gut, I apply pressure to try and stop the bleeding.
“Indi,” Thomas coughs, blood trickling from his mouth. “Rebels.”
He passes out again and Ellis curses before calling for his brother. “We need to get him to Doc, and quick. Rebels were here, they took Indi.”
“Motherfuckers!” Ryker shouts, pulling his phone from his pocket. He yells at whoever picks up the other end, giving them our location. He finishes the call and curses again. A few lights go on in the house we’re sitting in front of and the front door opens, but when the guy sees Ryker, he closes the door and turns the lights back off.
Clever man.
A car screeches to a stop in front of us and I help Ellis get Thomas in the back, Dylan taking over the application of pressure.
“Let us know if you need anything,” Linc says to Ryker as he climbs into the front of the car. He just nods and slams the door shut before they tear the fuck away.
I stand there, the blood on my hands dripping onto the concrete, wondering how the fuck all of our worlds imploded in one fucking day.