The GPS on the car's dash said they were twenty minutes away. Nicky white-knuckled the wheel. It couldn't be too late. Not after she'd gotten so close. She needed to save Meghan, and she needed to hurry. Every second she wasted was another foot in Meghan Salinger's grave.
Keep it together, Lyons,she told herself.
It's almost over.
She took the exit ramp for the interstate and turned onto the street.
Shadows stretched across the road ahead, but she couldn't see much, as the headlights didn't quite reach the end of the road. She bounced off a few potholes, and it felt like she was fleeing for her life.
Almost there. Almost there.
Minutes passed that felt like an eternity. She pulled up to the desolate parking lot of what used to be an apartment building on the outskirts of Frankstown. It was dark, but Grace had told her about the place, and she knew where it was. She only hoped it actually was the right spot.
The dilapidated building was old and worn, with peeling paint and faded lettering on the sign. Char from the fire was visible on the bottom half. The vines were growing up the side, twining around the window frames and curling around the door handles. The building looked abandoned, as if it had been forgotten by the world. The sign that read 'Sunrise Homes' was faded and cracked.
"This place is deserted," Ken muttered.
Nicky nodded. "It's the last place on earth I want to be."
After parking, she stepped out of the car and gazed at the building. The windows were either gone or smashed in, and there was not a soul was in sight. As Nicky and Ken walked across the lot, their footsteps echoed.
But as Nicky made it closer to the building, something off to the side of it gleamed in the moonlight.
The trunk of a car emerged. It was a black sedan.
"Shit," Nicky said. Her heart leapt into her throat. "Ken. Someone's here."
"Jesus," Ken said. "It could be him. Be careful."
Nicky couldn't believe it. All this time, she'd been chasing Meghan Salinger. And now, if she were right, then Meghan was here. This was why she'd become an FBI agent.
I can still save you.
Ken had his gun out as they went up to the car, slowly, checking their surroundings, but there was nothing but the old lot and the trees surrounding it.
But as they got closer to the car, they heard a sound.
A thumping sound.
Nicky's pulse roared.
"Someone's in the trunk."
The thumping got louder. Nicky exchanged a look with Ken before they both hurried up to the vehicle.
Someone screamed something unintelligible from inside.
Meghan.Nicky's chest wouldn't stop thudding. This was it. She'd found Meghan. She'd found her alive.
"Ken, we need to get this thing open," Nicky said.
"I'm on it." Ken went to the driver door, and with his gun, he punched the window. It shattered, echoing through the night. Nicky hovered her sweaty hands over the trunk of the car, waiting for Ken to pop the trunk.
He did it.
And they were in.
A woman was inside of the trunk, bound and gagged. Redhead. This had to be Meghan. Her eyes watered at the sight of them, and when Nicky reached out to her, the woman broke into sobs. Nicky removed the gag.