Page 39

Friday night, I stayed late at school, prepping for the parent-teacher conference. By the time I left, the campus was empty, the sky pitch-black. The streets were quiet, streetlights casting dim, jagged shadows. Everything felt eerie, wrong.

I walked fast, texting Gennady to calm my nerves.

Me: Stuck at work late again, so freaking tired. This week's workload is killing me!

My fingers flew across the screen, trying to ground myself in normalcy. I wanted to tell him about Anya's adorable bunny drawing from class, and ask if he was free for dinner tomorrow. Anything to push back the creeping dread.

Then I saw it—a shadow moving in the corner of my eye. The black sedan slid to a stop right beside me.

Time froze. My heart stopped, my blood turning to ice. Every instinct screamed one word: Danger.

My phone slipped from my hand, smashing onto the pavement, the screen splintering into a web of cracks. The car doors flew open, and two huge figures lunged out, black masks covering their faces, eyes cold and merciless.

"No—!" My scream tore through the empty street, weak and useless. I turned to run, but a rough hand clamped onto my arm, yanking me back with bruising force.

"Quiet, sweetheart," one of them growled in my ear, his voice like gravel. "We're not gonna hurt you. Just need you to come with us."

Come with us? Those words froze my soul. Kidnapping. Ransom. Or worse.

"Let me go!" I thrashed, my nails raking across his arm, drawing blood. "Help! Somebody—!"

A hand slammed over my mouth, cutting off my air. I was dragged toward the car, panic shredding my thoughts. I can't let them take me. I can't.

It was the only clear thought in my head. I fumbled in my bag, grabbed the pepper spray, and sprayed it backward, aiming blindly for his face based on the height of his grip.

"Fuck!" he roared, stumbling back, his hold loosening. I screamed again, "Help! Someone's trying to—!"

The other guy was faster, grabbing my hair and yanking hard. Pain exploded in my scalp, black spots dancing in my vision. But fear and survival instinct kept me fighting. I can't die here. I have my mom to take care of. My music dreams. I haven't told Gennady I love him.

A car engine roared in the distance. The men tensed, their movements turning frantic.

"Move it!" one snapped.

I seized the chance, sinking my teeth into the hand over my mouth. Blood filled my mouth, metallic and warm. He cursed, letting go.

"Bitch!"

I broke free and sprinted toward the commercial strip, the sound of footsteps pounding behind me. The closer I got to the crowds, the fainter the steps became, swallowed by the noise of people. I didn't dare look back. Adrenaline pushed me faster than I'd ever run, my heart slamming against my ribs like it might burst.

I stumbled into my apartment building's lobby, gasping, my legs shaking. But when I reached my door, I froze. My hand trembled, the keys rattling.

There were scratches on the paint. Dents in the doorframe, like someone had tried to pry it open.

They'd been here! They knew where I lived!

Terror crashed over me again. My home, my safe haven, was tainted. I couldn't go inside, couldn't stay. I stumbled to the stairwell, curling up in a dark corner, my hands shaking as I dug out my spare phone. Gennady's number was burned into my memory.

The phone barely rang once before he answered.

"Cassie?" His voice was sharp, laced with a panic I'd never heard from him.

"Gennady…" His voice alone loosened the knot in my chest, just a little.

"You okay?"

"Gennady," I choked out, my voice breaking, "someone tried to kidnap me. My door's been tampered with. I can't go home."

The line went dead silent, but it was a heavy, dangerous quiet, like the calm before a storm.