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Chapter25
EMILIA
Rain pelts against the classroom window on Monday afternoon, and I have to raise my voice until I’m practically shouting in order to be heard over the loud patter.
“I think we’ll stop there for the day. All of you should get back to your dorms before this storm gets any worse!” I’d heard on the news that we were supposed to be getting the tail end of a hurricane passing further north. I expected some strong winds and rain, but about half an hour ago, the sky darkened out of nowhere and the wind picked up until it was howling. The new addition of the rumbling thunder and flashes of forked lightning is what finally made up my mind. I can’t teach in this, and half of the students aren’t even listening—too busy staring out the window, waiting for the next flash to light up the sky.
The class filters out, and as usual, one of Hawk’s men stays behind, pretending to ask a question so I’m not left alone. We’re mid-conversation regarding the Chaucer essay assignment I handed out last week when my phone rings, Kai’s name flashing across the screen.
“Oh, sorry, Nigel, this is my boyfriend. Just give me one sec.” With a smile in his direction, I answer Kai’s call. “Hey, are you nearby?”
“I’m about ten minutes away. Damn storm. All the roads are flooded. It’s a nightmare out here.” I can hear the aggravation in his tone and the sound of a horn blaring in the background. “I’ve told Hawk to get you and left a message with Wilder—if he bothers to check his phone. One of them should be with you in a few minutes.”
I chew on my bottom lip, worried about Wilder. Hawk hasn’t heard from him since he left the house on Saturday. Hawk assured me he was probably at the frat house blowing off steam and to give him some space, although he promised to check in on him today. I don’t even know why I’m worried. I shouldn’t be, especially after the way he planted doubts in my head.
I felt better after talking to Kai, but I haven’t said anything to Hawk. I don’t want to drive a wedge between him and Wilder, and honestly, Hawk hasn’t given me any reasons to doubt what he told me.
“Just drive safely,” I plead with Kai, putting all thoughts of Wilder to the back of my mind for now. “I’ll be fine.”
“Is one of the security team with you?”
“Yup, as usual.”
“Good. Stay with them until one of us get there.”
I roll my eyes and laugh.As if I don’t know the drill by now.“I know, I know. I’ll be here when you arrive.”
We hang up, and I return my attention to Nigel. “Sorry, he’s caught in the hurricane and running late.”
“I’m sure it’s crazy out there.”
I nod in agreement before circling back to the conversation we were having. “Anyway, uhh, we were talking about—”
The lights flicker, drawing both of our attention, before they seem to settle again. “Ugh, I hate thunderstorms,” I grumble aloud, rubbing my palm over my chest to try and soothe my racing heart. It’s not even that I hate storms. I’ve never really minded them, but with everything else going on, this one has me on edge.
Before either of us can speak again, we’re plunged into darkness, my adrenaline immediately spiking as I strain to see through the dark. “It’s okay,” I say aloud, more for my benefit than anything else. “The college’s generator should kick in any second.”
Unfortunately, my words aren’t followed by an explosion of light, and as the seconds tick by, my concern ratchets higher until panic turns my mouth dry and nearly has me spiraling into a frenzy.
“What the—” I hear Nigel’s shocked voice and spin to face the direction it came from at the same time something heavy hits the ground.
“N-nigel? Are you alright?” I stretch my arms out in front of me, squinting through the semi-darkness toward where Nigel had just been standing. My eyes have adjusted to the lack of light, but with the dark clouds outside the window, there’s not much to help me see. However, I can no longer see the outline of his body. Placing one hand on the edge of the desk, I guide myself around it. “Nigel?!”
I can hardly hear over the hammering of my own heart, and when my foot collides with something solid, I freeze. The only sound is my heavy breathing as I work to calm myself, forcing my body into action as I bend my knees, my arm outstretched.
I feel warm skin beneath my hand, using my fingers to feel out a shoulder. “Nigel!” I call, my voice laced with panic. “Nigel!” What the hell happened? I don’t understand. One second he’s standing and talking, and the next, he’s unconscious on the floor. Did he trip and hit his head?
Remembering I set my phone on the desk before the lights went out, I stretch up to find it, but as I do, I feel something sharp slide through the skin on my neck, sinking into the muscles.
A strangled gasp escapes as something cold plunges into my system, and my hand flies up to my neck, its task of finding my phone abandoned. What little I can see of the world is already starting to tilt until I’m no longer sure if I’m the one falling or if the world is spinning out of control. The last thing I remember is landing on a cushioned yet hard surface, before my eyes roll back, and I’m lost to eternal darkness.
* * *
My stomach roils,and my head pounds as I’m dragged reluctantly back into consciousness.What the hell happened?I take short breaths in through my nose and mouth, fighting the overwhelming urge to vomit until I find the energy to crack open one eye.
The dim light burns my retinas, and it takes another few moments before I’m able to see past the blinding light. The first thing I see is the concrete floor beneath my shoes and the zip-ties tying my wrists to the wooden arms of a chair. As my brain slowly processes what my eyes are seeing, my adrenaline spikes, pushing back the fog clouding my brain and allowing memories of my office to come flooding to the surface.
I pull against the restraints, noting that both my arms and legs are tied to the chair. Goosebumps race along my skin, and there’s a chill in my bones that wasn’t there before. My wet clothes are suctioned to my skin, so I must have been carried outside of some point. That knowledge terrifies me. Knowing that I’m not in the same building where I was meant to meet Kai. Where all three of them were heading toward.
