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Chapter Twenty-Six
Ellie
Iwaitedforhim.I parked on the opposite side of the street, farther down from Splinter’s, where I could monitor everything going on at the bar without drawing attention to myself.
As the night went on, the parking lot dwindled to a few vehicles and then emptied out completely. Knox hadn’t texted me back or tried to call, which was good. Things hadn’t gone according to plan and I didn’t need him worrying about me right in the middle of things.
My eyes burned with lack of sleep, but I fought to keep them open. I knew, once I had the realization about Abel, that this would be a long night. It was close to one in the morning when his car pulled around from the back of the bar and headed down the street. My hands shook as I shifted into drive and followed him, trying to keep him in my sight, but not get too close to look suspicious.
I’d thought a thousand times about calling Atlas while I was waiting for the bar to close. He would want to know about Abel. But, I had already accused Callen over and over again of things he hadn’t done. What if, somehow, I was wrong about Abel too? I was almost sure it’d been him I saw the night of fire, but I had no proof. No evidence. I wasn’t going to put someone through what I’d done to Callen without something concrete.
Which was why I was tailing a potential kidnapper.
The thought of Ty was the only thing keeping me going. It was pure hope that I’d find him and get him back home that made me push through the fear and uncertainty as I followed Abel’s car for twenty minutes. We were technically outside of Cypress Falls, close to Lake Rowan to the north. We’d almost made it to the neighboring lake town of Hickory Grove, when Abel pulled off onto a secluded country road.
I slowed to a crawl as his car disappeared through a line of thick trees. There was a small break where a drive sat, barely visible from the road. A rickety mailbox was out front with paint peeling so bad I couldn’t read the numbers.
This must be where he lived.
I bit my lip as I drove off the road into the sliver of grass before the tree line. I obviously couldn’t follow Abel down the drive without him noticing. I drew in a deep breath before turning off my car. I had to follow him on foot.
I steeled myself. Adrenaline pumped through me as I exited the car, careful to shut the door quietly. I left it unlocked with the keys inside, just in case I needed to make a quick getaway.
It was pitch dark without the lights from my car and I was almost blind as I stumbled toward the drive. I was too scared to use my phone as a flashlight, and it took a little while for my eyes to adjust to the moonlight filtering between the pine trees.
The crunch of my shoes on gravel let me know I’d found it. There was no gate or anything keeping me out so I walked down the drive, staying off to the side, close to the trees. The night was heavy with humidity and beads of sweat rolled down my skin. It wasn’t long before the lights of a small house came into view. Adrenaline hit my system as I sped up. Soon, Abel’s car appeared, parked near the front of the house. This was it.
As I gradually came farther out from the tree line and closer to the house, there was a rustling sound behind me and the sudden crack of a snapping twig. My hair rose on end, but before I turned around, someone grabbed me from behind. I gasped as a large, strong arm wrapped around my neck.
I clawed at the forearm squeezing so hard I couldn’t breathe. I struggled, frantically kicking out my legs and trying to knock whoever had me off balance, but they were as unyielding as a rooted tree.
My vision blurred as blackness narrowed in.
I felt a hot breath in my ear, and a voice growled from behind. “Damn it, Ellie.” I tried to stay conscious but was slowly losing that battle to the chokehold. “What the hell do you think you’re doing here?”
And those were the last words I heard before the darkness fully took me.
“Why the hell would you bring her here?”
“I didn’t. She must’ve fucking followed me.”
Disgruntled voices brought me to consciousness. My eyes fluttered open and an unfamiliar room swam into focus. It was a small space with blue walls and hardwood floors. I was laying on a couch, my face pressed into the stiff gray cushions. I tried to sit up, but my hands were bound behind my back. Something hard bit into the skin around my wrists as I fought to free myself. I was quiet as the voices continued, and I realized there were two people standing in the same room, arguing in the corner. I craned my neck, my pulse pounding.
Abel leaned against the mantle over a brick fireplace. He massaged his temples as a girl stood before him, her arms crossed over her chest, shoulders rigid. I swallowed a gasp as I recognized the short, blonde hair and thin frame.
Clara.
“I don’t understand how she got here,” Clara snapped. She was rocking slightly on her feet, obviously agitated.
Abel groaned, his face screwing up in frustration, or maybe anger, it was hard to tell. “Damn it, I don’t know! I saw her at the bar and all of the sudden she was here.”
Clara clutched her head with her hands, her fingers pulling on the blonde strands. “God, Abel. She wasn’t supposed to behere, of all places. This messes everything up.”
“Don’t you think I get that?” Abel hissed, a sheen of sweat glistened on his forehead even though it was cold inside from the air conditioning.
Clara huffed. “You’re just going to have to take care of her, then. Dump her somewhere far away from here so they can’t connect it with us.”
My stomach lurched as Abel jerked upright, folding his arms over his chest. “I’m not doing a damn thing,” he said between clenched teeth. “I never wanted to harm her.” Hurt pierced his tone. “You told me she wasn’t in there the night of the fire.”
