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Brax sticks to as many back roads as he can, taking a route toward my house that even I never knew existed. It isn’t until I recognize the town in the distance that I realize we’re close.
He rides down the road that leads to my house and parks his bike out of sight, taking my hand and pulling me closer to him.
“We can’t be seen,” he whispers. “And nothing changes, Gracie, I’m leaving here with you, don’t try anything stupid.” His threat sounds possessive and dangerous, and the intensity in his pupils injects a rush of adrenaline into my blood.
I nod back, before he tugs me toward my house.
He opens up the back gate and guides me through first. Then taking my hand again, he pulls me toward the back door and stands in front of it, looking at me expectantly.
“What?” I shrug.
“Let us in,” he whispers.
“Jeez, Brax, I must have forgotten to pick up my keys when you tied me up and threw me over your shoulder,” I bite back sarcastically.
He shakes his head, clearly unimpressed with my wit. Then pulls off his T-shirt, wraps it around his fist, and smashes his hand through one of the square panels. I watch on, shocked, as he curls his other arm inside, reaches for the lock and opens the door. Clearly, this isn't the first time he’s done this.
“You’re paying for that,” I shake my head at him.
“Just get inside,” he snaps back, his hips nudging me to move.
My house looks exactly how it did when I left it. I half expect to find Julian sitting in a dark corner, weeping over a missing poster. But there’s no sign of him. I haven’t had chance to watch any television or listen to the radio while I’ve been with Brax. Come to think about it, I hadn’t really thought about what would be going on in the life I was missing from. Are there people looking for me? What had Julian done when he came back and found me missing that night? Suddenly, I feel guilty, I haven’t spent nearly as much time as I should thinking about him.
“Gracie, come on.” Brax’s harsh voice reminds me why we’re here as he shakes the broken glass off his T-shirt and pulls it back on.
“Can you think what those numbers might relate to, do your parents have a safe or a filing cabinet?” Brax asks, storming through the house.
“Try my mom's office.” I march past him, toward the room where Mom spent most of her time. Her job allowed her to work from home sometimes, so I was used to having her around growing up. I haven’t been inside her office since the night her and Dad didn’t come home.
We search for a while but find nothing. It’s hard when you don’t really know what you're looking for.
“How about your father?” Brax asks, shutting the last drawer of Mom's desk. Nothing in here is coded or locked.
“My dad has an office in the city,” I tell him, knowing it will be far too risky to go there. I can feel us coming to a dead end despite Brax’s determination.
“Come on, let’s get out of here, it was stupid of me to bring you back here.” He lets out a deflated sigh, I can sense his disappointment. Brax is just as invested in finding out what all this is about as I am. I lead us as we make our way through the hall toward the back door.
“Wait.” Brax grabs me, hauling me back so fast that I collide with his firm chest.
“This picture…” he says, pointing his finger at my graduation photo that sits proudly on the wall. “Ain’t it the same as the one inside your locket.”
“Yeah, my mom loved that photo,” I smile fondly. I see the cogs turning in his head and I watch on suspiciously as he reaches up, takes the frame in both hands and lifts it away from the wall.
“Jackpot,” he smiles, as he moves it out of the way revealing a safe that’s built into the wall.
“I never knew that was there.” I run my fingers over the metal, then look up at Brax when I touch the keypad lock.
“But I’ll bet you know what that code is.” He raises an eyebrow at me. Why does he have to be so handsome?
I can’t let that distract me, not when we’re so close to getting answers.
I waste no more time, taking my finger and typing in the code that I’d been going over and over for the past few hours.
2411
A green light beeps, and I feel relief crash through my body when the door clicks open.
Inside, is a brown briefcase, and when I pull it out Brax slams his hand over mine preventing me from opening it.
