Chapter 34

brOOKE

I'm at Jax's, pacing the floor. I've tried to phone Harper a million times but she's not answering. They were right about Kyle, and I should have listened. What's worse is my own gut was telling me. I'm hoping she and Asher just wanted some alone time, and she's okay, but I'm proven wrong when Asher walks in alone.

"She's not at home," he says quietly, his eyes so dark they're almost black.

"Where is she?"

"I don't fucking know, Brooke. She's not answering her cell and not replying to my messages."

"Easy guys, she's probably just gone for a walk or to see a friend or something. I'll ring around the girls from the dorms to see if anyone has seen her, but they're not exactly local to us. Most of them are from different states."

"See if she went to stay with them or something."

"I will."

I walk out of the room and start dialing numbers to all the girls, but no one's seen her since before we separated for the summer. I call the girls from high school, thinking maybe she's with Maddie, but Maddie is still at the beach and has not seen her either.

I hate that she's alone and going through this. She must feel like she has no one to go to. I try to phone her again but it's straight to voicemail.

I walk back into the room. Asher looks at me with hope in his eyes, but they close as I shake my head.

"Where does this guy fucking live?"

"He's over 36 Barshill Drive. About fifteen minutes away, he lives with his parents."

"I wish I had believed you sooner, those reports about that girl." My heart shatters as guilt consumes me. "I shouldn't have left her alone this morning. She probably called Kyle over, and he, he…"

Chase sweeps me up in his arms, hugging me tightly.

"It's not your fault, Brooke. We all knew something was up."

I hear a cock of a gun and look over, and Asher is getting ready to pack up and go.

"Asher, you can't kill him."

"Why not?"

"Because he's not like these other guys we hunt," Chase says.

"If Harper hadn't fought him off, he would have done it. A would-be rapist is as bad as the one that did the deed, and he's gonna pay. You can either come or not."

"And what? You're just gonna shoot him in front of his parents?"

Asher stops just before he gets to the door. "Are you coming or not?" he says quietly but deadly.

Chase looks at me, and I return his gaze. We already know the answer as all of us follow him out, head to the cars, and start formulating a plan.

Fifteen minutes later, I'm at his parents' house, ringing the doorbell.

Luckily, he answers rather than his parents. "Hey," he says, looking surprised to see me.

"Hey. I, uh, just wanted to apologize for what happened at the bar. You didn't deserve that."

His whole body relaxes. "It's fine. I'm used to getting hit on the field. Your boyfriend isn't as hard as them." I almost scoff, looking at his busted lip and black eye.

"Well, he's not my boyfriend anymore… I finished with him yesterday."

He nods approvingly, opening the door wider. "You wanna come in?"

"Are your parents home?"

He shakes his head, "Nope, they're at some fundraiser for kids or butterflies out of state. They won't be back till tomorrow." His face breaks out in a grin. I used to think this guy was cute, but now he just screams danger at me.

"What about Harper? I don't think she would appreciate me being in your house alone." I giggle, flirting with him despite wanting to punch that creepy grin off his face.

"Well, I'll let you in on a little secret, Brooke."

He takes a step closer, caressing my jaw. "Me and Harper aren't together anymore, and truthfully, it was always you I had a thing for, one of the reasons why Nate hated me."

"Yeah?"

"Yes…so I'm gonna ask you again, baby, you wanna come in?"

I nod coyly, walking into the house. He goes to close the door behind me, but a foot stops it from closing all the way. He barely has time to register before Asher storms through the door and has him up against the wall.

"You tried to rape Harper?" he shouts.

"Woah woah, I dunno what she told you, man, but I didn't touch her. I broke it off with her today, and she was crying and then tried to strip and suck me off, man. I pushed her off and left."

Asher slams him again against the wall before dragging him to his couch.

"How long do we have?" He looks at me.

"His parents are out all night at some fundraiser. They won't be back till tomorrow."

"You fucking bitch. You set me up."

"Yeah yeah, you know I'm getting kinda sick of being called a bitch."

Chase just laughs as he walks toward me and pulls me into his arms.

"Damn Kyle, looked like I did a number on your face yesterday…now imagine what we're gonna do to you after what you did to Harper."

"I mean it, man. She tried to get me to fuck her, but I said no."

"Where the fuck is she?"

"I don't know. I left her at her place."

"Then why isn't she there?"

"I dunno, man, there's where I left the bitch."

Asher pulls his fist back before hitting so hard I hear a bone crack. Blood pours from Kyle's nose as he breaks it.

"What the fuck?"

"Where is she?"

Kyle doesn't say anything this time. Asher punches him again. The sound of it makes me wince a little till I hear him start laughing.

"You know I've heard of you, right? Asher—the sad little boy whose sister killed herself."

Chase freezes. "How does he know that? I didn't think anyone knew that here," I whisper.

Chase lets go of me and walks over to him.

"You're one of them, aren't you."

"Yeah, I'm one of Deke's boys. I just got promoted because of you guys taking out my competition. Thanks for that."

Asher pulls away as Jax grabs Kyle's arms behind him. Pinning him down on the chair.

"She's the girl," Asher whispers.

"What girl?" I ask.

Asher goes white, "They took a girl today…"

"Harper is with them?"

"Where is she?" Chase shouts.

"Oh, don't worry, she'll be returned to you, just a little less than what she was."

Jax takes a syringe from his back pocket, plunging it into Kyle's neck. Within seconds, he's out.

"What the fuck Jax, we needed him awake."

"Don't worry, it's fast acting and burns out his system within an hour. We need to move him. We can't have him screaming in a residential area."

"We need to get her back," I say, fighting the tears back.

"It's too late," Asher whispers, deathly white now. "She's been gone for too long now. Oh god, what have they done to her."

"Then we will be here to pick up the pieces," Jax says, crouching down to Asher's level. "We won't let them have her for much longer. We will get her back, and we will help her through this."

"You're talking like you know things. How do you know all this?"

The boys both look at Chase, and I know I'm being left out of a secret that's about to destroy everything.

"That person you've got undercover, they told you."

Chase nods.

"And who are they exactly?"