Vengeance

  Taylor glanced past me, then did a double take when she saw the gates. She leaned toward the window, crushing my cast, and I let out an involuntary gasp.

  “Oh God! Sorry,” Taylor said, sitting up straight again. “But, you guys, do you realize where we are right now?”

  “The middle of nowhere?” Kiran theorized.

  “Trapped in some bad horror movie?” Ivy joked as the fog thickened.

  “I think both,” Taylor said, looking skittish.

  “What do you mean?” I asked, all the little hairs on my arms standing on end.

  “It says to take the next right, just after the covered bridge,” Ivy announced. Then she looked up from the page. “Wait a second. The covered bridge?”

  While her words still hung in the air, the structure appeared as if from nowhere, and the Escalade’s tires bumped and thumped over its old creaky boards. For a moment, we were eerily cut off from the outside world, the noise of the rain stopped, and all I could hear was the sound of our breathing and the squealing of the suddenly dry windshield wipers. I had this sinking sense of déjà vu as the car reemerged into the rain and Noelle slowed to make the turn.

  Seconds later my throat went dry and Noelle hit the brakes. I held my breath. No one moved. Rising up out of the fog at the top of the hill were the uppermost floors of a house I knew all too well. A house I hadn’t stepped foot inside for more than a year. A house I had visited on one of the most horrific nights of my life.

  Kiran clutched the door handle, as if ready to bolt. “Isn’t this—?”

  “Yeah, it is,” Noelle confirmed. “It’s Cheyenne’s house.”

  The very house my friends and I had partied and laughed and played dress up in on the night Ariana Osgood had attempted to kill me.

  FINISH THE JOB

  “Turn off the lights!” I whisper-shouted at Noelle.

  “What?” she asked.

  “Turn off the lights and pull over! Now!” I cried.

  My chest constricted and I doubled over in my seat, gasping for air. Noelle shot me a disturbed look and did as she was told. I pressed my forehead into the back of Kiran’s leather seat and told myself to chill. Told myself to breathe. But I couldn’t seem to make it happen.

  All I could see were flashes of blond hair. All I could hear was that evil snicker. Someone had been watching me this past week. I had felt it. I had sensed it. And now I knew exactly who that someone was.

  “Reed? Are you okay?” Ivy asked.

  I could hear myself gasping hoarsely. My throat and lungs burned. My heart pounded so hard I could feel it in my skull. I was going to pass out, and the very thought terrified me even more.

  “I think she’s having a panic attack,” Taylor said, putting her hand on my back. “Roll down the windows.”

  “But it’s pouring rain,” Kiran whined.

  “She needs air!” Ivy shouted.

  All four windows rolled down. The side of my face and my arm were peppered with cold, wet droplets of rain and cool air flooded my skin.

  “Concentrate, Reed,” Taylor instructed, her voice soothing. “Try to breathe.”

  I can’t! my brain wailed. Ican’tIcan’tIcan’t.

  But I had to. I closed my eyes, clamped my mouth shut, and pulled in a breath through my nose, which made me cough. But still, it was something. I forced myself to concentrate and tried again. I breathed in through my nose and out through my mouth.

  In and out. In and out. In and out.

  Finally, I was able to sit up again.

  “Are you okay?” Taylor asked.

  “I think so.” I shot her a weak but grateful smile. “Thanks.”

  “What the hell just happened?” Noelle asked, one hand still gripping the wheel. “Where did that come from?”

  “It’s Ariana,” I said, my voice breaking. “She’s behind this. This is all one big game and she’s trying to lure me here so she can finish me off.”

  “Reed, Ariana’s locked up. She doesn’t even have access to a cell phone,” Noelle reminded me.

  I shook my head violently, desperation coursing through my veins, swelling my heart. “It’s her. I know it’s her. She’s gotten out somehow and she’s trying to kill me. I just know it.”

  “Reed, calm down,” Taylor said, rubbing my back. “If Ariana had broken out of prison somehow—”

  “Which is highly unlikely as she is the least athletic person I know,” Noelle said.

  “—then we would have heard about it,” Taylor finished.

  “But what if we didn’t?” I asked. “I know you guys are going to think I’m crazy, but someone’s been spying on me on campus the past couple of weeks. I keep feeling someone watching me, and every time I look there’s someone disappearing around a corner or into a building, but I always catch a glimpse of blond hair.”

  “So maybe it was Missy,” Ivy suggested. “I wouldn’t put it past her to eff with you just for kicks.”

  “It wasn’t,” I insisted. “It was—”

  “Not Ariana,” Noelle said fiercely.

  “But what if it was?” I snapped through my teeth.

  At that moment my phone beeped and we all screamed. Which actually made me feel better. Momentarily. Until I looked down at the screen. I read the text aloud.

  LEAVE CAR WHERE IT IS & WALK THE REST. KEEP 2 THE TREES UNTIL U GET 2 PATH THRU BACK GARDEN. OH & LEAVE UR LITTLE FRIENDS WHERE THEY R, RULEBREAKER.

  “Omigod it’s totally her,” I whimpered.

  “It’s not!” Noelle replied. “And there’s no way we’re staying here.”

  “Are you sure about that?” Kiran asked tentatively. “I mean, the instructions say—”

  “No. We’re going,” Ivy put in, shoving her own phone into the pocket of her jacket. “There’s no way Reed’s going in there alone.”

  “I don’t even want to go in,” I replied, my voice shrill. “I say we go with Josh’s plan. Call the police and let them deal with it.”

  “But if we call the police, MT might bolt and then we’ll never know what’s going on,” Ivy said, leaning forward in her seat to see me better. “Come on. There’s safety in numbers. We’ll be fine.”

  “I don’t know, you guys,” Kiran said, looking up at the fog-obscured house. “This is all a little too Scream for my tastes.”

  “That’s it,” I said. “I’m calling the police.”

  “What’re you going to say?” Ivy asked. “That we followed an anonymous texter’s directions into the middle of nowhere and now we’re scared? They’ll laugh in your face.”

  “No, they won’t. Detective Hauer knows me,” I said, hitting the speed dial button. “It’ll be fine.”

  The phone rang only once before he picked up.

  “Detective Hauer,” he barked.

  “Detective? It’s Reed Brennan,” I said, clutching the phone to my ear.

  “Reed?” He sounded alarmed. Which made sense. When had I ever called him with good news? “Is everything all right?”

  “Not exactly. I’m out at Cheyenne Martin’s house, the one on Old Post Road? And I’m pretty sure Ariana Osgood is here,” I said.

  In the front seat Noelle hung her head into her hand. On the other end of the line, I heard phones ringing and a door slam, but otherwise, there was silence.

  “Detective?”

  “I’m sorry. I’m waiting for the punch line,” Detective Hauer said.

  I gritted my teeth. “I know it sounds crazy, but—”

  “Reed, I don’t even know where to start,” the detective said with a heavy sigh. “Why in hell would you be out at the Martin place on a night like this after what happened to you earlier this evening? And what in God’s name would make you think that Ariana Osgood is there when we both know she’s locked up safe and secure in Virginia?”

  Okay. Clearly I shouldn’t have led with the Ariana thing. My brain whirled, trying to figure out how to backtrack, where to start, how to make him believe me.

  “I know, but I—”

&nb
sp; “No. You know what? I don’t have time for this,” he said, his voice quickly growing gruff. “I’m too busy filling out the paperwork your last call generated, not to mention interviewing attempted-murder suspects and dealing with their highly irritating New York lawyers.”

  “But that’s—”

  “Reed, I seriously think you should consider the possibility that you might have a slight addiction to drama, both real and imagined,” the detective said. “If Ariana Osgood jumps out from behind a pillar and tries to whack you, give me a call.”

  And the line went dead.

  “What’d he say?” Taylor asked.

  I was too humiliated to repeat even half of it. I shoved my phone back in my pocket and sighed resignedly. “He said we’re on our own.”

  Everyone slumped. I stared down at my hands, feeling seriously deserted.

  “It’s not Ariana, Reed,” Noelle said in a reassuring tone. “I guarantee you it’s not.”

  “She’s right. I mean, it’s just not possible,” Taylor said. “If she’d gotten out somehow, we would know about it.”

  “Taylor?” Noelle said, angling further in her seat. “You haven’t said what you think we should do.”

  Taylor slowly looked around at each of us, kneading the knees of her skinny, black chinos in her hands. She bit her lip, screwing her lips up in anguished thought.

  “I say we go in,” she said finally. “But Reed and Kiran can stay here if they want.”

  “Yes!” Kiran cheered, pumping a fist by her side. “You three have fun!”

  “No. No way. I’m not letting you guys go without me,” I said, reaching for the door handle. “If you’re all going, then I’ll go too.”

  “Good. Then it’s settled,” Noelle said, popping her door open. “We’ll all go and Kiran the cowardly supermodel will stay here.”

  “By myself?” Kiran squeaked.

  “Your choice,” Noelle said with a shrug.

  Kiran hesitated. The four of us stared her down as we waited for her to make a decision. Finally, with a heaving sigh, she drew her stun gun out of her pocket. It was about the size of an iPhone, and when she hit the button to test it, a sizzle of blue light appeared between the two wires, releasing a comforting electric crackle. I just hoped Kiran’s reflexes were fast enough if Ariana jumped out from behind a curtain and tried to slice and dice me.

  “All right,” she said resolutely. “I’m in.”

  LIFE’S LITTLE SURPRISES

  We didn’t bring the umbrellas. Big mistake. Within five minutes of walking I was soaked through, my hair dripping ice-cold water down my back, and as hard as I tried to shield my cast from the rain, it was getting wet too. I tried not to think about what the consequences of that might be as my feet sunk into the two inches of mud along the side of the road, making awful sucking sounds each time I lifted them.

  Noelle tucked her sopping wet hair behind her ears, then held back a low-hanging branch and waited for us to pass her by.

  “So much for these shoes,” Kiran groused, teetering along in her heeled boots. “My stylist is not going to be happy with me.”

  “You should’ve worn sneakers,” Noelle admonished at a whisper. The rest of us had changed into loose black sweatshirts and running shoes, while Kiran had insisted on going designer-chic.

  “Well, I didn’t know we were going on a wilderness hike, did I?” Kiran demanded. “God. This MT couldn’t have just met us at a Starbucks like a normal human being?”

  For a moment I swear Noelle considered letting the branch snap back in Kiran’s face, but thankfully she restrained herself. As we neared the house, the wind kicked up, howling through the woods around us and turning the wet leaves on the trees upside down. A low rumble of thunder sounded in the distance. I stopped in my tracks, blinking the rain off my lashes as I looked up at the turrets of the house. With its gargoyle details, the rain pouring off the eaves, and the dozens of windows shuttered and curtained, it looked like something out of a nightmare.

  “Are we sure about this?” Taylor asked.

  “Let’s just get it over with,” Noelle said, tromping ahead.

  We all exchanged wary looks but followed. It was, after all, what we did—followed Noelle. Except for Ivy. I wasn’t exactly sure what she was still doing here, unless it was due to our friendship, or perhaps her own morbid curiosity. She and Cheyenne had, at one time, been best friends, but I was sure she hadn’t been back to this house in years.

  “Where exactly are we going?” Kiran asked as we came up even with the side of the house. It seemed like most of the curtains were drawn on the first floor as well, and there wasn’t a light to be seen. If MT was in there somewhere, he or she clearly preferred the dark.

  “It said to go to the back garden and take the path,” I reminded her. “Keep walking.”

  A sudden crack of lighting lit the night sky, followed quickly by a clap of thunder.

  “What was that?” Taylor gasped, grasping my cast.

  “Thunder,” I replied automatically.

  She rolled her eyes. “Not that, that.”

  She pointed a quaking finger at the house and I saw something move. A curtain fell back into place. My heart slammed against my ribs. Another crack of lightning and a face was illuminated at the next window. A pale, staring, panicked face.

  “Oh my God,” I said.

  “What?” Noelle snapped, doubling back.

  “I think I just saw Sawyer,” I hissed. But when I looked back at the house, there was no one there.

  “Sawyer? Where?” Ivy asked.

  “At the third window on the second floor,” I said tremulously, pointing.

  “Maybe he’s MT,” Ivy suggested.

  “But what would he be doing here?” I asked. “He didn’t even know Cheyenne.”

  But he did know Ariana, I thought, pressing my lips together to keep from saying it out loud. They had both been on those trips to St. Barths for all those years. Had she kidnapped Sawyer and brought him here for some reason? To keep him from warning me? Or had she somehow roped him in to her sick plan, whatever it was?

  “You were probably just seeing things,” Noelle said with a sniff. “Come on. We have to get inside before we all die of exposure.”

  I was pretty sure it took a lot longer than fifteen minutes to die of exposure, especially on a relatively warm night, but I kept the thought to myself. I wasn’t about to go back to the car by myself, and besides, everyone else was marching ahead. I cast one last look at the now-empty window and tried to clear my mind.

  We crept around the back of the house until we found a lush but rain-flattened garden, all the roses and tulips and hydrangeas bowed toward the earth under the relentless torrent. The pebbled path led right past the back wall of the house and terminated at a set of double glass doors.

  “What now?” Noelle asked.

  On cue, my phone beeped. Kiran squealed and Taylor jumped. I tugged it from my pocket and read.

  GO INSIDE THRU PARLOR & UPSTAIRS.

  “Can I just say again that I don’t like this?” Kiran whimpered.

  Noelle grunted and reached for the door. She had to shove it hard to unstick it, but it opened. I held my breath as I followed her tentative steps inside. The room was an enclosed patio, filled with furniture covered by drop cloths. Noelle moved straight ahead, feeling her way in the dark and with the help of the occasional lightning flashes. The house was dead quiet, except for the sound of our tiptoed footsteps and the slamming beat of my pulse.

  We came to the foot of a set of carpeted stairs. My phone beeped again. Kiran squealed.

  “Stop doing that!” I hissed.

  “I’m sorry! I can’t help it!” she replied, hand at the base of her throat.

  I read the text.

  WHEN U GET 2 TOP, MAKE RT & GO 2 RM @ END OF HALL.

  “Why doesn’t he just come down?” Taylor asked, her voice trembling as she kneaded her wet fingers together. “What’s with the cloak and dagger?”

  “C
learly, MT likes to play,” Ivy said, grabbing the bannister and starting up the stairs. Was it just me, or did it seem like she was enjoying this? I made a mental note to find her a good therapist later. As long as we all survived.

  “You ready for this?” Noelle asked.

  “I hope so,” I replied.

  I took her hand as we followed after Ivy and I was grateful when she didn’t shrug me off. With every step, my heart rate seemed to speed up, my pulse pounding so loud in my ears I couldn’t hear a thing. As my foot hit the top stair, I lost my balance and tipped sideways. As the door at the end of the hallway loomed ahead of us, every fiber of my being told me to run. Every instinct said this was wrong. But it was like I couldn’t turn back. We were on a roller coaster, cresting the top of the hill, and all there was to do was plummet toward the earth, scream our heads off, and trust we’d arrive alive.

  We paused outside the door.

  “What do we do?” Taylor whispered.

  “Well.” Noelle released me and wiped her hands on the front of her wet jacket. “I’m going to open it.”

  She looked to me for confirmation, and I nodded. What else could I do?

  Noelle slowly reached for the door. Her fingers trembled. She grazed the handle. And then my phone beeped.

  “What now?” Ivy hissed.

  I looked down at my phone, but the text was not from MT. It was from Sawyer’s cell phone, and the message knocked all the wind out of me.

  GET OUT NOW! RUN!!!!!

  “Omigod,” I gasped. “Run!”

  We all turned around as one and froze. The overhead lights flickered on. My knees went out from under me and I grabbed Noelle to keep from going down. Standing right in front of us, not ten feet away, was Graham Hathaway, dry and clean and holding a gun trained right at my heart. But it wasn’t him that stopped me cold. It was the person standing next to him, a menacing smirk on her pretty, familiar face.

  “Cheyenne?” Ivy blurted.