And just like that, his fist comes toward me, and everything fades to black again.
Chapter Two
Mason
I knew I shouldn’t have let her leave with that crazy fuck. The moment he showed up, I should’ve stood my ground and took her to the meeting myself. But the last thing I wanted to do was argue with Sophie before our date.
I don’t want to be the guy who tells her what to do. After the hell she went through with Weston, I don’t want to mirror any of his controlling behavior. I want Sophie to be free to make her own decisions, but I’m kicking myself now for not pushing harder to keep her away from him. That’s when I think about Maddie because she was with them earlier.
“Fuck,” I whisper, then demand Liam call Maddie as soon as possible to make sure she’s okay as I continue to call Sophie.
Back when I first met him as Caleb, I could tell he was bad news. His brother gave me the same creepy vibe. The way he looked at her and used a sob story to gain her trust were red flags from the start, and I’m so pissed because my gut was spot-on. But him being related to Weston? That was one thing that had never crossed my mind.
“She’s fine. At her dorm,” he tells me after a moment.
“Good,” I say, relieved she’s okay because this is messed up as it is. He could’ve taken them both, but I suspect I’m his main target in all of this. Just knowing Sophie’s with Dalton makes me fucking sick. We have to find her as soon as possible. Liam and I stand in the empty parking lot of the church where the grief meetings are held, and I scream her name, praying for a goddamn miracle that she can hear me.
I call her again, over and over and over, pleading for her to call me. But it’s no use. She’s not here.
“This can’t be happening…” I whisper-shriek to Liam, struggling to catch my breath. What the hell am I gonna do? Call the cops? Call my dad? Tell Jerad to put a warrant out for his arrest?
If he has my girlfriend, and she can’t respond to my messages and calls, does that qualify as kidnapping?
Holy fuck, I can’t breathe, and the world seems to be spinning around me. The last time I felt this way was the night I couldn’t get ahold of Emma, and she ended her life. I have zero control of the situation, and it’s destroying me from the inside out.
Right before I have a full-on panic attack, my phone vibrates.
Sophie: An eye for an eye, killer. Murdered someone I loved, now I’m going to kill someone you love. Payback’s a bitch, asshole.
Attached is a picture of my sweet Sophie tied to a chair with duct tape across her mouth, completely unconscious as she sits there so helplessly.
“Motherfucker! I’m going to kill him!” I howl.
Liam looks at the screen over my shoulder and gasps. I type out a response, not able to stop shaking.
Mason: If you fucking touch her, I’m going to kill you. And it won’t be classified as self-defense this time. Let her go, Dalton, or I swear to God, this won’t end well for you.
Sophie: Tsk, tsk, tsk. We’re not playing by your rules, Mason. This time…justice WILL be served. It’s either gonna be you or her. And if you call the police, your father, or any of your little bitch friends, she’ll be dead before you even find her. Your choice.
I feel sick to my stomach as I hand my phone to Liam. His eyes go wide as I try to get ahold of myself.
“What the fuck do I do?” I ask, panting as we walk to the truck.
The wheels are turning in Liam’s head, and I can see he’s thinking of every possible scenario.
“He disabled her location sharing,” he says, sliding his thumb over the screen.
“Motherfucker.” After Sophie moved in, we shared locations with her as a precaution. Knowing Weston’s family might come after me for a wrongful homicide charge, we decided it was better to be safe than sorry since we all worked long hours. Considering what Liam does for a living, we’ve had ours shared with each other for years. He pretends to be tough as nails, but that doesn’t mean I don’t worry about the types of criminals he has to be around.
“Call Jerad. See if he can track her phone number to a cell tower and or even get a specific address since it’s on. If he can pinpoint her location, maybe we can find his car since we know what he drives.”
A million different thoughts stream through my mind, and all I can do is hope Sophie isn’t hurt and is staying strong. Though, by the photo, I know he intends to break her down physically and mentally while fucking with me. He’s a goddamn psycho.