Page 1 of Broken

Chapter 1

TUCKER

“Would you two cool it down?” I side-eyed my best friend, who was currently inhaling his girlfriend’s face.

Without tearing himself away, Jet flipped me the bird, keeping Annie straddled across his lap with her knees pressed into the hard metal on my truck’s tailgate. I grinned and rolled my eyes. They didn’t actually bother me. It was just fun to get a reaction. Hell, they’d be screwing already if there wasn’t a crowd around after Jet just won that race. I had no doubts that Izzy and I would make it home long before them tonight.

I glanced down at my phone at the thought of her. She’d gone to the restroom a while ago. I was trying not to be the overprotective boyfriend, but with the rougher crowd here in Outer Ridge, it was hard not to worry.

Annie sucked in a breath, jerking back from Jet, and my head whipped towards her.

“You okay?” Jet asked, concern crossing his tanned brow.

“Um, yeah.” She seemed confused. “I just need to text Izzy.”

I was instantly on alert. That freaky twin thing of hers usually only popped up if something was wrong.

Annie’s fingertips tapped on her sunflower phone case after she typed a quick message, her eyes fixed on the screen. Jet waited calmly in front of her, but every nerve inside me was on edge.

Like some kind of sixth sense I couldn’t explain, the hairs on the back of my neck suddenly stood on end right before Annie stiffened, her eyes going vacant. Jet clutched her, gently grabbing her chin to bring her gaze to his, guiding her back into the present.

She blinked, alarm now covering her features when she looked at me, and I sprang up even faster than she scrambled from Jet’s lap.

“Did she text back?” I snapped over my shoulder, already running past my truck. The crowd was thick, several vehicles blocking my view of where I’d last seen Izzy headed.

“No.”

Annie was right on my heels, Jet right behind hers. “Y’all head that way.” I pointed to the left while I headed right, my eyes darting from car to car, sweeping over each and every person, every face as I passed. Someone hollered at me to slow the fuck down, but there was no effing chance of that.

My stomach dipped, realizing how stupid I’d been for letting Izzy head off alone.Here, at least, of all places. Jet was confident Zane had said he’d be going out of town, but what if he wasn’t? The races were as much his haunt as it was starting to become ours.

I gave my head a mental shake. I was thinking too far ahead. It could be anything. She could’ve just fallen.Like Annie’s radar would go off over something that small.

I sped up, rushing around a large diesel truck at the back of the crowd, the empty field leading to the single porta potty now laid in front of me. My eyes swept the area, looking for anyone or anything out of place. Nothing. A few figures darted out at the other edge of the crowd,where it looped around. Annie and Jet stared back at me, just a second passing for us to confirm we hadn’t found Izzy.

Annie took off at a sprint, running up to rap her fist at the porta potty’s door as Jet and I hurried to follow, the last bit of my hope fading when she turned around. She slunk back against the ugly green plastic. Her head shook, and she looked at Jet, her expression begging for answers.

“Call her again.”

Annie nodded, tugging her phone from her back pocket with slightly shaking hands. Jet and I reached her as the phone started to ring, but it wasn’t Annie’s that we heard through the line. I spun around, my heart dropping in my chest.

On the ground, just a few feet behind where we stood, was Izzy’s phone, Annie’s name flashing across the screen in the call she couldn’t take.

ISABEL

I screamed, the sound coming out muffled as my world went dark. A muscular pair of arms wrapped around me, yanking meback as I was shoved into the back seat of what felt like an SUV. My teeth grit against the cloth in my mouth as I fell face-first into the smooth leather of the seat, and my shoulder slid off the edge as my knee banged into the floorboard. I grunted at the impact.

Panic flared through me, and even through the shock, I knew I couldn’t let him shut me in. If this car drove off with me in it, there was no telling what could happen.

I scrambled onto my hands and knees, trying to back my way out, when I was shoved so hard my head whacked against the door. I winced, stars dancing across my vision in the precious few seconds I had. A large presence crawled in behind me before I could recover.

My eyes widened, panic now cording through my veins, streaming through my system faster than my blood, and again I tried to scream, the gag making my voice muffled and faint. No one was coming for me. I knew it. Everyone had been too far away. Even if Annie felt my panic, my friends would never make it to me in time if this car drove off with me in it.

My fight or flight response picking its side, I kicked out and made contact with my kidnapper, the heel of my shoe jabbing into flesh. I heard a rough grunt before he grabbed my ankle, and my other foot shot out, connecting again as my hands scrambled for the door handle on my side. I kept my legs kicking as hard and fast and random as I could before my heels were ripped from my feet. The guy blocked what he could as my nails scraped along on the smooth surface of the door for too many seconds before finding their target. Hope blossomed for only a fleeting moment until I pulled the handle, and nothing happened.

And then the door slammed closed.

Ready to cry out in desperation, my body was suddenly thrown back as someone slammed on the accelerator.

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