Page 132 of You Had Me At Thirteen

Fuck.

‘Have you heard from her?’ I barge past Sue and search the house as though I’m going to find her somewhere. Nothing looks out of place.

Sue trails behind me. ‘I’m not following, Wren?’

I scrub my hands over my face. ‘When did you get home?’

‘About an hour ago. Why? Wren, you’re scaring me. What’s going on?’

‘Have you heard from Eli today?’

Sue shakes her head, her eyes darting all over the place. ‘God, I don’t know… this morning. What’s this got to do with Eli?’

Gripping her upper arms, I give them a little squeeze. ‘Just stay here. If either of them shows up. Call me.’ I give her a quick kiss to the top of her head, and head for the door.

‘Wren?’ Sue says, chasing me. ‘Tell me what’s going on.’

Pausing, I steady myself against the doorframe and take a deep breath. ‘I think Eli has taken her.’

Sue’s hands fly to her mouth, and her eyes glass over. ‘What do you mean?’ Her voice comes out in a whisper.

‘I don’t know. Look, I think he’s after my dad. I promise I’ll explain everything, but right now I need to find my girlfriend.’

‘Oh my God,’ Sue says. ‘Should I call the police?’

‘They won’t do anything until Matilda’s been missing for twenty-four hours. Besides, we have no evidence of anything right now.’ Those words leave a bitter taste in my mouth.Matilda,andmissingin the same sentence has me ready to commit murder. I wrap my arms around Sue. ‘I’ll find her. I promise.’

Her tears soak my t-shirt. ‘Be careful.’

‘I will, but stay here. And remember, call me if they show up.’

She nods, then waits for me to cross the driveway before she shuts the door.

I pull up Jordan’s number, but before I can press the call button,private numberflashes up on my screen.

This better be my girlfriend.

‘Hello?’

‘Wren,’ the voice says.

Eli. I knew it.

Motherfucker.

‘Where’s Matilda?’ I’m storming into my house, gathering what I need. I’ll find this piece of shit and kill him if he lays one hand on my woman.

‘She’s safe. For now. Funny thing about trusting people, son, is that more often than not they fuck you over.’

‘I swear to God, if you lay a hand on her, I’ll fucking kill you.’

A low chuckle hits my ear. ‘Wren, Wren, Wren. She’s not the only one I have here. Your father has joined us as well. He owes me a hundred grand, and until I get that money, your beautiful little girlfriend and your worthless father will remain with me.’

My steps falter, and I almost collapse onto my bedroom floor. Sweat covers my forehead, and I croak out what sounds like, ‘What?’

‘Oh, you didn’t know daddy dearest was a scam artist? My bad. I didn’t think me kidnapping him would be enough for you to round the cash up, so I had to sweeten the deal with Matilda. I knew you’d do anything to save the love of your life. You see, when she stopped me from breaking into your house the first time, I knew I had a little firecracker on my hands. Then I saw Sue, and it was easy pretending I was an old friend of your dad’s. She ate my words right up. And being with her allowed me to get close enough to know your relationship with your father wasn’t the best. Hence, Plan B… Matilda. I could have waited longer, but meetingyouruined my plans. You’re a smart one, kid, I’ll give you that. Let’s just hope you’re smart enough to do as I ask.’

Matilda screams in the background. ‘Don’t do it, Wren. He’s a fucking bastard.’

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